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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
The Great Migration isn't just fueling population growth. It's spawning startups.
New businesses are still going strong in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic — and economists see it as a sign of a resurgent innovation economy. And a breakdown of new business applications by county across 2022 shows much of the American South and Southwest is benefiting, too. The top 10 major American metro areas in terms of new businesses per 1,000 residents is dominated by Southern cities — with Miami at the top, followed by Atlanta and Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville in Florida. More from the Business Journals.
Brightline passenger train company revenue up 129% so far this year
Miami-based passenger train company Brightline reported a 129% increase in revenue for the first six months of 2023 as it continues South Florida service prior to its Orlando launch. According to Brightline's ridership and revenue report for the month of June, the train company collected $30.2 million between January and June of this year compared to $13.2 million in the first six months of 2022. More from the Orlando Business Journal.
'Black gold': Food waste composting facility in Jacksonville pushes industry ahead
Mike and Christina Kelcourse saw waste going to waste. So in 2020 the couple founded Sunshine Organics and Compost in Jacksonville, which they said is the city's first commercial-scale food waste composting facility. The need and the potential for innovation in the field — converting organic materials such as food scraps into a nutrient-rich soil additive or mulch through natural decomposition — got their attention, Christina Kelcourse said. More from the Florida Times-Union.
FPL pays $30 million for 3,400 acres in Manatee County
Florida Power & Light has bought 3,397 acres of agricultural land in Myakka City. According to a copy of the deed posted on Manatee County's court records website, the power company paid $30 million for a total of eight parcels. County property records identify the parcels as being at 73rd Avenue East, Juell Gill Road, Wauchula Road and Roy Moore Road. A Sarasota-Manatee FPL official referred calls to the FPL media relations. FP&L did not respond to multiple requests for comment about what it intends to do with the land. More from the Business Observer.
Commercial real estate booms near Miami International Airport
Due to its proximity to Miami International Airport, Doral’s commercial and industrial real estate remains strong, as one of the most sought-after areas in Miami-Dade County. The Doral and airport sector, as of the second quarter of the year, has a vacancy of 3.9% and an average asking rate of $50.27 per square foot for retail space, according to a preliminary report by Colliers. Class A office space in the area showed 20.8% vacancy and an average price of $39.22 per square foot. More from Miami Today.
Recreation
Popular indoor water park and resort to open first Florida location
A popular indoor water park and resort will open its first Florida location next year. Great Wolf Resorts, North America’s largest family of indoor water park resorts, recently broke ground on its newest resort in Naples. The resort will feature a 100,000-square-foot indoor water park and 500 family-friendly suites.
» More from WFLA.
Preservation Trends
Saving sea cows
Brevard County has been at the center of a historic wave of manatee deaths in recent years: More than one-third of the 1,900 sea cows that died in Florida between 2021 and 2022 were recovered in Brevard County, where algae blooms in the Indian River Lagoon have decimated the seagrass that the mammals rely on for food. While deaths are no longer at record levels, a dozen sea cows died in Brevard during the first three months of 2023 and the Brevard Zoo is working on ways to help the embattled animals.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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