Friday's Afternoon Update
Utilities want to spend more marketing Florida to businesses. It could cost customers.
According to recent filings with the Public Service Commission, the state’s top power companies are pushing to significantly increase how much “economic development” spending they are allowed to pass along to customers. When asked what “economic development” meant to utilities, answers ranged from rate reduction programs to marketing campaigns to trade missions. More from the Miami Herald.
Sales tax holiday for hurricane supplies starts today
Start building your hurricane-supply stockpile and save during Florida’s disaster preparedness sales-tax holiday, running Friday, May 31, through Friday, June 7. It’s time to get ready for 2019 storm season, which runs June 1 through Nov. 30. Pocket the sales tax on everything from water to batteries to generators to prepare your home and family for a disaster. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Filmmaker Tosca Musk, sister of Elon Musk, to make her next movie in St. Petersburg
If you see a film crew shooting footage of a Tesla in St. Petersburg in June, it’s not a commercial for the American-made automobile. Rather, it’s the latest independent film to come to the Tampa Bay area. Filmmaker Tosca Musk, the sister of billionaire technology entrepreneur and Tesla manufacturer Elon Musk, will make her next movie in St. Petersburg. Shooting will span June 10-28. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Sarasota Orchestra looks outside city limits for new home
The Sarasota Orchestra announced Thursday that it will expand the search for a new concert hall beyond the Sarasota city limits. The orchestra had been looking for a new performance space since 2001, according to the president and CEO Joseph McKenna. It initially planned to build its concert hall on the bayfront, but because of a lengthy construction time for the redevelopment project and environmental concerns, that site was eliminated as an option. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
2019 Orlando Fringe Festival hits attendance high in ‘best year ever’
Exuberant Orlando Fringe officials pronounced this year’s festival “the best year ever” as attendance hit an all-time high. In every major area — from ticket sales to revenue from alcohol — the two-week celebration of theater, music, comedy, art and more showed healthy growth. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Entertainment
Florida before the mouse
Many attractions were started before or during the Great Depression and saved the state’s economy after its 1920s land boom went bust. Tourism would become and remain Florida’s leading industry. In 2018, a record 121.1 million visitors were here, according to Visit Florida, the state’s marketing department.
» More from Florida Weekly.
Profile
Chris Resop
Throughout his 14-year professional baseball career, Naples native Chris Resop moved multiple times between major league teams and minor league assignments, often on a moment’s notice and without any meaningful assistance. That’s not unusual for professional athletes, particularly baseball players. But the former pitcher, who played with five Major League Baseball teams, now aims to fix that issue.
» Read more from the Business Observer.