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Thursday's Daily Pulse

Florida Trend Exclusive

The global reach of Florida innovations

From creating better forecasts for farmers and traders to responding to health concerns in real time, innovations developed in Florida extend worldwide. Take, for example, Florida International University psychologist and assistant professor Adela Timmons and software developer Matthew Ahle who believe they have a way to turn smart phones into monitors that would summon just-in-time digital mental health interventions for youth in distress. [Source: Florida Trend]

Affordable housing ballot initiative halted

Realtors are halting an effort to pass a constitutional amendment to ensure funding for affordable housing, saying they will work with legislative leaders to create a program to help people such as nurses, police officers and firefighters buy homes. The decision, announced Tuesday night, came after the group Florida Realtors and the National Association of Realtors contributed at least $13 million to a political committee spearheading the effort to put the proposed constitutional amendment on the 2022 ballot. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Tropical Storm Mindy forms in Gulf near Florida coast

A system located in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico has formed into Tropical Storm Mindy, according to the National Hurricane Center. Mindy could produce heavy rainfall of up to 6 inches across the Florida Panhandle and into southern sections of Georgia and South Carolina through Thursday morning, the Hurricane Center said. Scattered flash, urban and small stream floods are possible, as are isolated tornadoes. Mindy is the 13th named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Airport businesses are hiring, but COVID is about to chase away the tourists

Airport businesses are rushing to hire employees for the winter travel season just as tourists cancel their plans in fear of COVID-19. From Spirit Airlines to retailers and restaurants, employers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport are trying to fill roughly 800 openings, according to the Broward County Aviation Department, which is spearheading a job fair Sept. 29 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise. The hiring push may or not be a gamble as travelers are reportedly showing a greater reluctance to book flights so long as COVID-19 remains a menace to public health. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Judge says Florida schools can issue mask mandates as DeSantis' appeal plays out

Florida school districts won approval on Wednesday to keep enforcing strict mask mandates while the state tries to stop them in court. Their ability to do so might be short lived, though. The state is expected to appeal Leon County Court Judge John Cooper’s decision to vacate a stay of his own court ruling, which blocks the state from enforcing its ban on school mask mandates. More from the  Miami Herald and WESH.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› DeSantis Says White House speculation 'nonsense'
As he faces a re-election campaign next year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday tried to dispel speculation that he is preparing to run for the White House in 2024. During an appearance in St. Cloud to discuss monoclonal antibody treatment for people who become infected with COVID-19, DeSantis was asked by a reporter about the possibility that he and former President Donald Trump might run for president. Trump has been a political ally of DeSantis and helped get him elected governor in 2018. “All the speculation about me is purely manufactured,” DeSantis said.

› Craft brewer partners with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
For the first time in Northeast Florida history, you can drink a beer to help someone who has a civil legal issue but cannot afford to be represented by an attorney. Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is receiving a portion of the proceeds of sales of a new product from Intuition Ale Works that is sold in the craft brewer’s taproom Downtown.

› In another first, Florida Panthers offer NIL deals to more than 200 FAU women’s athletes
The Florida Panthers are once again pioneering in the space of name, image and likeness agreements. The Panthers offered a name, image and likeness contract to every eligible women’s athlete for the FAU Owls, offering more than 200 student-athletes an opportunity to partner with the NHL team for potential endorsement opportunities. Florida is the first professional sports team to sponsor an entire women’s athletic program.

› Bradenton urban farmer teaches how to grow organic, fertilizer-free food
After five years of rejection, one farmer's dreams are finally becoming a reality. Christopher Dawes, the CEO of Tru Farm, is now beginning to see the fruits of his labor – literally. Since 2016, he has been consumed with finding ways to grow food as sustainably as possible without using pesticides or herbicides. Instead of unnatural bug repellants, Dawes uses different plants and growing techniques to maximize production while keeping the bugs at bay.

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› Adult entertainment law not for us, Jacksonville store owners claim in lawsuit
Owners of a dozen Jacksonville stores selling sex toys and adult-themed merchandise are asking a federal judge for protection from zoning citations their lawyers call harassment by City Hall. “Although there has been no change in the substantive law … the city suddenly decided several months ago that plaintiffs are ‘adult bookstores’,” which are subject to tighter zoning restrictions, argues a motion the stores’ lawyers filed seeking an injunction.

› No mask, no show: Broward, Arsht centers will require masks, negative COVID tests
Mirroring a significant public safety move by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, The Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami will also require negative COVID test results to attend performances or proof of full vaccination. The new rule, which starts in October, is based on recommendations by health officials and the venue’s own medical advisor, according to the Arsht Center. However, the venue is still in the final stages of a more detailed plan that will be announced later this month with additional guidance.

› Department of Health faces more mask challenges
The Florida Department of Health faces two more challenges over a rule aimed at preventing school mask mandates, with the Miami-Dade County School Board, the NAACP and other parties saying the department did not have a legal basis for the rule. The challenges were filed Tuesday in the state Division of Administrative Hearings and are similar to a case filed Friday by the school boards in Alachua, Broward and Orange counties.

› An extra $1 million? Panama City Beach alters stormwater fee to collect more money
Ken Nelson said he believes the city has not done enough to improve its stormwater system during the past decade to warrant more fees for some residents. The Panama City Beach resident was among those who spoke during a recent City Council meeting, when officials altered the method used to collect the city's annual stormwater assessment, a tax designed to help fund developments to mitigate flooding on the Beach.