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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Feds target Florida's Chinese land ownership law
The U.S. Department of Justice is urging a federal judge to block a new Florida law that restricts people from China and six other countries from owning property in the state. Justice Department attorneys Tuesday filed a 22-page “statement of interest” supporting a lawsuit and preliminary-injunction request filed by four Chinese people and a real-estate brokerage that serves Chinese clients. The statement of interest said the law, approved this spring by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature violates the federal Fair Housing Act and the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. More from the News Service of Florida.
CSX in deal for portions of Meridian & Bigbee Railroad
CSX Corp. announced an agreement June 28 to acquire short line railroad operations in Alabama, which will establish additional freight corridors connecting the Southeast, Texas and Mexico. In a series of transactions, Jacksonville-based CSX and Calgary, Alberta-based Canadian Pacific Kansas City will acquire or operate portions of Meridian & Bigbee Railroad, which is owned by short-line railroad company Genesee & Wyoming Inc. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Downtown Kissimmee businesses form group to pay for security amid safety concerns
Downtown Kissimmee restaurant and bar owners are beginning to form a group to fund security, after a shooting left businesses concerned about safety. This follows after Orlando leaders adopted an ordinance that requires downtown bars to help fund public safety expenses. The ordinance took effect the first week of May despite objections from some bar owners in downtown Orlando over having to fund security for everyone — a difference in mindset from downtown Kissimmee, where most bar and restaurant owners want to pay. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
New Rays ballpark could create 17,000+ jobs in Pinellas, analysis says
A new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays on the existing Tropicana Field site in St. Petersburg could generate up to 17,782 sustainable, annual jobs in Pinellas County over 30 years, according to a county-commissioned analysis. The study, by Utah-based firm Victus Advisors, was submitted on Feb. 6 but has not previously been publicized. It gives projections on how much money the stadium construction would pump into the local economy — as much as $250 million in Pinellas on a project expected to cost more than $1 billion in total — as well as job, wage and tax revenue figures for the stadium’s first decades in use. More from the Tmpa Bay Times.
Miami arts group to help artists pay rent. ‘Artists deserve to live in their city.’
As Miami’s housing affordability crisis persists and rents skyrocket, local artists are facing a growing concern: Can we afford to live here? A local arts nonprofit’s new initiative offers a solution -- at least for a couple years. Oolite Arts, a Miami-based organization that provides resources to artists, announced the Knight Artist Housing Stipend, which gifts Oolite’s artists in residence with $12,000 a year to go toward housing costs starting in 2024. More from the Miami Herald.
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Out of the Box
The art of keeping Elvis alive in small-town Florida
There are Elvis fans, and then there are fans of the modern Elvis live concert experience. Devotees of the tribute artists want more than a recording can give. In small towns and theaters across America, a dedicated group of professionals offers what they seek. To be clear, Elvis, the legend, needs no help preserving his legacy. Tribute artists are stoking the fires of something different. They keep alive a bit of how it felt to sit feet from pure, pulsing charisma.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
End of an Era
Historic Ford Motor Co. assembly plant is demolished
The historic Ford Motor Co. plant is demolished. ELEV8 Demolition took down the 98-year-old former factory in the riverfront Talleyrand area near Downtown for owner Amkin Hill Street LLC. Duval County property records show the plant is about 170,000 square feet built in 1925, although some reports say it opened in 1924.
» Read more from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
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