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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida citrus growers grapple with grim reality: Harvest drops to levels not seen since 1936
Numbers released Wednesday confirmed that Florida’s 2022-2023 citrus season was the worst in nearly a century, as growers tried to recover from an early-season hurricane that exacerbated industry struggles. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday issued a final report that showed a huge dropoff in production from the 2021-2022 season. The industry would have to go back to the 1929-1930 season to find comparable numbers. More from the News Service of Florida, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and WUSF.
Worldpay deal boosts slumping FIS
Before word leaked out over the July 4 weekend that the company was nearing a sale of its Worldpay unit, Fidelity National Information Services Inc. was the worst performing stock this year among Jacksonville-based companies trading above $10. The stock fell 19% in the first six months of 2023 and was down 48% from its 52-week high of $105.16 in August 2022. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
SpaceX set for record turnaround with another overnight Space Coast launch
SpaceX is keeping up its record pace for the year with another overnight Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station that would set a company record between launches from the same pad. A Falcon 9 carrying 54 more of the company’s internet satellites is set to lift off from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:40 a.m. Friday with a backup opportunity early Saturday at 12:15 a.m. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Will Miami be forced to pay out in Carollo case? It’s a multimillion-dollar legal question
The lawsuit filed against Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo by two Little Havana businessmen claiming he targeted them after they supported a political foe hit so many speed bumps that it took more than five years just to get a jury seated. And now, six weeks after the stunning $63.5 million verdict against Carollo, William “Bill” Fuller and Martin Pinilla are once again petitioning the court, this time to amend the verdict on the very same issue the court denied the duo four years ago — that the city of Miami should be on the hook for a significant portion of the judgment. More from the Miami Herald.
Hillsborough budget plan tops $9 billion
Hillsborough County commissioners will consider a $9.12 billion budget for the coming fiscal year, a more than $626 million jump in spending that includes relatively few new bells and whistles. Inflation, increased spending requests from constitutional officers and outside agencies plus salary and benefit adjustments for employees contributed to the 7.4% increase in the budget recommended by County Administrator Bonnie Wise. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Innovation
Got a smart way to recycle seaweed? Miami-Dade wants to bankroll innovative ideas
Those brown globs of rotten-egg-smelling sargassum may be taking a fortunate hiatus from sliming South Florida beaches but the seaweed will be back — if not this summer, then the one after, and so on. Next time, Miami-Dade wants to turn all that excess seaweed into an entrepreneurial windfall. How? Well, that’s still an unanswered and potentially valuable question.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Out of the Box
700-pound robot sculpture is latest artwork added to sunken ship off Pompano Beach
Pompano Beach’s art gallery has another exhibit for public viewing but it isn’t where you might expect. A robot sculpture named “Mechan H2O” was submerged more than 100 feet underwater Wednesday to forever live on the stern of the Lady Luck sunken ship. It’s part of the Shipwreck Park underwater art exhibition that both creates artificial reefs to attract fish — and attract divers looking for a great selfie.
» Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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