Thursday's Afternoon Update
‘Automation apocalypse' a ‘dark side' of Florida's push for AI/AV commercial development
The state has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in incubating commercial development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technologies, most notably the SunTrax autonomous vehicle (AV) testing facility at Florida Polytechnic University. The House Workforce Development & Tourism Subcommittee heard Wednesday from academics and industry experts about how technology was shaping the future of work for good and for ill. Some estimate nearly half of all jobs could be lost to automation in the coming years. More from the Center Square and Florida Politics.
Legalize marijuana petition a step closer to making Florida’s 2020 ballot
A second major initiative to legalize recreational marijuana has reached the threshold for review by the Florida Supreme Court. Make It Legal Florida, the group backed by some of the state’s biggest medical marijuana companies, has officially collected more than 77,000 verified signatures. That’s enough to trigger a review of its language by the court and analysis of its financial impact by state officials. More from the Orlando Sentinel and Florida Politics.
Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas nears Florida debut of $165 million facelift
The behemoth that blew the rest of the cruise ships out of the water is 10 years old, and nearing the end of a two-month facelift that makes what is now one of the four largest cruise ships in the world look more like its younger sister ships. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida museum gets national media attention
The Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art & Design is still preparing for a grand opening on Dec. 14, but it is already getting some national praise in Architectural Digest. The museum has transformed the Sarasota High School campus, combining the original 1926 high school building designed by Leo Elliott with additions designed in 1960 by Paul Rudolph. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Is CBD the next ibuprofen? South Florida company hopes to find out in new study.
Fort Lauderdale-based Green Point Research, which funded the existing hemp pilot program at the University of Florida, has announced a new partnership with Florida State University to conduct a study analyzing Green Point’s Satividol CBD softgel capsule and its benefits. More from the Miami Herald.
Around the State
Changes in latitude: Margaritaville mayhem
An introduction to executives at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville has propelled Minto Communities into expansion mode. For its first 30 years in Florida, home builder Minto stuck to projects in Southeast Florida. The Canada-based company didn’t step into the rest of Florida until 2009 when it took over the Sun City Center project in Tampa Bay.
» More from Florida Trend.
Sports Business
Beckham’s Inter Miami soccer stadium taking shape in Fort Lauderdale
On Wednesday morning in Fort Lauderdale, an army of over 300 construction workers were transforming some skeletal steel structures peaking into the sky and massive amounts of dirt into a state-of-the-art soccer stadium. Their completed work is expected to host the very first home game on March 14 for soccer legend David Beckham’s Major League Soccer team, Inter Miami, the latest attempt at building a lasting professional soccer franchise in South Florida.
» Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.