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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida logs lowest manatee death toll since 2019
Florida has had its lowest number of manatee deaths since 2019, as the threatened species rebounds from a record die-off. As of April 26, the most recent data available, 230 manatees have died so far this year, according to the most recent available statistics from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. By comparison, 265 manatees had died by this time last year, and 532 the previous year. More from Florida Today.
Florida hospital system, feds reach $1.5 million settlement over Medicare discounts
A Florida hospital system has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle allegations involving discounts offered to certain Medicare beneficiaries. Baptist Health System reached the settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, according to a Justice Department news release Monday. The news release said Baptist was accused of violating a federal law known as the False Claims Act by “knowingly causing its subsidiaries to offer discounts to patients to induce them” to purchase services from subsidiaries or for referral of services. More from the News Service of Florida.
Brightline high-speed rail to Tampa? City officials discuss what’s next
On a Wednesday morning last month, a group of senior city staff and business leaders huddled with Mayor Jane Castor to discuss the status of connecting Tampa and Orlando with high-speed rail. The meeting came about six weeks after Florida lawmakers decided not to include a requested $50 million to spur rail expansion process along Interstate 4. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Spirit Airlines’ stock dips nearly 10% after company posts $142.6 million first quarter loss
Embattled South Florida-based Spirit Airlines saw its stock drop about 10% on Monday after it posted a first quarter net loss of $142.6 million, and blamed the declines on external factors such as “adverse weather and air traffic control related delays,” tough competition from other airlines, and continued civil disorder in Haiti. The company, which posted a first quarter net loss of $103.9 million in 2023, also said the forthcoming second quarter will look worse than last year. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Orange County tourist-tax collections hit record $40 million in March
Tourist-tax receipts broke the $40-million mark in March, an all-time, one-month record for Orange County’s revenue juggernaut. Halfway through the fiscal year, the Tourist Development Tax — TDT for short — is a smidge behind last year’s best-ever pace, which brought in $359 million, but well ahead of Comptroller Phil Diamond’s conservative forecast for 2023-24, which predicted a year-over-year drop of about 7.5% and a total haul of $330 million. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
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Event
How to see missile ships, meet sailors and judge salsa moves. Miami Fleet Week is here
Fleet Week has arrived in Miami. And with it comes three Navy ships and one Coast Guard ship giving free tours to the public, along with thousands of men and women in uniform looking to share their experiences with civilians. Free concerts are also planned by the Navy and Marine Corps bands. And there’s a Dancing with the Stars-like event planned in Little Havana. You don’t have to be just a spectator. Volunteers are needed at the docks.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Profile
Sister act
For the Stirrup sisters, entrepreneurship lives in their DNA. LaToya, LaTasha and LaTrice were shown the way by generations before them. Now, the sisters have reinvented combs, brushes and picks to work better with curly, textured hair. Five years after launch, their hair tool startup is on a growth trajectory.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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