FYI Miami: December 28, 2023

Below are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here.

FISHING FOR ANSWERS: The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has no updates on its Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Miami facility, said communications specialist Meaghan Emory. Regardless of where the facility is ultimately located, NOAA Fisheries will continue working to provide the best science possible for the Southeast US and international natural resources in its purview, including maintaining strong partnerships with the University of Miami, she said. The science center on Virginia Key was speculated to be replaced or relocated; its fate is still up in the air. As Miami Today reported in December 2022, the University of Miami was hoping to submit a proposal to the federal government to ensure the lab remains on Virginia Key. The center is part of “a science-based federal agency within the Department of Commerce,” according to NOAA’s website.

AIRPORT PASSENGER RECORD: Miami International Airport had the most ever passengers on a single day on Sunday, Dec. 17, ahead of the holiday season rush. The airport’s arrivals and departures totaled 171,371 persons that day. “Thank you for making us the gateway to your journey,” Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a prepared statement. The airport’s holiday surge period is Dec. 21 through Jan. 6. The airport has projected 52 million passengers this year.

GRINCH’S GAS GIFT: As a Christmas present from the grinch, average gasoline prices in Miami rose 16.5 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.14, according to GasBuddy. Prices in Miami are 5.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and 7.7 cents higher than a year ago. The national average price rose 2.9 cents in the last week. “After 13 straight weeks of decline, average gasoline prices have edged higher due to optimistic comments from the Fed on cutting interest rates in 2024, coupled with Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, boosting concerns of a disruption to global shipping, including oil shipments,” said Patrick De Haan at GasBuddy. “Hopefully motorists will be able to celebrate a New Year with good news at the pump!”

REROUTING TRANSPORTATION: A commission the governor appoints to help oversee Florida’s transportation system would be eliminated under a bill filed by Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota. By law, the commission nominates three candidates for secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, and the governor makes the ultimate selection. The commission also recommends transportation policies.