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Thursday's Afternoon Update

Florida ranks low in household earnings

The national average for household income according to the Census Bureau is $75,885. Florida’s average is $69,936, a whopping $6,000 below the national average. However, that figure could be a bit deceiving, according to Sean Snaith, Ph.D., the director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness. More from Florida Today and TCPalm.

Royal Caribbean to buy majority stake in Silversea Cruises

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced an agreement Thursday that will give the Miami-based cruise line a step up in luxury and an expedition cruise option. Royal Caribbean said it would acquire 67 percent of Silversea Cruises, which offers cruises to more than 900 destinations around the world, for about $1 billion. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Sarasota County, city nearing end to redevelopment agency feud

Sarasota city and county officials are nearing an amicable resolution to a longstanding dispute over a final payment to the city’s downtown redevelopment agency. The city is working on drafting several interlocal agreements — or binding contracts — to execute the framework of a potential settlement package announced last month. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

FIU had grand plans for 'signature' bridge. But the design had a key mistake, experts say

The Florida International University bridge that collapsed outside Miami, killing six people, appears to have had a key flaw in its plans. The university's desire for a 'signature' bridge contributed to the unorthodox design. More from the Miami Herald.

Puerto Rican island to receive mobile clinics with telemedicine from Central Florida company

The Sanford-based World Housing Solution announced last month the launched its Clinics on Wheels division, aiming to provide portable, off-the-grid medical units that can be deployed to areas affected by disasters. The company said it was sending its first three mobile clinics to the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Out of the Box
Orange peels may hold secret to airborne medicine, safer bridges

 Bartenders and cooks have long recognized the value of an orange twist, but thanks to researchers at the University of Central Florida, squeezing oranges may give us a new way to deliver medicine or to detect bridge failures before they happen.

» More from Florida Trend and Weather.com.

 

Florida Arts
A Florida classic gets a graphic novel remake

floridaPublished in 1984, Patrick D. Smith’s best-selling novel A Land Remembered tells the story of the MacIvey family through three generations, starting off with Tobias MacIvey, who encounters the unpredictable conditions of the Florida wilderness with his wife and son in 1858. After reading the book in 2013, Andre Frattino, an illustrator with a degree in sequential art from Savannah College of Art and Design, saw the potential to turn it into a graphic novel and pitched the idea to Pineapple Press, the Sarasota company that first published Smith’s novel.

» Read more from Sarasota Magazine and Florida Trend.