Florida
Florida tech and crypto boom flags as Andreessen Horowitz quietly shutters Miami outpost
When Andreessen Horowitz opened an outpost in Miami Beach, the $43 billion venture capital giant bolstered the region’s ambitions of becoming a tropical tech mecca.
Two years and a crypto meltdown later, that office has been quietly shuttered.
Andreessen Horowitz exited the space in May because employees weren’t using it enough, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named citing private discussions. In 2022, the firm had signed a five-year lease for 8,300 square feet (770 square meters) in Barry Sternlicht’s Miami Beach office building at 2340 Collins Ave.
The departure underscores the potential weakness of Miami’s staying power after the city lured a rush of finance and tech companies in recent years. Shortly after Andreessen Horowitz said it was opening the office, Miami’s crypto dreams began to crumble with the implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX.
A representative for Andreessen Horowitz confirmed that the firm no longer has a Miami office but declined to comment further.
Venture capital money flowing to Miami has flagged since 2022. Miami-based companies brought in $400 million in the second quarter, compared with $5.5 billion for 2022 as a whole, according to PitchBook data.
By contrast, the artificial intelligence boom has given San Francisco even more of an edge as a tech capital. In the second quarter, companies in the Bay Area got $18.7 billion in venture capital funding.
Andreessen Horowitz tried to keep the Miami offices going past the 2022 crypto rout, with partner Chris Lyons giving a tour of the facilities on Instagram in May 2023.
The Menlo Park, California-based firm manages $7.6 billion in crypto-related assets and employs a team of more than 100 to bankroll emerging startups and manage existing bets on dozens of crypto startups. The company expects to raise a new cryptocurrency-focused fund in 2025, Bloomberg reported in April.
The former Andreessen Horowitz office is now occupied by contact-lens maker Bausch + Lomb Corp., said Brandon Charnas of Current Real Estate Advisors. He facilitated the deal with the new tenant along with Kevin Gonzalez and Stephen Rutchik of Colliers.
“There was a lot of hype around promoting crypto in Miami, but crypto had a small office presence even at its peak,” Gonzalez said.
He estimated that crypto companies only ever occupied about 70,000 square feet of office space around the Miami area.
“We’re not seeing a ton of crypto companies saying they need an office space in Miami,” said Charnas, who worked with Andreessen Horowitz on its original lease. “We’re seeing more interest from family offices, investors and private equity.”
In our new special issue, a Wall Street legend gets a radical makeover, a tale of crypto iniquity, misbehaving poultry royalty, and more.
Read the stories.
Florida
SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
Florida
GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
Florida
Bodycam captures life-saving rescue of choking baby by Florida deputies
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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