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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
As Florida tourism falters, public employees fret about jobs
Even as Florida starts to ease stay-at-home orders and begins lifting restrictions on restaurants and other hard-hit businesses, public sector workers are fretting over job losses that could arrive in the weeks and months to come because of the economic downturn. Florida's budget situation remains uncertain as state officials try to get a firmer grasp on state revenues, which relies heavily on tourist dollars and its other revenue-generating economic engines to pay for salaries and state services. [Source: AP]
Florida’s senators cry foul over U.S. decision to import certain Chinese citrus
Backing the state’s struggling citrus industry, Florida Republicans and Democrats are opposing a federal decision to allow the importation of certain fruits from China. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott have sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking him to reverse a decision to let five varieties of citrus fruits be imported from China. [Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel]
NASA goes with SpaceX Starship, Blue Origin, Dynetics for moon mission landers
NASA went with big names SpaceX and Blue Origin as well as lesser-known Dynetics as the three commercial companies vying to build lunar landers for its Artemis missions to return humans to the moon by 2024. The three contracts worth $967 million are for design and development of human landing systems. They were awarded under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships program. Several other companies that were vying for the contract including Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corp. did not make the cut. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Will Tampa Bay’s craft beer scene survive the coronavirus pandemic?
Like the restaurant and bar world, Tampa Bay’s booming craft beer scene came to a screeching halt in March. All breweries were abruptly forced to close their taprooms, their draught distribution lines wiped out as the restaurants and bars they supplied were forced to shutter, too. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park will be delayed
Universal is pausing construction of its Epic Universe theme park in Orlando as its parent company stands to lose $500 million in profits if the parks remain closed for the entire second quarter, Comcast executives said Thursday. The new park was set to open in 2023, the company previously had disclosed, although Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did not say how much delaying construction impacts the project’s overall timeline. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› A week in Orlando’s arts scene: What’s happening without shows? Plenty
Although theaters, galleries and concert halls sit quiet, there is a constant buzz of creativity behind the scenes. Masks, graduations, telethons and an endless array of Zoom meetings: Here’s a glimpse into a week in the life of Orlando’s arts organizations during a pandemic.
› NASCAR’s return won’t be in Florida
NASCAR plans to make its return from the coronavirus pandemic in May, but it won’t be in Florida. It announced Thursday that Cup Series plans to return without fans for a 400-mile race at Darlington on May 17. It will be shown at 3:30 on Fox. Darlington will host another Cup race on May 20 before the series races its marquee Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte on May 24. Charlotte will host another Cup race on May 27.
› Iconic Miami Beach hotel Eden Roc lays off 458
The Eden Roc Miami Beach hotel has said it would lay off a total of 458 workers as a result of dead stop in its operations sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. In a Worker Retention and Adjustment Act (WARN) notice filed with the state dated March 30, the hotel qualified 142 layoffs as permanent, with the other 316 slated as temporary.
› Tampa sends nurses to inspect major construction sites
Construction is a $2 billion-a-year industry in Tampa, so City Hall is sending nurse-inspectors to the 52 largest construction sites in town to help keep workers healthy and employed. The use of nurses to do spot checks appears to be unique among the largest local governments in the Tampa Bay area.
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