Thursday’s Afternoon Update – Florida Trend
Feds urge court to reverse invalidation of Florida’s gambling compact with Seminole Tribe
Lawyers for the federal government asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to reverse a ruling that invalidated Florida’s attempt to give the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on sports betting in the state. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard arguments from lawyers for the U.S. Department of Interior, the State of Florida, the Seminole Tribe and the plaintiffs — West Flagler Associates, which owns Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Poker Room near Naples. The case could influence how agreements with sovereign tribes are handled in the future. More from the Tampa Bay Timesand CBS Miami.
SpaceX is set to shatter decades-old double launch record Friday
SpaceX is taking back-to-back launches to a new level this week. If everything goes to plan, the company is set to shatter one of the Space Coast’s longest-held rocket launch records on Friday, Dec. 16. Between 4 and 5 p.m., the year’s 55th and 56th launches are set to liftoff potentially less than 35 minutes apart. Friday could rewrite the record for the quickest turnaround between orbital launches from the Space Coast which has stood since November 11, 1966. More from Florida Today.
Olympus Insurance relocates headquarters to Jacksonville
Olympus Insurance Co. announced Dec. 13 that it is opening its Southside Jacksonville headquarters this week in a move from Palm Beach Gardens to Prominence Office Park. It said in a news release that it has hired employees and looks for more “for key roles at the new office.” Olympus Insurance says it offers a competitive benefit package and invites job candidates to visit olympusinsurance.com/careers. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record .
Miami Worldcenter advances on several fronts
Miami Worldcenter, one of the largest private urban real estate developments in Florida at the heart of downtown Miami, is advancing on several phases for its 27 acres of office space, retail, residential and hotel, with the addition of a new site and the completion of its 80,000-square-foot retail building. Miami Worldcenter – a $4 billion mixed-use project – just added to its portfolio the 24,000-square-foot development site. More from Miami Today.
Will the Fed’s war on inflation tank Tampa Bay’s housing market? Experts weigh in
As the Federal Reserve tries to ward off a recession, the fate of Tampa Bay’s once red-hot housing market hangs in the balance. On Wednesday, the Fed raised interest rates from 4.25% to 4.5%, the highest since 2007. In a statement the central bank said “ongoing increases…will be appropriate.” Though the Fed cannot directly manipulate housing prices or mortgage rates, “they want to put a stop to rising home prices because it adds to inflation,” said Lei Wedge, a professor of finance at the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Arts Business
Huge new Jacksonville art installation fits in the back of a Prius
How do you transport everything you need to fill a 40-foot-high, 30-foot-wide space with colorful, flowing artwork all the way from New Orleans to Jacksonville? For the Milagros Collective, the artists installing the latest Project Atrium installation at Jacksonville’s Museum of Contemporary Art, the answer was easy. They threw everything into their Toyota Prius and hit the road.
» More from the Florida Times-Union.
Business Profile
ChemTech opens plant in Fort Pierce to showcase environmentally friendly wood treatments
Lumber treatment company ChemTech opened an eight-employee plant in Fort Pierce to showcase to sawmills, lumber dealers and others its “environmentally friendly” protective treatments for soft woods, plywood and engineered wood. Its innovation, called TechWood, sequesters 73% of formaldehyde emissions, making for healthier indoor air, while being 30% lighter than pressure-treated lumber as well as offering a 50% reduction in moisture absorption and improved stability.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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