News Digest
Environment: “Destiny’s death buys time for a Florida frontier and the birth of conservation movements”
Photo: Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel "The expanse of wild lands between Central and South Florida was given a second chance for conservation when, in the heart of it, the Destiny development was reincarnated as DeLuca Preserve. This landscape picture here is from the...
“Selby Gardens To Launch New Boat Tour Between 2 Campuses”
Photo: Selby Gardens via Patch.com "The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens soon will offer visitors a brand-new, 'Old Florida' way to experience both of its bayfront campuses, according to a news release. Starting in January, Selby Gardens will launch Selby Gardens by...
Robotic Kiosks: “20,000 Pizza Vending Machines Are Coming to North America”
Photo: PizzaForno via Thrillist "For years there's been buzz about a robot revolution, and it looks like it's here. PizzaForno Partners Les Tomlin and Will Moyer are leaning into the future and appeasing both the robot overlords and people who like good pizza fast by...
Jacksonville’s Arboretum and Gardens – Wins Best Scenic Trail Award 2021 and illuminates the forest for the holidays
Photo: Corey Perrine, Florida Times-Union "Thousands of lights across a 3/4-mile walk are on display to draw young and old alike to celebrate the holiday season. Live entertainment, a 65-foot tunnel and a forest of fog and light are a few key attractions. The display...
“South Florida brothers team up to restore world’s lost mangroves”
Video: Watch here Local10.com WPLG "For over 100 years as South Florida’s coastline was developed, acres upon acres of mangroves were destroyed in the process. In recent years we’ve begun to understand just how vital mangroves are to protecting our shores and cleaning...
“A large rainbow-patterned turtle installation has arrived at Midtown Tampa”
Photo: That's So Tampa "A massive turtle installation has arrived at Midtown Tampa. The rainbow pattered animal can be seen at the center of the Midtown Tampa development, where holiday decor has also begun to pop up. The large-scale sculpture installation...
“Illuminated art installations announced for Water Street Tampa”
Illustration: Andrew Harlan, That's So Tampa "A glowing green art installation by renowned artist Jim Campbell is set to light up Water Street. The installation, Three Arcs, will bring an entirely new piece of public art to one of the most burgeoning districts in...
“A micro forest is being planted in Sarasota to combat climate change – The Suncoast Urban Reforesters will be planting more than 1,000 trees.”
Video: 10 Tampa Bay "The Stoneybrook Golf and Country Club in Sarasota will soon be home to a microforest in an effort to combat climate change. Members of the Suncoast Urban Reforesters (SURF) were out on Wednesday prepping for their plans to plant more than 1,000...
Protest Over Condo Development -“Police tell South Florida woman she needs permit to wear Halloween costume”
Photo: Michael Laughlin, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP "A South Florida woman wanted to make a statement with her Halloween costume by dressing up as a condo building project she opposes. She says a local police officer warned her not to, but according to Facebook...
Clearwater’s Big Cleanup Event – Thousands picked up litter “Hoping to inspire new habits”
Photo: John Pendygraft, Tampa Bay Times "Earlier this year, Sheri Heilman knew she wasn’t the only one fed up with the litter strewn on Clearwater Beach’s famous sugar sand and the bottles and wrappers stuck in storm drains. In April, business owners and community...
Graffiti Vs. Art
Photo: WFTS "An average of 250,000 people bike, walk or jog the Pinellas Trail every month. However, those in charge of the 70-mile-path say they want it to be more than just a place of exercise but an overall cultural experience. So they are giving cyclists a reason...
“Museum, urban park reveal diverse heritage of Tampa’s Ybor City”
Photo: Joy Wallace Dickinson The Ybor City Museum at 9th Avenue and 19th Street in Tampa is housed in the historic Ferlita Bakery building and is part of the Florida State Park system. ...People from Cuba, Spain, Sicily and other locations arrived to form what Florida...
“Wild Florida: Your guide to 9 great kayaking spots in Volusia County’s rivers & springs”
Photo: City of Ormond Beach "The impending winter means something a little different for Floridians. No need to bundle up indoors with hot cocoa and a cozy blanket. No, as the humidity wanes and the scorching summer temperatures give way to 70 degree highs, now is the...
Update Undergrounding Projects: Brandon
Photo: Fox 13 News "When the massive power of a hurricane whips through, underground power lines could keep the lights on. "This year we are installing about 80 miles of power lines in the ground and next year that will grow to 100 miles," said Cherie Jacobs, Tampa...
Legal: Additional decision “Cincinnati billboard tax violates First Amendment”
"A tax levied by the city of Cincinnati on billboard companies in an effort to close a budget shortfall is an unconstitutional of First Amendment rights to free speech, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Justice Sharon Kennedy, writing the court’s unanimous...
Legal: Ongoing Updates Available on SCOTUSblog City of Austin, Texas v. Reagan National Advertising of Texas Inc.
SCOTUSblog has been maintaining an ongoing list of various proceedings and orders on their site leading up to November 10 argument: "Whether the Austin city code’s distinction between on-premise signs, which may be digitized, and off-premise signs, which may not, is a...
Scenic Jacksonville Great Cities Symposium
Scenic Jacksonville is pleased to welcome Ron Littlefield as its guest speaker at its second annual Great Cities Symposium. This year the Great Cities Symposium is being held on Wednesday, October 6 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at the Garden Club of Jacksonville. Sponsors...
Legal: Billboard taxes – Supreme Court of the United States
Photo: Supremecourt.gov "...In November, the court will hear argument in City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising of Texas, a First Amendment challenge to an Austin regulation that bars some digitized billboards but allows others depending on the billboard’s...
Legal: Billboard taxes “Citing American Revolution, Ohio Supreme Court strikes down Cincinnati tax”
Photo: Corrie Schaffeld, Cincinnati Business Courier "The Ohio Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a tax that Cincinnati City Council put on billboards violated the First Amendment, nullifying it. After council approved the tax in 2018 aiming to raise $709,000, it...
Beach Sign Trend: “Beach, interrupted: Owner of unique Longboat property ends public access”
Photo: YourObserver.com "Longboat Key beach enthusiasts have for years had the run of the town’s nearly 11 miles of Gulf of Mexico shoreline, which up until this summer included a 209-foot stretch of privately owned seawall on one of the town’s most iconic properties....