Florida tourism officials look to expand marketing efforts

While leaders push back against a federal recommendation to close bars and halt indoor restaurant dining, Florida’s tourism-marketing agency is looking west as the industry continues trying to rebound during the COVID-19 pandemic. The next target audience for Visit Florida will be the West Coast, expanding earlier efforts that targeted travelers from East Coast cities who could drive or take short flights to Florida. [Source: WJXT]

Opinion: Libraries are critical to Florida's recovery

In this time of COVID-19, Florida libraries have continued to meet the needs of their communities in a variety of ways and are critical elements of communities as they recover the impact of this pandemic. Libraries have continued to be reliable providers of internet access. According to the PEW Research organization, more than half of Americans (87%) surveyed said that internet access has been essential or important as communities faced lockdowns, parents worked from home and children began virtual homeschool. But as businesses closed and people were laid off, the ability to pay for internet access or other needed technologies worried almost 30% of Americans. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]

Florida business leaders push to renew target industry tax rebates

Florida’s Qualified Target Industry (QTI) Tax Refund program expired in June, and Florida’s business leaders say the state is missing out on new deals because of it. The program expired last year after the Legislature failed to renew that program, which offered tax refunds to businesses based on their performance. Business leaders during the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit Thursday said they want it back. [Source: Florida Politics]

State rolls out vaccine preregistration system

The Florida Department of Health Friday announced a new statewide preregistration system to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments for individuals 65 and older and frontline health-care workers. But by noon on Friday, the site was already overloaded, showing this message: "Sorry we have too many simultaneous visitors, please try again in five minutes." The new system, which can be accessed by visiting myvaccine.fl.gov, allows individuals to pre-register for vaccine appointments and receive notification when appointments are available in their area, according to a release from the Department of Health. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

Florida power companies panned in renewable energy ranking

Florida’s investor-owned power companies fell flat in a new report that ranked utilities around the country on their plans for renewable energy. The Sierra Club graded power companies based on what sources the companies expect to generate their power from by 2030. Plans for renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, increased scores, while coal and natural gas — particularly new coal and natural gas — decreased scores. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Trend Mention

UF's Pandemic Pivot In 2020, as an uneasy world confronted an uncertain future, University of Florida researchers joined what has been called the pandemic pivot, veering from decades-long research programs to tackle any aspect of the pandemic to which they could lend expertise. Read about how these scientific warriors responded to what likely will be viewed as the greatest science challenge of a generation.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Port of Palm Beach trains employees to spot human trafficking at Florida Seaport [WTVX]
The Port of Palm Beach announced last week a new training program for its employees to help prevent human trafficking here in Florida. The program highlights the many ways employees at the seaport can identify possible cases of human trafficking and what they can do if suspicions grow.

› Bucs, not bucks: With a pandemic Super Bowl, Tampa misses an economic windfall [Tampa Bay Times]
For business owners, this Super Bowl — planned out for years, yet in countless ways unpredictable — is the capper on a frustrating year in the economic ecosystem of Tampa Bay sports.Major events like WrestleMania and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament were lost. The Lightning won the Stanley Cup in Canada and the Rays reached the World Series in Texas. All those out-of-town visitors, all those hotel stays, all that business for the region: Poof.

› After renovation, historic Florida lighthouse to reopen [WCJB]
After a much-needed renovation, a historic lighthouse in Florida is ready to reopen. The Cape St. George Lighthouse was in need of numerous repairs, including extensive painting and replacement of all windows in the lantern room. The 72-foot lighthouse on St. George Island is set to formally set to re-open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday.

› Citizens Insurance may cut ties with independent agents [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Diane Justo doesn’t want to wade into the intimidating world of home insurance on her own. She knows she could be in over her head with a single wrong step. And yet, the newly appointed chairman of South Florida’s dominant insurance carrier is proposing to stop paying commissions to independent insurance agents, which could soon force Justo and others to sink or swim when it comes time to navigate their insurance choices.

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› As 2021 sees 1st fatal shark attack, Volusia County still No. 1 for global shark bites [Orlando Sentinel]
Volusia County remains the apex beach for shark bites all over the world. Volusia County, but more so New Smyrna Beach, is yet again deemed the shark bite capital of the world, according the International Shark Attack File’s 2020 update. Other findings the report documented included global unprovoked shark attacks have decreased for the third year in a row.

› JEA CEO: Talks with JaxPort not only option for St. Johns River Power Park site [Jacksonville Daily Record]
JEA CEO Jay Stowe said Jan. 28 that a partnership with the Jacksonville Port Authority to redevelop the 2,000-acre St. Johns River Power Park property near the Blount Island Marine Terminal and St. Johns River is not the utility's only option. “It’s not a foregone conclusion that this is a one-on-one discussion,” Stowe said. “We’re going to continue to analyze what our best path forward is. One of those will be to have discussions with the port that we can have now because the RFQ has been removed,” Stowe said.

› SeaWorld: Concerts will be part of Seven Seas festival [Orlando Sentinel]
When SeaWorld Orlando’s Seven Seas Food Festival returns next week, so will its concert series. On Friday, the theme park announced a part of its musical lineup for the event, which begins Feb. 5. It will mark the first full-blown concert series within Orlando attractions in almost a year, since the shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic hit in mid-March 2020.

› Raymond James, MarineMax post quarterly earnings records [Tampa Bay Times]
Two Tampa Bay companies that have posted record revenues during the coronavirus pandemic have kept their profits rolling into 2021. Raymond James Financial and MarineMax both reported record quarterly earnings on Thursday, executives announced in separate earnings calls.