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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
As more Florida concerts get canceled, a lost summer of entertainment looms
The state this week decreed that many Florida businesses could reopen with limitations, including retail shops and restaurants. Bars, clubs and performance venues weren’t included. Even if they had been, the entertainment world can’t just restart by fiat. Artists must want to perform, venues must safely host them, and fans must want to buy tickets. Few venues want to say it out loud, but even if the rest of America reopens, the live entertainment industry could be facing a mostly lost summer. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
SeaWorld Entertainment suffers $56.5 million loss in first quarter
SeaWorld Entertainment wasn’t ready Friday to announce an opening date, as the Orlando-based company reported a $56.5 million net loss in its first quarter. Revenues dropped 30% to about $154 million after attendance set records at the start of 2020 but then tumbled for the quarter ending March 31. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
New Florida red tide study could lead to test for exposure in humans
A new study into the neurological effects of red tide on humans could lead to a simple test to determine if an illness is caused by the deadly algae’s brevetoxins. Nearly a dozen researchers from the Roskamp Institute in Sarasota have begun a study with a $400,000 federal grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to advance their work on brain health. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Tampa-Hillsborough to get a new area code. Say hello to the 656.
Long before Miami rapper Pitbull became “Mr. 305,” all of Florida was the 305. It was one of the nation’s first area codes created in 1947 and covered the entire state. Florida kept growing, as Florida tends to do, and so a new area code was needed: 813. It was the state’s second area code when it was created in 1953, covering Tampa Bay and all of west-central Florida. New area codes came online, but for 67 years the Tampa-Hillsborough area has been synonymous with 813. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Spirit Airlines announces cash raise as revenues miss expectations
Miramar-based Spirit Airlines announced it plans to raise cash through debt and equity sales as it seeks to navigate the ongoing economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the discount airline said it would sell 12 million shares in a public offering and issue $150 million in convertible senior notes due 2025. The filing did not specify collateral details. More from the Miami Herald.
Business Profile
Florida pressure cleaning and washing company aims to test post-coronavirus market
Just how vigilant or paranoid post-coronavirus America will be as it renews its bonds with public places remains to be seen. But at least one Sarasota entrepreneur is thinking some people won’t unclench until they’re convinced it’s been rinsed. So John Cloud has a plan. Truth be told, it wouldn’t be a huge moneymaker, not in the grand scheme of his nine-year-old Gorilla Kleen pressure cleaning operation.
» More from the Ocala Star-Banner.
Out of the Box
Couple weds with dockside ceremony, underwater photos in Florida spring
Kelsey and Brian Lovering have spent the past year planning their dream wedding at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Apalachicola. The one they had April 25 looked nothing like it. The outfits, music, food, flowers – everything about their wedding changed. When the photographer found out about his friend Kelsey’s wedding plans, he knew an underwater photo shoot was the perfect complement to her nontraditional ceremony.
» Read more from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
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