Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 7/13/2018

SunPass is a mess. Florida could have seen it coming.

Florida’s SunPass electronic tolling system is a mess. The vendor who runs the system has a backlog of unprocessed charges now running into the millions, a total accumulated since it stopped processing tolls on June 1. But this could just be the start of a long nightmare for Florida drivers. The contractor the state picked in 2015 to operate SunPass, Conduent State & Local Solutions, has a track record of mishandling customer service while updating tolling systems in seven other states. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

UCF Business Incubator selected for Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program

The UCF Business Incubation Program was one of six locations selected for as Veterans Florida’s Network Partners for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The others are the University of West Florida, Tallahassee Community College, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University and Action Zone. More from the Apopka Voice.

Contradicting law he signed, Gov. Rick Scott asks counties to ensure access to Florida beaches

Executive Order 18-202 is in direct opposition to HB631, a bill that Gov. Scott signed into law in March and went into effect on July 1. The new law made it harder for local governments to prevent private citizens from blocking off their land from beachgoers. See Gov. Scott's executive order, here. Also read more at the Miami Herald, the AP, and the Tampa Bay Times.

Medical marijuana processing in Florida may be interrupted

About half of the 13 Florida businesses allowed to grow, process and sell medical marijuana could be suspended from processing cannabis because of a little-noticed deadline in state law requiring food safety inspections — even though edible forms cannot be sold in the state. More from the Times/Herald.

State sets deadline for mail-in votes

The first ballots of Florida's Aug. 28 primary election need to be in the mail by Saturday, according to deadlines announced Thursday by the state Division of Elections. The July 14 deadline applies to ballots being mailed overseas to absent stateside voters as well as overseas uniformed service members and overseas civilians. More from WJXT.

Legal Trends
Breaking the law: Entrepreneurial attorney Kalpesh Patel seeks to disrupt

St. Petersburg lawyer Kalpesh Patel finds it hard to believe entrepreneurs and small business owners increasingly turn to sites like LegalZoom.com and RocketLawyer.com for legal services. But he understands why. Patel, 29, thought he could do better, though, and decided to open a tech-centric legal practice.

» More from the Business Observer.

Business Profile
MC Armor

A Florida husband and wife duo who developed a fashion line of bulletproof clothing say they have seen the demand for their products in the U.S. increase exponentially -- and amid growing security concerns, they believe the market still has untapped potential.