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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Why Florida addressing climate change could leave manatees out in the cold
Years of development and change to their natural habitats forced Florida’s manatees to adapt. Soon, they’ll be forced to do so again. That’s because as we bent Florida’s waterways to our will — diverting rivers, draining water that fed springs, paving over creeks — manatees had to find other sources of warm water to keep them alive during the winter. More than half of the state’s manatees now depend on power plants to survive. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida unemployment rate holds steady at 3.1% in January
Florida’s unemployment rate stood at 3.1 percent in January, unchanged from a revised December rate, as the workforce continues to steadily grow. The Florida Department of Commerce on Monday estimated 340,000 Floridians were out of work in January, 1,000 more than in December and an increase of 37,000 from a year earlier. More from the News Service of Florida.
Tampa Bay watering once a week looks like it’s helping with drought conditions, officials say
For lawn-loving Tampa Bay residents dutifully watering only once a week, here’s news: Officials say combined with rain and cooler temperatures, there are signs that education and conservation are making a difference — particularly in Hillsborough County, the biggest water consumer in the region. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Brightline gives green light to Cocoa stop for its Orlando-to-Miami passenger rail service
Next stop: Cocoa. That's the word from passenger rail company Brightline, which on Tuesday said it plans to have a Brevard County train stop at what's known as "the Cocoa curve," on land it owns in north Cocoa, although it hasn't yet said when construction of a station would begin. More from Florida Today.
Miami Beach spring break measures are keeping crowds away. Next weekend is a bigger test
Unlike in past years on weekends around the same time in March, large crowds haven’t gathered on the beach during the day and flooded Ocean Drive at night. There haven’t been impromptu parties along side streets. The iconic South Beach strip was still buzzing with activity this past weekend — but aside from the spring break restrictions and massive police presence, it felt much like a typical weekend in South Beach. More from the Miami Herald.
Profile
Restaurant marketing exec tackles new side hustle: Children’s book author
A core memory for Kevin Rooney? Meeting children’s book author Robert Munsch in elementary school. He and the author of kids’ classics like “Love You Forever” and “The Paper Bag Princess” were both from the same town in Canada, and Rooney still has the signed book from that meetup. Fast-forward a few decades, and now Rooney is the one whose words might inspire a whole new generation of kids.
» More from the Business Observer.
Out of the Box
A stitch in time: St. Augustine man keeps sewing machines going, even after 120 years
John Niles sometimes puts a simple sign — white background, black letters — outside his house in a woodsy subdivision in the St. Augustine suburbs. SEWING MACHINES, it reads. No kidding: Inside his garage on a recent day, there were at least 30 sewing machines there for sale, repair, trade or parts. Most of them are 70 to 120 years old with intricate etching on metal parts and ornate gold illustrations all over them — a far cry from the utilitarian beige plastic machines that followed them.
» Read more from the Florida Times-Union.
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