Florida restaurants can now earn Michelin stars

As recently as a decade ago, the idea that Michelin would start awarding stars in Miami, not to mention the Magic Kingdom, would have sounded like a stand-up comedy setup. But on Nov. 1, the Michelin Guide announced that it is expanding its presence in the U.S. by adding three Florida cities: Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. As culinary tourism continues to grow—the global market was valued at above $1.1 billion in 2019 and projected to reach $1.79 billion by 2027—the association with Michelin’s cachet makes sense for Florida. More from Bloomberg and the Miami Herald.

Florida not out of firing line yet with a month left in hurricane season

It’s been nearly a month since the tumultuous Hurricane Sam was spinning headlines with its major storm power. Since then, the Atlantic has gone mostly quiet. Subtropical Storm Wanda did form over the weekend in the far north Atlantic finishing out the 21 names of the official 2021 hurricane season alphabet, and the National Hurricane Center is keeping its eye on a system in the far eastern tropical Atlantic. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Kiosks offers tag renewals at some Florida supermarkets

Renewing your motor vehicle registration has gotten a little easier in some Florida counties thanks to kiosks at the local Publix supermarket. Last week, the Seminole County Tax Collector’s Office opened up a kiosk at a Publix in Altamonte Springs, joining Polk, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Brevard counties in offering the service, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The kiosk allows residents to renew their registration and then print out a license plate sticker. [Source: AP]

Expert says lack of earning and the 'right kind of housing' keeps Florida in an affordable housing crisis

Barely a week goes by without some kind of survey or ranking showing how expensive it can be to live in Florida — especially in large metropolitan areas like South Florida. Monthly rents are rising faster in Miami, Orlando and Tampa than almost any other area of the country. While the pandemic initially had landlords hitting pause on rent hikes, monthly rates have shot higher as eviction moratoriums have expired and demand has shot up. [Source: WLRN]

Small business tax ‘holiday' proposed

Discounts for shoppers would be offered through a sales-tax "holiday" at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, under a pair of bills filed Monday for the 2022 legislative session, which will start in January. Under the proposal, sales taxes would not be charged on items that cost $500 or less. Small businesses would have the option to participate in the tax holiday, which likely would be part of a larger package of tax holidays offered by the state. [Source: News Service of Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› NASA, SpaceX delay Crew-3 launch again, citing ‘minor medical issue’ with astronaut [Orlando Sentinel ]
NASA is again having to delay the launch of its Crew-3 mission because one of the four astronauts is experiencing a “minor medical issue,” the agency announced Monday. NASA would not say which of the crew members — Americans Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn or Kayla Barron or the European Space Agency’s Matthias Maurer — was affected or what exactly the medical issue entailed but said “the issue is not a medical emergency and not related to COVID-19.”

› DeSantis appoints Pet Paradise CEO Acosta-Rua to JAA board [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Pet Paradise President and CEO Fernando Acosta-Rua to the Jacksonville Aviation Authority board. Acosta-Rua is eligible to participate in the board’s scheduled Nov. 22 meeting. DeSantis announced the appointment Oct. 29 Jacksonville-based Pet Paradise says on its website that Acosta-Rua joined its board in 2005 after leading a group investing in the company.

› Broadway returns to Orlando, with evolved security at Dr. Phillips Center [Orlando Sentinel]
When thousands of theatergoers return to the Dr. Phillips Center on Tuesday for the first Broadway touring show in more than a year, they will find a new expedited security system. Gone are the physical bag checks, replaced by an artificial intelligence that allows patrons to reach their seats faster and easier.

› Clearwater’s MarineMax buys major Dallas boat dealer, Texas MasterCraft [Tampa Bay Times]
Hot off announcing its biggest annual revenues ever, MarineMax has made yet another acquisition. The Clearwater boat and yacht retailer announced Monday that it has purchased Texas MasterCraft, a towboat dealer in the Dallas area, which happens to be the biggest towboat market in America. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but according to MarineMax, Texas MasterCraft generated more than $45 million last year alone.

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› Cade Museum executive director named among the top museum influencers for 2021 [Gainesville Sun]
Blooloop, the world’s leading online resource for professionals working in the visitor attractions sector, has named Stephanie Bailes, president and executive director of the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention, among the top museum influencers in 2021. “It is an incredible honor, as well as humbling, to be included on this list of international influencers in the museum field,” Bailes said.

› City could put Orlando Fringe in Mad Cow Theatre space [Orlando Sentinel]
The city of Orlando has put Mad Cow Theatre on notice it’s in danger of losing its downtown space — and broached the idea that Orlando Fringe could take over the Church Street venue as a home for up-and-coming arts groups. In a letter to the theater dated Oct. 20, assistant city attorney Wesley C. Powell wrote that Mad Cow was in breach of its agreement with the city to use the space and gave the organization 10 days to pay $121,742.40 in overdue fees.

› Florida-based telemedicine startup moving headquarters to Alabama [Made in Alabama]
Florida-based telemedicine startup MomentMD is relocating its headquarters to Birmingham after receiving an investment from the Alabama Futures Fund (AFF), a seed-stage venture capital fund created to support entrepreneurial activity in the state.

› Prominent RV retailer to open third dealership in state [Business Observer]
Lazydays, one of the nation’s largest RV retailers, plans to open a dealership in Fort Pierce in the fourth quarter of 2022. It will be the third Florida dealership for Lazydays, which, in addition to its flagship location in Tampa, also has a dealership in The Villages. The new dealership, according to a news release, will be branded Lazydays RV of Fort Pierce.