SHARE:
Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida’s young test positive for coronavirus at almost twice the rate
Youngest Floridians are testing positive for the new coronavirus at almost double the rate as residents overall. A new report by the Florida Department of Health shows less than 5% of the Floridians who tested positive for the novel coronavirus were under the age of 18. But that younger age group tested positive at almost twice the rate as the state as a whole, according to FDOH’s new pediatric COVID-19 case report released June 12. Statewide, 3,407 residents under age 18 have tested positive, or 9.2% of the 37,211 tested, compared with the overall 5% positive results (73,650) among Florida’s residents who have tested for the virus. More from Florida Today, the Gainesville Sun, and the Palm Beach Post.
Philanthropists Tiedemann, Cotton give $1 million to USF business school
Pinellas County philanthropists Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton have donated $1 million to create an endowed finance professor position at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus. The donation through the USF Foundation was announced Monday. It comes on the heels of the USF System’s announcement Friday that it has cleared the final step toward consolidating its locations in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota into one university with a single accreditation. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Coronavirus pandemic halts fight over $15 minimum wage, for now
First, the coronavirus shut down Florida’s restaurants. Then it shut down the restaurant industry’s fight against steadily increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Save Our Jobs Inc. is a political committee set up in January to fight the amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, whose board members include representatives of Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Darden Restaurants and McDonald’s. The organization raised just $2,000 in April and May. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Financially troubled Hertz plans to sell up to $500M in stock, which it says could be 'worthless'
Financially troubled Hertz has signed a definitive agreement allowing it to move forward with the sale of up to $500 million in new company shares. In a regulatory filing Monday, Estero-based Hertz Global Holdings — parent of The Hertz Corp. — announced it had struck an agreement with Jefferies LLC to sell the additional shares of its common stock from "time to time at its sole discretion," as a way to raise capital. More from the Naples Daily News.
Fort Lauderdale plans to use federal money for hotel vouchers for homeless and small businesses
Fort Lauderdale will decide Tuesday whether to split its federal coronavirus aid between helping small businesses and covering the cost of hotel vouchers for the homeless. Fort Lauderdale started offering hotel vouchers in late April, when officials booked an entire floor at an Extended Stay America to house the homeless. The initial wave of vouchers cost the city $200,000. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
| Trend Mention |
|
Event
Mecum Auctions returns to Kissimmee in August for ‘Summer Special’
Gearheads, auto enthusiasts and classic car collectors will again flock to Kissimmee when Mecum Auctions’ ‘Summer Special’ rolls into town this August. The collector car auction will bring 1,000 cars to Osceola Heritage Park Aug. 27-29, bringing a scaled-down event much smaller than the annual Mecum Kissimmee auction, which attracts more than 100,000 visitors to bid on thousands of cars.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Sustainability Trends
North Florida Green Chamber makes going green easy for members
A year-old green chamber aims to make sustainability easy for its members. Operational for just over a year, the North Florida Green Chamber has a mission to make it “cool and convenient” to be green, says Christina W. Kelcourse, founder and executive director. The chapter focuses on educating business owners about sustainability issues and making it easier for businesses to use sustainable practices.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
In case you missed it:
