SHARE:
Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
First, a hurricane, Then, an algae bloom. Now, Keys fishermen try to weather a pandemic
Still recovering from Hurricane Irma in September 2017, when the spiny lobster industry lost more than 150,000 traps, the red tide algae bloom of 2018-19, and a trade war with China that saw a drop in lobster prices last season, Keys commercial fishermen now face the severe economic fallout from the pandemic. Florida restaurants were forced to close to stop the spread of the virus in March. That took away the second largest buyer of Florida spiny lobster and the No. 1 market for stone crab claws. [Source: Miami Herald]
The virus has put a freeze on python hunting, but not the way you think
Florida’s essential workers include one unique crew still crunching through the Everglades in pursuit of ecosystem killers. The state’s invasive snake hunters remain on duty, but they’re having to keep their catches frozen until coronavirus-closed weigh stations reopen to pay bounty for their python popsicles. [Source: Palm Beach Post]
Visit Orlando launches new Tourism Help Hub to provide business owners, employees with resources
Tourism industry workers and business owners who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic now have a new resource they can use to help them get assistance. Visit Orlando on Thursday launched its new Tourism Help Hub, available here, to provide members of the community with much-needed resources. [Source: WKMG]
Garbage doesn’t stop in a shutdown. How sanitation workers are dealing.
Daily life as we know it may have screeched to a halt, but the outbreak of the coronavirus has not stopped the accumulation of household trash or the need for somebody to pick it up. While solid waste departments across Florida have made adjustments to their protocols to protect workers, residential trash services overall remain largely undisturbed. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Darden Restaurants CEO Gene Lee part of White House groups focused on reviving the economy
The CEO of Orlando-based Darden Restaurants will participate in White House groups focused on reviving the economy after the fallout from coronavirus. Gene Lee was listed along with other restaurant industry leaders on President Donald Trump’s “Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups.” “These bipartisan groups of American leaders will work together with the White House to chart the path forward toward a future of unparalleled American prosperity,” the White House said. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Evicting tenants is illegal right now. One company tried it anyway — and got caught
Evictions were ceased altogether in Miami-Dade on March 12, when Mayor Carlos Gimenez ordered an indefinite moratorium on them. A statewide suspension on evictions imposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on April 2 made even eviction notices illegal.
› Early discussions started about reopening Jacksonville and its beaches
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Thursday he has had early discussions with Gov. Ron DeSantis about re-opening the city. And he’s discussed reopening the beaches for exercise, though no date has been set.
› Hillsborough scraps curfew and mandatory masks
Hillsborough County’s Emergency Policy Group voted unanimously Thursday to rescind the countywide curfew. They also shot down a proposal by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to require residents to wear masks in public. The group voted to scrap the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew that had generated an uproar since it went into effect Monday night. And they didn’t even vote on Castor’s proposal for residents to wear face-coverings in grocery stores, pharmacies and while conducting other essential public tasks.
› Orlando’s Lighthouse Works enlisted to aid state’s overwhelmed unemployment system
A 9-year-old Orlando company created to give visually impaired workers a shot at decent jobs is being tapped to help rescue Florida’s overwhelmed unemployment application system — and the company is now feverishly hiring.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
In case you missed it:
