SHARE:
Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
South Florida’s luxury housing market suffered in the spring. Summer is different
The South Florida luxury housing market suffered headwinds in the second quarter. The number of sales dropped up to 55.6% year-over-year in one neighborhood. But sales activity has increased in the third quarter, said Jay Phillip Parker, CEO of Douglas Elliman Florida brokerage. “The virus took the momentum that we were experiencing with the tax reform and increased it. Many people in the Northeast feel like they are living in a different city and are ready to move,” he said. Luxury buyers are coming from Boston, Chicago, Connecticut, Long Island and New York, Parker said. [Source: Miami Herald]
Florida wants to use municipal bonds to boost private space firms
Florida is ready to use the municipal bond market to achieve its goal of boosting the private space-launch industry. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation in late June enabling Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency, to bypass approval from the governor and cabinet to issue revenue bonds for private companies pursuing capital projects. [Source: The Bond Buyer]
Duke Energy will resume shutoffs for unpaid bills in September
Duke Energy Florida will resume shutoffs for unpaid bills beginning in September. The utility has stopped shutting off customers’ power in March for any bills they struggled to pay because of the pandemic. Duke Energy announced this week that its normal billing will resume in mid-August. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida DEO cancels call center contracts for poor performance on unemployment system
Citing poor performance, the Department of Economic Opportunity has canceled contracts with two companies hired to handle overflow calls from applicants trying to access unemployment benefits through the state’s troubled, overloaded system AECOM and UDT were hired in April to handle the countless calls from people encountering problems with the CONNECT system, the DEO’s online portal for people to register and claim their weeks of unemployment. More from the Florida Times-Union and the Orlando Sentinel.
Epcot, Hollywood Studios open to quiet new order for Disney World
Two more Walt Disney World theme parks reopened on Wednesday. At Hollywood Studios, the Star Wars land and the new Mickey Mouse ride were popular choices, and Epcot had treats for foodies at a mini festival set up around the park. Similar to the opening Saturday of Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, the crowds were light by design and everyone was wearing face masks.More from the Tampa Bay Times and the AP.
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› DeSantis urges U.S. Supreme Court to stay out of felon voting fight, at least for now
The state of Florida is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a bid by voting rights advocates to lift a stay on a lower court’s ruling that allowed Florida felons to regain the right to vote, regardless of unpaid fines and other financial obligations.
› Cocoa Village pub sues, arguing Florida's bar shutdown is unconstitutional
The owners of George & Dragon English Tavern in Cocoa Village are suing Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, saying the COVID-19 closure-related suspension of their liquor license is arbitrary and unconstitutional.
› Orlando restaurants struggle again as coronavirus cases grow
As restaurants across the state opened up again and customers began to feel hope and relief, sales at Hawkers Asian Street Fare started to pick up. “I never thought I’d celebrate being down 20%,” said Kaleb Harrell, CEO of the Orlando-based chain of nine restaurants across Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. But the improvements near the end of May to the middle of June have since vanished for Hawkers and other Orlando restaurants as coronavirus cases across Florida skyrocket, making the state one of the U.S. hotspots of the pandemic.
› Times Festival of Reading will go virtual for 2020
The 2020 Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading will go on — virtually It has long been a high point of the year to see dozens of authors and thousands of readers come together on the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus each fall. This year, the coronavirus pandemic would make such a gathering unsafe.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
In case you missed it:
