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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida's tax collections top projection
Florida’s general-revenue tax collections in November topped a forecast by 6.9 percent, as lawmakers get ready to draw up a budget during the legislative session that will start next week. The Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research posted a report Tuesday that said net general revenue for the month totaled $3.74 billion, $242.6 million over a projection issued in August. The higher-than-expected collections were mostly attributed to sales taxes, corporate income taxes and insurance taxes. More from the News Service of Florida.
SpaceX back with 1st Space Coast launch of the year
After a record 2023, SpaceX is not slowing down its launch plans for 2024 with the first launch of the year from Florida slated for Wednesday evening. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a telecom satellite for private Swedish company Ovzon is slated to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 during a 10-minute window that opens at 6:04 p.m. with a backup on Thursday during an 87-minute window that opens at 4:47 p.m. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
$55.6M purchase expands New York investment firm’s Florida footprint
Clarion Partners, which already owns 5.8 million square feet of industrial space in Central Florida, bought two Tampa warehouses minutes from Tampa International Airport. The property, Tampa Airport Logistics, sits on 19.2 acres and has a total of 297,254 square feet, according to a sales flyer. It is 100% leased with an average tenant lease term of six years. More from the Business Observer.
Florida Power, Lennar made biggest Central Florida land buys of 2023
Florida’s largest utility made a record-breaking land buy this year in Osceola County while the nation’s second-largest homebuilder was busy scooping up property all over Lake County in what ultimately ended as a banner year for land sales. Florida Power & Light Company paid $212 million on Nov. 10 for the 40,000-acre El Maximo Ranch in south Osceola County’s Kissimmee River Valley. The utility company has not confirmed the future use of the property, but it’s expected to house what could become a solar farm. And it’s large enough to accommodate the largest solar array in the U.S. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Tourist mecca Miami Beach weighs a hotels moratorium
Miami Beach, the county’s visitor magnate for a century, is considering a moratorium on adding hotel rooms. A discussion headed to the city commission’s Land Use and Sustainability Committee is to weigh repeal of floor area ratio incentives for hotel developments, a cap on hotel rooms based on zoning districts, and a recently enacted New York model for addressing the limits on approvals for hotels. More from Miami Today.
Entertainment
Revamped Ringling circus returns to Tampa: Here’s what to expect
Invented by P.T. Barnum in 1871 and named “The Greatest Show on Earth,” the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus shut down in 2017, a victim of changing entertainment tastes and years of protests by animal-rights groups. But now owner Feld Entertainment, based in a sprawling Ellenton headquarters in Manatee County, has resurrected and revamped the iconic show with a new animal-free tour.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Out of the Box
Florida woman sues Hershey over Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins packaging not being 'cute'
A Florida woman upset that Reese's holiday-themed chocolates did not feature the same cute designs shown on its packaging is suing manufacturer Hershey's for false advertisement. In a lawsuit filed on Dec. 28 in Florida's Middle District Court, Cynthia Kelly sued Hershey's for $5 million, alleging that the company misled buyers with "false and deceptive advertising" on their packaging.
» Read more from USA Today.
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