Monday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 8/1/2016

Presidential campaigns heading to battleground state Florida

Ever since NBC’s Tim Russert wrote “Florida Florida Florida” on a whiteboard during the tumultuous 2000 presidential election, the state has emerged as one of the most significant battlegrounds in the race for 270 electoral votes and both campaigns this year recognize it. More from Florida Politics and the St. Augustine Record.

CDC to pregnant women: Avoid Miami's Wynwood neighborhood

Today, Gov. Rick Scott confirmed that 10 additional people in Florida have been infected with the Zika virus, likely contracting it through a mosquito bite. This brings the total number of people with locally-transmitted Zika to 14. The location where DOH believes there are active transmissions of the Zika virus is just north of downtown Miami (see map here). The CDC has issued a notice to women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant to avoid unnecessary travel to that area. Among the 10 new individuals identified as being infected with the Zika virus, six are asymptomatic and were identified from the door-to-door community survey that DOH is conducting. Statement from Gov. Scott is here.

Disturbance likely to become a tropical cyclone, but unlikely to hit Florida

A strong, fast-moving tropical wave entering the Caribbean Sea has the potential to become a tropical cyclone several days from now. However, even if the area of disturbed weather does develop into a tropical storm, the system is unlikely to pose a threat to Florida More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Jacksonville mill produces 150,000 miles of rebar a year

What Gerdau Ameristeel’s plant does is pretty basic: It takes scrap metal and turns it into usable metal. That’s it. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, old cars, appliances, just about anything made of metal are melted and turned into miles of red glowing ropes of steel. More from the Florida Times-Union.

Small Business Advice
Customers are not always right!

I am not sure who was the first to say, “The customer is always right,” but I think they were flat wrong. Sure, you want to please your customers, but there are going to be times when you will not be able to. More from Jerry Osteryoung.

Agriculture
Why avocado trees are dying in South Dade

Your guacamole is in trouble. What used to be lush, green fields of majestic avocado trees in South Miami-Dade are now acres of blighted groves occupied by withered, fungus-filled tree trunks. The culprit? Ambrosia beetle — a tiny bug the size of Abraham Lincoln’s nose on a penny.

» More from the Miami Herald.

Business Profile
Chained Concepts

Miguel Davila had never worked in retail and, aside from a paper route, his only job has been military service. But this disabled veteran with the dream to own his own business knows cycling from years of riding; the rest he was determined to learn.