Florida to receive largest vaccine supply yet as Pfizer, J&J production kicks up

Florida is set to receive next week its largest supply of COVID-19 vaccine yet with nearly 700,000 of either the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the initial shots of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna options. A major jump in both the J&J and Pfizer supplies is credited for the increase while the Moderna supply remains the same as it has for the last several weeks. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Majority of Floridians will get temporary reprieve on expected flood insurance rate hike

Florida homeowners already have been slammed with rising windstorm insurance rates this year but they’re likely to get an unexpected reprieve on protection against the other major hurricane threat. Federal flood insurance rates were poised to spike dramatically this year in Florida and other coastal states but that appears on hold for most homeowners because of push back — at least for this year. [Source: Miami Herald]

The world’s largest bitcoin conference is moving from Los Angeles to Miami

The world’s largest cryptocurrency conference is coming to Miami. And it’s bringing the head of Twitter with it. Originally slated for Los Angeles, Bitcoin 2021 is now planned for June 3-5 at the MANA Wynwood event center. Headline speakers include Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, billionaire venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya — and Tony Hawk, who will perform live skateboarding. The conference was born in San Francisco in 2019. A special event for bitcoin “whales” — or high-net-worth bitcoin holders — is also scheduled. [Source: Miami Herald]

Florida bill seeks to better plan for future pandemics

A House committee approved a bill Wednesday to better prepare for public health emergencies, ranging from ensuring the state is well-stocked with personal protective equipment to allowing the governor more flexibility in spending state money to deal with a crisis. The bill approved by the House Pandemics & Public Emergencies Committee on a 14-4 vote also addresses how deaths are reported, would allow the Legislature to override a governor's executive orders and seeks to better inform the public on state spending on its response and emergency orders. [Source: WJXT]

Hundreds of workers are exposed to poisons inside Florida’s only lead factory

Plumes of dust, laced with lead, blow across the factory like a sandstorm. The poison hangs so thick in the air, sometimes the only thing visible is the warm, orange glow from the furnace. Workers, hundreds of them, sweat through 12-hour shifts at Gopher Resource in Tampa. They extract lead from used car batteries, melt it down and turn it into blocks of metal to resell. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida ranch goes on sale for the first time in over 100 years for $140 million [WPLG]
For over 100 years, Green Island Ranch in Central Florida has been owned by the Partin family. Now, the land is being sold for $140 million. According to SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate, Green Island Ranch, located in St. Cloud, Florida, is being sold as a development opportunity that can fill up to 17,000 residential units with additional commercial and mixed-use projects. However, the massive property is more than just a real estate opportunity for investors — it’s also a historical landmark in Florida’s history.

› Subway confirms corporate Miami office, saying 100 employees will work for sandwich chain from near MIA [Miami Herald]
Sandwich chain giant Subway is planning a new Miami office that will house as many as 100 employees. In an email, the Connecticut-based company confirmed a March 11 New York Post report that it would be making a Miami move. Subway says the office will be located in the Waterford Business District, formerly known as the Waterford at Blue Lagoon, near Miami International Airport.

› Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice companies make Inc. Magazine's fastest growing Florida businesses list [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Several companies based in or around Sarasota are among the fastest growing privately owned businesses in Florida, according to new rankings released by Inc. Magazine. The business magazine this month released Inc. 5000 Regionals list of the 250 fastest growing private companies based in Florida. The lists are according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2017 and 2019.

› Key player in Miami’s trendy Wynwood development turns eye toward St. Pete [Tampa Bay Times]
Anyone who’s visited Miami recently likely knows of Wynwood, a former manufacturing warehouse district that was transformed into a hipster mecca known for its colorful murals and trendy shops and restaurants — including an ultra-popular taco joint that was once visited by former President Barack Obama. Joe Furst, who oversaw financing, development and leasing initiatives in Wynwood for the development company that had a major hand in the area’s makeover, has recently set his sights on St. Pete.

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› Tourists stroll through South Beach, as mayor says curfew rules could last 3 more weeks [Miami Herald]
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said Tuesday businesses and residents should expect weekend curfews and traffic restrictions to continue at least for the next three weeks to curb spring break chaos in South Beach, as rowdy tourists continued the party on Ocean Drive into the work week. The problems appeared to mount for the city this week after South Beach residents announced they were holding a weekend demonstration, which is supported by former Miami Beach City Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, to protest the city’s response to the mayhem in the entertainment district.

› Pandemic spawned real estate winners and losers in Central Florida [Orlando Sentinel]
There’s no easy way to sum up the impact COVID-19 had on Central Florida’s real estate industry. When Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings issued the county’s first mandatory stay-at-home order a year ago on March 24, the reverberations could be felt immediately throughout every sector of the industry as much of the economy shut down. The next 12 months would reveal the pandemic’s winners and losers, as the recovery and reopening were anything but even.

› To mark 50th anniversary, Walt Disney World unveils specialty license plate for Florida drivers [Florida Today]
Florida drivers who love Disney will be excited to learn the theme park's latest announcement. Walt Disney World Resort unveiled the design on its first-ever specialty license plate that registered Florida car owners can pre-order. The unique reveal arrives in conjunction with "The World's Most Magical Celebration" set to begin on Oct. 1, 2021. The celebration marks the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World's opening.

› Ella’s Americana Cafe wants to save Seminole Heights steeple [Tampa Bay Times]
I-275 near the E. Hillsborough Avenue exit is still going to lose a commuting landmark. The Seminole Heights Baptist Church will be razed to make way for a free-standing emergency room for Memorial Hospital of Tampa. The church’s white steeple, which has towered above I-275 for decades, will still be removed from the property. But it might be spared from the wrecking ball.