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Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Space agency gears up for increased launches in 2024
With Florida rocket launches in 2024 expected to top a record set last year, the state’s aerospace agency is seeking more money from lawmakers and is backing an expansion of spaceport designations. Florida had 72 orbital launches last year. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, who chairs the Space Florida Board of Directors, said last week that launches from Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center represented 68 percent of the orbital flights from the U.S. in 2023. The state anticipates about 120 launches this year. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Study reveals economic impact of Florida's red tide on tourism
A new study from the University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management has found that the loss to tourism-related businesses due to the 2018 Florida red tide bloom is estimated at approximately $2.7 billion. The research, performed in collaboration with the University of South Florida and Florida. Contrary to expectations, the study reveals that low concentrations of red tide can have disproportionate economic impacts compared to more intense blooms. [Source: Phys.org]
Florida gets an 'F' in protecting residents from tobacco dangers
Florida is failing its citizens in reducing the harms of tobacco products, according to the American Lung Association's 22nd annual State of Tobacco report. Overall, it’s Black Floridians who ultimately are among the most hurt by the use of flavored products, the ALA found. Researchshows that 81% of Black Americans smoke menthol cigarettes. On average, 45,000 Black Americans die each year due to tobacco-related illnesses. [Source: WFSU]
Florida lawmakers may force cities and counties to ban public camping
As battles rage around the country over the growing number of unhoused individuals sleeping on sidewalks and in parks, Florida lawmakers are pondering a hard-nosed approach: Prohibiting cities and counties from allowing public camping, and permitting people and businesses to sue governments that don’t remove encampments. If House Bill 1365 becomes law, this state would become the latest to pursue such policies which have gained traction in places like Texas and Missouri. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Online sports betting in Florida got the OK in December but there's only one legal app
Sports betting became legal in Florida, again, in a limited fashion in November last year after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing people to place bets on-site at the Seminole Tribe’s casinos is South Florida. On Nov. 7, the tribe quietly launched its mobile sports betting app despite online sports betting being a separate, unsettled lawsuit. The launch of the app came with some caveats, such as limiting which of its customers could get “early access” and requiring users to physically visit their nearest Hard Rock or Seminole Casino to earn one Unity point. [Source: Pensacola News Journal]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Osceola County’s NeoCity receives $15 million from National Science Foundation
Osceola County’s semiconductor manufacturing hub NeoCity received a $15 million award from the National Science Foundation on Monday, bringing its total to more than a half-billion dollars in funding over the last 18 months. The award comes from the NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines program, which was funded by the CHIPS and Science Act and aims to establish technology hubs across the country.
› 'Our history': Crumbling records of Lakeland's founding are preserved
The handwritten minutes, resolutions and ordinances from 1885 to 1890 that were the basis of Lakeland’s charter were becoming faded 19th-century memories. However, through the efforts of the Lakeland Public Library, the City of Lakeland and a professional preservation company, the roots of a municipality have been preserved indefinitely.
› Southeastern Grocers finishes sale of Fresco y Más; here's what's next
Winn-Dixie grocery store and Harveys Supermarket operator Southeastern Grocers Inc. finished transferring its Fresco y Mas stores to the Fresco Retail Group LLC on Thursday. The new owners will continue to operate the 28 Fresco y Mas stores and four pharmacies under the same name. “The successful sale of Fresco y Mqs marks an important milestone on our path forward,” Southeastern Grocers CEO Anthony Hucker said.
› Miami natives team up to build a better, more data-driven restaurant experience for all
When Jake Pelayo and Sebastian Brunet met during middle school at Ransom Everglades, little did they know that they would reunite years later to build a startup, in Miami no less. Their paths diverged after high school, with Pelayo leaving to study at Babson and Brunet at Boulder. But throughout this time, they were haunted by the ghost of an idea that originally came from an AP Econ project. In short: How can consumers and restaurants alike leverage the power of data to optimize their food and entertainment choices and offerings?
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