March 28, 2024

Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 6/19/2020

Florida’s unemployment rate jumps again in May

As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to ravage the state’s economy, Florida’s unemployment rate rose nearly a full percentage point to 14.5 percent in May, up from April’s 13.8 percent. According to state numbers released Friday, the state added 182,900 jobs over the month. The national unemployment rate was 13.3 percent in May. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

A ‘full 180′: Cuomo considers quarantine for people traveling from Florida to New York

People traveling from Florida to New York may soon be required to quarantine upon their arrival in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday. Cuomo called the move, which he is still mulling, a "full 180," after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis required people traveling from New York to Florida to quarantine in late March. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Laws of attractions: Tourism exec offers advice for uncertain times

Visit Tampa Bay, a destination marketing agency for Tampa and Hillsborough County, watched with frustration as the coronavirus pandemic caused the region’s top attractions to shutter during peak tourism season. Closing their doors were Busch Gardens and Adventure Island, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, the Florida Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, TopGolf, the Glazer Children’s Museum — and the list goes on. More from the Business Observer.

DeSantis urges federal court to put felon voting rights ruling on hold

Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking a federal appeals court to put on hold a ruling that would pave the way for hundreds of thousands of Floridians who have been convicted of felonies to register and vote in November, arguing the decision could “corrupt” the integrity of the state’s elections. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Buoyed by American travelers in search of sun, Miami Beach hotels see signs of renewal

Think you’ll be able to find a hotel on Miami Beach for July 4 weekend? Good luck. In the face of the global coronavirus pandemic that brought travel to a dead stop just a few weeks ago, local hotel officials now say they are seeing plenty of interest in stays for the upcoming holiday — not to mention most other weekends. More from the Miami Herald.

Innovation
CleanBlock

 Todd Roberts, manager of Orlando Health’s biorepository, was at a doctor’s appointment in 2011 when the receptionist handed him a pen that a coughing patient had just used. Roberts opted to use his own pen instead — but it inspired him to invent the CleanBlock, a simple device that sanitizes pens. The clear, plastic goo-filled box — which he patented in 2013 — contains a 70% ethanol gel that kills germs, fungi and viruses on contact.

» More from Florida Trend.

 

Out of the Box
New company plans to launch passengers from Kennedy Space Center not on rockets but dangling from a balloon

floridaA pair of self-described serial entrepreneurs, best-known for flying a KFC chicken sandwich into space and living two years sealed inside a biosphere, are attempting to start a new human spaceflight company that instead of launching rockets will lift civilian passengers into the sky tethered to a high-performance balloon.

» Read more from the Orlando Sentinel.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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