Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 12/15/2021

Delta caused Florida’s worst COVID wave. What will omicron bring?

The delta variant caused Florida’s worst wave of the coronavirus from late June through mid-October. During that time, more than 20,000 Floridians died of COVID — that’s a little under one-third of all Floridians who have died of COVID-19 since March 2020. As of Tuesday, 62,073 Floridians had died of COVID, according to data published by the CDC. More from the Miami Herald.

Florida Trend Exclusive

Florida travel -- Winter guide

Pack your bags for a getaway close to home.Now's the time to book your perfect meeting venue and take advantage of special rates and savings -- featuring fabulous getaway destinations in Hollywood, Fort Myers/Sanibel, Tampa and Okeechobee. More from Florida Trend.

Florida seaports see opportunities for steady growth, but there’s work to be done

The national shipping crisis marked by scores of container ships waiting weeks to dock in Los Angeles looks like tremendous a opportunity for Florida’s 15 seaports — yet practical expansion expectations in the Sunshine State may be more modest than luring all those ships to Florida. More from Florida Politics.

Gainesville says Florida law doesn't allow $250 vaccine incentive payments for workers

The city of Gainesville has rescinded its offer to pay a $250 incentive payment to employees who get their COVID-19 vaccinations after the city’s legal staff concluded that state law prevents them from making the payments. However, other counties in Florida have continued to make incentive payments to employees after the state law that Gainesville officials say prevents them from paying employees here was in effect. More from the Gainesville Sun.

Pep Boys closes retail sides of 123 Florida stores to focus on service

Imagine if PetSmart emptied its retail store to focus only on grooming and veterinary care. Or if Best Buy got rid of all of its electronics and appliances and left only the Geek Squad. In a sense, that’s what national auto parts and service chain Pep Boys has done at nearly all of its Florida locations, and at hundreds of others nationwide. Consumers who haven’t visited a South Florida Pep Boys in awhile are in for a surprise. They’ll be greeted by a large empty space formerly occupied by shelves packed full of car care products and its auto parts ordering counter. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Tech Trends
Florida’s first Polestar EV dealership will open in Tampa in 2022

A Polestar isn’t a Tesla. But that’s actually part of the appeal, said Danny O’Malley. “We believe our brand is superior than Tesla’s in quality,” said O’Malley, dealer and owner of Volvo Cars Tampa, which began selling the Swedish electric car brand in November. Come 2022, drivers curious about the Polestar brand will be able to shop at their own local showroom.

» More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Profile
Raising the Barre

Four years ago, when Alix Miller interviewed for a job as vice president of the Florida Trucking Association, the trade group that advocates for the trucking industry in Tallahassee, she faced questions about whether she could handle the sharp-elbowed male-dominated world of Florida trucking. Miller thought back to her days as a young ballet dancer and how dance training had conditioned her to be tough, both mentally and physically.