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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida's cruise business is, well, cruising again
The cruise business was idled for 15 months. Ships were empty except for skeleton crews. Passengers stayed home. Jobs were cut and South Florida’s cruise ports — some of the busiest in the world — were quiet. No stevedores. No crew members. No passengers. The cruise business was closed because of COVID-19. But since sailing restarted last summer, business has been booming. More from WLRN.
Could a slowing Gulf Stream bring Florida more flooding? UM study will find out
Could climate change cause the collapse of a critical ocean current that influences everything from sea levels in South Florida to monsoons in the Pacific and temperatures in Europe? On Tuesday morning, University of Miami scientists boarded a ship bound for the Bahamas to help answer that question. More from the Miami Heraldand the Tampa Bay Times.
Construction materials startup raises $18 million for new South Florida plant
Renco USA, which has introduced an innovative new building material for the development industry, raised $18 million in convertible notes, a deal that values the company at $318 million. It will use the funds to construct a manufacturing plant in Jupiter, where dozens of jobs could be created. More from the South Florida Business Journal.
Brevard Commission rejects L3Harris request for tax breaks for Palm Bay expansion, 201 jobs
The Brevard County Commission on Tuesday rejected L3Harris Technologies Inc.'s request for $7.15 million in county property tax breaks for two expansion projects in Palm Bay that the company says would create 201 high-paying jobs and 212 spinoff jobs. More from Florida Today.
Disney park revenue slumps in Orlando but grows globally
Revenue is up for Walt Disney Co.’s theme parks globally, but down at Walt Disney World, according to third-quarter financial results released by the company Wednesday. CEO Robert Iger pointed to a flattening of attendance after the end of Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration and other contributors for the dip. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Tech Trends
Miami airport expands facial-recognition verification of passengers’ identities
Miami airport on Wednesday started adding facial-recognition technology to at least 20 more international departure gates to verify identification of individual travelers, the biggest implementation stage of the technology since the airport began testing it in 2018.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Florida Law
A “whopper” of a verdict
Earlier this year when a Broward County jury awarded nearly $8 million to Richard Tulecki for a slip-and-fall accident in a Burger King restroom, his personal injury attorneys heralded the verdict as a triumph in the face of Florida’s newly enacted limits on tort lawsuits.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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