SHARE:
Monday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida banks skid to loss
The coronavirus pandemic took its toll on Florida’s banking sector in the first three months of 2020. The state’s 102 banks and thrifts posted a combined loss of $281 million in the first quarter, the weakest performance since the Great Recession era, according to a report last week from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. That red ink compares with profits of $560 million in fourth-quarter 2019 and $467 million one year earlier, FDIC records show. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
2 new solar farms to deliver power to 6 Florida cities
Six Florida municipal utilities, including those in Orlando and Kissimmee, are joining the growing number of power companies able to provide their customers with solar power, a cleaner source of energy. By the end of June, two of five new solar farm sites, the Harmony Solar Energy Center in St. Cloud and the Taylor Creek Solar Energy Center in east Orange County, are expected to begin commercial operation. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Commentary: Doctors are victims of a health-care recession, and they need relief, too
Physicians’ once-crowded waiting and examination rooms have been replaced by sporadic tele-health consultations. Reduced patient volume combined with lower reimbursements from virtual visits have jeopardized the financial health of medical practices. Medical professionals are facing dramatic reductions in patients requesting non-COVID-19 care. Despite “reopening,” patients are deferring emergency room visits and avoiding urgent care for fear of being exposed to the virus. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
So you want to vote by mail in Florida? Here’s what you need to know.
Voting by mail is no new phenomenon in Florida. But it’s getting renewed attention amid the coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, local elections supervisors across the state have been promoting this option as a safe alternative to in-person voting, with some counties even sending mail ballot request forms to all registered voters who haven’t already requested mail ballots. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida company caught not paying worker for time worked or time on COVID-19 quarantine
A Sanford maker of fishing lures got caught not paying an employee money due under a pair of federal acts, the U.S. Department of Labor announced. Labor’s Wage and Hour investigators found Producto Lure didn’t pay an employee two weeks of emergency sick leave after a doctor ordered the employee to self-quarantine for the coronavirus. More from the Miami Herald.
Business Profile
Results-oriented accounting firm makes bold move to stand out
Up until the COVID-19 crisis, the economy had been on a tear and business valuations were at sky-high levels, making it a good time for company owners to seek investment or even exit altogether. Seeing an upswing in demand for help with such services, accounting firm Hancock Askew & Co. LLP — which has offices in Tampa; Miami; Atlanta; Augusta, Ga.; and Savannah, Ga. — has launched Clarity Capital Advisors, a spinoff firm that handles interim/fractional CFO solutions, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate finance advice.
» More from the Business Observer.
Sustainability
ECOncrete requires less energy to make and promotes healthy marine life
ECOncrete, says Shimrit Perkol- Finkel, an Israeli biologist and one of the company’s co-founders, can be cast in complex, 3-D textured surfaces that mimic natural reefs and promote the growth of oysters, corals, algae and other healthy marine life — “as opposed to standard, marine-grade concrete that typically induces very low-diversity marine communities, composed mainly of nuisance and invasive species.”
» Read more from Florida Trend.
In case you missed it:
