New liability law gives businesses some protection from COVID-related lawsuits

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the first major legislative response to the coronavirus pandemic into law Monday. Backed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, the measure would make it harder to sue health care providers, governments and other businesses in COVID-19 related lawsuits. Proponents of the legislation say it’s necessary to help businesses reopen with confidence. Opponents, including most Democrats in the Legislature, say it’s an unnecessary giveaway to well-heeled interests. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.

Florida restaurants fighting to rebound from the pandemic are encountering a surprising new challenge

As restaurants reopen in Florida after a difficult year marked by hundreds of thousands of laid-off or furloughed workers, they are facing a new — and surprising — problem: A shortage of staff. It’s a mystery restaurant owners are struggling to understand: In an economy where unemployment is still high, especially in the restaurant and hospitality industry, why can’t they find enough kitchen workers, servers and hosts to staff their establishments? [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Individual giving going cold in sunny Florida

Individual giving across Florida has been in decline the past decade, except for affluent counties in the southeast and southwest parts of the state, raising concerns about the sustainability of current giving levels as more giving has come from higher-income households. “A Decade of Charitable Giving Trends,” a 28-page report by the Florida Nonprofit Alliance (FNA), examines how individuals changed their charitable donations from 2011 to 2018, providing an initial glimpse of how tax reform in 2017 might have affected giving. [Source: Nonprofit Times]

California vs. Florida: Who handled COVID-19 better?

A year into the pandemic, California and Florida have become common points of contrast as Americans grapple with the horrific human and economic tolls of trying to control COVID-19. Though the states took wildly different approaches to the pandemic, their rates of death from COVID-19 don’t differ as much as one might expect. Out of 50 states, Florida’s and California’s cumulative COVID-19 death rates rank 25th and 29th, respectively, with Florida’s 11% higher. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

eMerge Americas conference will return in a year

Techies local and global alike will have to wait one more year for the region’s premier tech conference to return. The annual eMerge Americas conference will now return in March 2022, after initially being slated for next month. Last year’s conference was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, eMerge is expanding its inter-conference programming to include master classes, office hours, virtual panels, virtual startup pitch competitions, and smaller in-person “convenings” (following social distancing guidelines). [Source: Miami Herald]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Timeshare bill could cost Florida counties, cities and schools $170 million in property taxes [Orlando Sentinel]
After the Osceola County property appraiser won a major case against Wyndham timeshares upholding the way it values the company’s resorts, some Florida lawmakers want appraisers to use a different method — a change that could cost cities, counties and schools $170 million a year in property taxes. The proposal before the Florida Legislature is being pushed by a lobbyist who works for Grande Vista, a 900-unit timeshare in Orlando run by Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp.

› Rent and utility relief program opens for Duval County residents hurt by pandemic [Florida Times-Union]
The newest relief program for tenants facing eviction opened Monday for Duval County residents as the city of Jacksonville and non-profit organizations race to help people get past-due accounts squared away before a national moratorium on evictions ends in three months. The city is using $28.8 million from the federal government for rent and utility relief. The bulk of the federal aid will be for residents who fell behind on residential rent payments because they lost jobs or income because of the pandemic.

› New boutique wine bar offers iconic Venice restaurateur a third act [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
When Steve and Cheri Harner sold the Crow’s Nest in 2017, the idea was to enjoy retirement. In 41 years, Harner had built Crow’s Nest into an iconic waterfront restaurant, and followed that up with a decade-long run at Bogey’s Restaurant and Sports Pub on East Venice Avenue. But in 2018 they slowly started to ease back into a new venture – Casey Key Collector Wine.

› Tampa International Airport launches airside food delivery service [Tampa Bay Times]
Say you’re waiting for a Southwest Airlines flight from Airside C at Tampa International Airport, but you’re craving a Columbia Cuban sandwich from Airside E. Or you’re flying Delta out of Airside E, but you’d really like a plate of Firecracker Shrimp from RumFish Grill in Airside C. The airport now has you covered.

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› Pasco County government job fair on Tuesday [Tampa Bay Times]
Pasco County government is hosting an in-person job fair on Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in hopes of filling a number of open positions. The event is taking place in the lobby of the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey. The job fair is being hosted by the Pasco County Human Resources Department and hiring managers will be on-site to conduct on-the-spot interviews.

› Singer returns home during pandemic to write a love song about Florida [WFTS]
Leaving New York for Florida due to the pandemic was one of the toughest decisions singer/song writer Camille Trust ever had to do. One year later, she says she couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be. The move inspired her to write a new single, “Florida,” released Friday on all streaming platforms.

› Elevated levels of red tide reported in southwest Florida [WTSP]
Elevated levels of red tide are being reported off Florida's southwest coast. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission says it was observed at background to medium concentrations in and offshore of Lee County and background to low concentrations in and offshore of Collier County. FWC says dead fish and respiratory irritation have been reported in that area.

› As spring break crowds fade in South Beach, residents demand change [Miami Herald]
As spring breakers gathered in South Beach on Saturday, about 80 residents held a rally outside Miami Beach City Hall with a broad complaint that the city’s nightlife industry has gotten out of hand and elected leaders need a better approach before the party crowds return for Memorial Day weekend. “We’ve had enough!” the crowd chanted as Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, a former city commissioner, began her remarks on a shared megaphone.