Friday's Afternoon Pulse
Florida tourism faces mixed results in early 2025 with decline in international visitors, despite strong domestic travel
Florida’s tourism industry faced challenges in the first quarter of 2025, with a noticeable drop in international visitors compared to the same period in 2024. However, the state managed to maintain stable overall visitor numbers due to strong performance in domestic travel, according to data released by Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing agency. More from Travel and Tour World.
DeSantis signs oil drilling ban for Apalachicola River
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Thursday evening to ban oil drilling along the Apalachicola River in northwest Florida, delivering a win for both environmentalists and fishermen who said the ban was essential to protect their way of life. This spring, state lawmakers of both parties overwhelmingly approved House Bill 1143. The Florida Panhandle town of Apalachicola is synonymous with the state’s oyster industry and fishing supports much of the local economy. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Army Corps rejects Sarasota County plan to dredge Phillippi Creek
Since the historic flooding wrought by Hurricane Debby last August, Sarasota County neighborhood organizations have been pushing county leaders for action on sediment-choked Phillippi Creek. They had their hopes set on an emergency dredging plan that would take place before the 2025 storm season began in earnest. But the federal emergency permit to allow speedy dredging was denied, and their hopes of improvements before the next hurricanes may sweep in from the Gulf were dashed. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Port Canaveral moving forward on two cruise terminal projects to handle increased demand
With larger cruise ships coming to Port Canaveral, port commissioners took two big steps to expand terminal operations to accommodate them. On June 25, commissioners unanimously approved funding for a major expansion of Cruise Terminal 5 on the port’s north side. They also selected a designer for the planned Cruise Terminal 4, which will be built on the port’s south side, at a site now occupied by Bluepoints Marina. More from Florida Today.
Miami’s Freedom Tower just got a $5 million gift from the Knight Foundation
The Knight Foundation has pledged $5 million to support the restoration and reopening of Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, Miami Dade College announced this week. The donation comes ahead of the tower’s 100th anniversary and a planned public reopening in September. The funds will support new cultural programming, including a major exhibition and gallery, as well as ongoing preservation work at the downtown landmark, which has been closed since 2022. More from the Miami Herald.
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Florida Dining
Steak and a schvitz? Federal Spa & Restaurant, a new hybrid restaurant-bathhouse, opens in Hollywood
Before you ask, Yevgen Yasenko has already heard all your wisecracks about the Federal Spa & Restaurant, his classy hybrid eatery and bathhouse in Hollywood. No, the grilled vegetables don’t come extra-steamed. The ribeyes are not cooked sous-vide in the jacuzzi. And remember Kramer’s bathtub garbage disposal from “Seinfeld”? Well, forget it: There’s no snacking in the Russian banyas. “I’ve heard it all, like, ‘If my steak is rare, finish it in the sauna,’ ” Yasenko says with a laugh.
» Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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Floridians set to break holiday travel record
Miami commissions vote to postpone November election for city officials
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