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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida will start lifting stay-at-home orders on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis says
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida will start lifting stay-at-home orders starting Monday, with restaurants and shops being allowed to reopen with limited capacity. In the first phase of a three-phase plan, DeSantis said Florida will closely follow guidelines from the White House. The order does not apply to Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, where the pandemic has hit hardest, however. He said he will consider issuing an order for those counties soon. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the Orlando Sentinel, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Publix went from barring cloth face masks to selling them online
Publix is now selling bright green reusable face masks with its signature "P" imprinted on the front — a stark change for a company that once forbade its employees from wearing masks during the pandemic. In March, as COVID-19 started to spread, employees were not permitted to wear masks at all. Then Publix employees were first given paper face masks on April 8, at about the same time the store ended its policy forbidding the use of cloth face masks. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Home values rising in Florida amid coronavirus crisis
Home values have been rising throughout Florida and are up 1.4% from a year ago. Statewide, the median value for a single-family home — meaning half are worth more, half are worth less — is currently $682,669. Real estate agents say would-be homebuyers in some parts of the country are starting to overcome the obstacles caused by COVID-19 and are going virtual house hunting to take advantage of today's bargain mortgage rates and the low monthly house payments they provide. [Source: MoneyWise]
Hurricane Dorian: Models missed deadly storm’s detonation and how it stalled
Hurricane Dorian’s detonation to a 185-mph storm and calamitous idle over the northeastern Bahamas were missed by forecast models that underestimated the synergy building between the ocean and atmosphere. A 75-page report released Monday by the National Hurricane Center chronicles the evolution of the deadly Cat 5 cyclone and critiques its forecast, noting that Dorian’s sidestep of rugged Hispaniola accounted for larger than normal errors in predicting the storm’s ultimate power. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Tupperware’s new executive vice chairman talks about a turnaround as sales fall 23%
A top Tupperware Brands executive detailed a turnaround plan Wednesday as sales at the company plunged in an acceleration of years of decline in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Sales were $375.9 million in the first quarter at Osceola County-based Tupperware, down 23% compared with last year. The business has not seen a sales increase in a quarter over the previous year since 2017. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› 2020 Giving Partner Challenge raises jaw-dropping $18M
After an electrifying day of giving that included a yogathon, virtual barbecue, online talent show, streaming musical performances and other varieties of entertainment, the 2020 Giving Partner Challenge final numbers are in. A retro online counter, reminiscent of the TV telethons of old, rushed past $18 million with matching donations for 687 nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.
› Pasco County begins negotiations on expansion of waste-to-energy incinerator
Pasco County, Florida, has taken the first steps to pursue its goal of converting the area’s waste into renewable energy in the coming years. Pasco County commissioners unanimously agreed on April 28 to begin negotiating with their current resource recovery facility operator Covanta Pasco Inc., Spring Hill, Florida, to design, build and operate an expanded waste-to-energy incinerator.
› Palm Beach Symphony patrons showcase musical talents online
Like most Palm Beach County residents, Anthony DiResta and Terrance Mason have been spending most of their time at home. But you don’t have to attend one of their private parties for the Palm Beach Symphony to hear them perform. They’ve recorded a video of the jazz standard “Misty” for the symphony as part of its digital initiative to engage audiences while concert halls and schools are closed.
› More than 120 hotels remain open in Miami-Dade. Here’s who is allowed to stay there
While most Miami-Dade County hotels are closed during the coronavirus crisis, 126 remain open exclusively for “essential lodgers” — including first responders, healthcare workers, airline crew members and displaced travelers.
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