Friday's Afternoon Update
Recreational marijuana has its Florida supporters, but faces much resistance
The cannabis industry is one of the biggest and fastest-growing industries in the United States. Many states are adopting lawful recreational cannabis use after seeing success with medical marijuana legalization. And while medical marijuana use under Florida law is legal, adopting it for recreational use has met resistance. More from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Business Beat - Week of January 28th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
What happened to the flu season in Florida?
Several weeks into 2022 and Florida’s flu season appears to be nearly non-existent. For the first three weeks of the new year, typically the height of the season, flu has been at low levels across the state. Doctors and nurse practitioners throughout Florida attribute fewer cases of flu to multiple factors, and don’t expect to see a repeat of the horrid flu season the state endured in early 2020 just as COVID was arriving. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Twitter’s hexagon NFT profile pictures? Partly powered by Miami company
The latest Twitter fad, a profile picture turned into hexagon-shaped art, is getting a boost from a Miami company. Many of these digital images are non-fungible tokens, or NFTs — unique pieces of artwork, photography or other creative designs that have been purchased as investments or status symbols. The most well-known of those NFTs, images of slack-jawed primates known as Bored Apes, have sold for millions of dollars. More from the Miami Herald.
Sarasota metro 'stands out' for inbound migration with nearly 3 to 1 inbound moves
Two reports from companies specializing in long-distance moves included the Sarasota metro area as one of the top locations in the country where people are moving. Nearly 80% of the 1,496 local shipments from National Van Lines came from customers moving into the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metropolitan statistical area. That means only 20% were leaving. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Out of the Box
Robocops could be patrolling some Orlando theme parks by the end of the year
Soon, guests strolling through Orlando’s theme parks might find themselves walking alongside an unusual companion: a robotic security guard. If the machine is from Robotic Assistance Devices, as CEO Steve Reinharz hopes, it won’t be easily mistaken for a person. Shaped more like the Mars Rover than the humanoid T-800 from “Terminator,” ROAMEO 2.0 — short for the Rugged Observation Assistance Mobile Electronic Officer — stands 6-and-a-half feet tall and gracefully cruises on four wheels despite its 750-pound mass.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Profile
Bar rescue: Business student's product makes drinks safer for women
Drug-facilitated sexual assault is undoubtedly a pernicious problem, but it could soon have a solution thanks to Alexsandra Wolfe, a University of Tampa student majoring in entrepreneurship and marketing. Wolfe, scheduled to graduate in December, founded Pure-Sipity, a company that’s developing a fashionable, locket-style bracelet that doubles as a date-rape drug testing device.
» Read more from the Business Observer.