What's Hotter in SoFlo? The Weather or AI?

Welcome Back.

We got a lot to cover today, but first….

As Florida enters peak hurricane season, one must ask the important question: will Publix bring back hurricane cakes?

Another week, another tank. Here are are the latest average fuel prices around Florida.

ServiceNow, a California-based AI developer, announced it will expand its presence to South Florida. 

The developer has committed to a 200,000 office space in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach. The space will house hundreds of employees and serve as an “innovation hub” for AI development and workforce education. The project itself is expected to rake in $1.8B in economic impact and create over 850 jobs within a five-year time span. 

The developer mentioned it chose West Palm Beach for its fast-growing pool of talent and its close location to customers and partners located in the American southeast. The announcement comes at the same time that the region has seen an explosion of growth. According to a report, eight of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the United States are located in Florida or Texas.

The facility is expected to open in 2028,  with researchers expected to be among the first hires. Pilot programs are set to begin near the end of 2025.

We’ve all been on some bad dates. But this one takes the (hurricane) cake. 

An Aventura man was arrested after he tried to run over his date who refused to let him sniff her feet. The two matched on a dating app and later met in person, where the woman agreed to sell him a pair of her old sneakers.

According to police, the woman (who is a foot model) stated that she was selling the pair of shoes to him for $1,000. However, he stated that he only wished to sniff her feet. “When I got there, he just wanted to sniff my feet and I didn't feel comfortable with that,” she stated. 

She then excused herself to the bathroom when the man darted from the room and ran for his car in the parking garage. The victim chased him down and confronted him, believing he was stealing the footwear. He began to drive away before he made a 3-point-turn directly into the victim, which caused road rashes and bruising. She survived and was treated for her injuries. 

The man was eventually caught and arrested. Court records show he has a history of luring women to hotel rooms via dating apps and robbing them.

Floridians know how to fight for a cause, especially if that cause is a cake decorated as a potentially devastating tropical storm. Anyone that has been through a hurricane in Florida is familiar with the infamous “hurricane cakes”. They’re usually decorated as storms with sayings like “Go Away!” scribbled on the side in icing. Publix discontinued the cakes in 2023, concerned that it may be making light of tragedy. But nearly 35,000 people disagree, and have signed a petition for Publix to bring back the beloved cakes.

Fun, huh? Enjoy this interactive map that shows how your area will be affected by flooding in the next 100-ish years.

Not the typical snake Miami is known for! A 14-foot Burmese Python was removed from a busy road in Miami-Dade County this month. This species of snake is invasive and usually grows between 6 to 9 feet. The largest ever caught in Florida was 18 feet. There is an annual python hunting contest to help eradicate their numbers. This year’s winner collected over 60 snakes.

The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump last year has been found guilty on all charges brought against him. 59-year-old Ryan Routh immediately tried to stab himself in the neck after the verdict was read, according to court witnesses. Routh represented himself in a federal courtroom in Fort Pierce. He faced 5 charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. He will be sentenced in December and may face life in prison.

Mad Max Returns: Vernon Maxwell Regains Record-Setting Stats

Former UF guard, Vernon Maxwell, is back on top of the university’s scoring charts. In 1990, Maxwell had his junior and senior season stats erased by former athletic director Bill Arnsparger because of an NCAA investigation that resulted in UF being stripped of three national championships. Thirty-five years later, Maxwell’s stats have been reinstated by the University Athletic Association. 

Miami Dolphins / Tampa Bay Buccaneers Update

Dolphins: To quote the movie Major League, “They’re still shitty”.

Buccaneers: The win over the New York Jets this past week was much more than a solid 3-0 start for the western Florida pirates. It was personal. Baker Mayfield was cut by NYJ defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes when he was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. This was a revenge game to prove to Wilkes (who made him play scout team defensive end) that he was MORE than enough. 

Florida’s minimum wage is about to increase again.

On September 30, Florida’s minimum wage will go up from $13 to $14 an hour under Amendment 2. The proposal was originally passed by Florida voters back in 2020. It achieved a narrow victory, getting 60% of the votes needed to pass the minimum threshold. 

The Amendment boosts Florida’s minimum wage by $1 every year until 2026, which will top out at $15 an hour. After 2026, the minimum wage will be adjusted annually based on inflation, as it was done before Amendment 2.

You can likely guess what the opponents of the bill warned of: higher labor costs on small businesses and increased difficulties for younger workers to enter the workforce. An economist from UCF states that increases in the minimum wage can also result in reduced hours and benefits for low-income workers and may increase unemployment. 

Before Amendment 2 was passed, Florida’s minimum wage was set at $8.46.

Am I crazy, or does this feel like the early 2000s? Ohio State is the #1 college football team in the country and the Miami Hurricanes are #2!?! 

Sitting at 4-0, the Miami Hurricanes have moved up from #4 to #2 in the latest AP college football rankings, overtaking Penn State (#3) and LSU (#4). The last time the Hurricanes were ranked this high was back in November 2017, which was a team lead by Mark Richt with a record of 10-0. That team eventually lost their last three games and ruined what could have been a dream season. 

After beating two ranked opponents and a University of Florida team led by DJ Langway, a player that is not indicative of his Top 10 recruiting ranking, the Miami Hurricanes are set to rest and recoup with an upcoming bye week. This, in my opinion, is a perfect time to gameplan for #8 Florida State on October 4th (Happy Birthday co-author Matt). The Florida State-Miami rivalry goes back decades and has provided college football with some of the best players to ever touch a football. It will be all eyes on deck as the Hurricanes and the Seminoles meet to provide another top 10… maybe even top 5 clash of football giants. The winner of this matchup will be in prime position for the college football playoffs and one of the biggest wins in the rivalry in nearly two decades.

This season, the Hurricanes have been stellar. The offense has flourished with Carson Beck stepping in, and the combo punch of Mark Fletcher Jr. and CharMar Brown (FCS Champion 2024) in the backfield has provided Miami with versatility we haven't seen since Willis McGahee and Clinton Portis. I would be remiss in saying that Malachi Toney is the best TRUE freshman in college football through 4 weeks of play. He is lightning with the ball in his hands.

Miami’s defense has been revitalized after every coach on the defensive side last year was fired, except HOF legend Jason Taylor. The new regime led by Defensive Coordinator Corey Hetherman has brought “The U” back. Ruben Bain Jr. looks like an All-American and potential top draft pick this year. Meanwhile, Akheem Mesidor is his perfect shake-and-bake running mate.

As this team goes on bye this week, it is paramount that they stay on course. Going into Tallahassee on October 4th will be a tall task to overcome.