SHARE:
Monday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida pledges relief for struggling renters, homeowners
Florida will give out $240 million in federal CARES Act money to help families struggling to pay rent and mortgages amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Orange County is likely to get a good chunk of the money. Half, $120 million, will be assigned to counties to hand out to residents for rental and homeowner assistance programs. Orange County’s Individual and Family Assistance Program was overwhelmed by demand this month forcing an application portal to close minutes after it opened. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida Trend continues track record winning editorial excellence with multiple 2020 awards from AABP, ASBPE
The Alliance of Area Business Publishers (AABP) recently presented 124 Editorial Excellence awards to newspaper and magazine business periodicals on June 25, 2020, at the closing celebration of its four-day annual Virtual National Conference. With 448 entries from 34 publications in the U.S., Canada and Australia, the competitive field was both impressive and diverse. More from Florida Trend.
Gas prices stay low as coronavirus cases spike in Florida
Florida gas prices rose slightly last week, but the increase was nothing like Florida’s spike in COVID-19 cases, which will probably stop prices at the pump from getting higher. Gasoline prices in the Sunshine State, which have been low since the pandemic hit the area in March, rose by 1 cent last week to $2.03, but AAA experts don’t predict additional gains as Florida experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida citrus growers back bill to preclude Chinese imports
A bill to ban the importation of all citrus from China has gained support in Florida. The state’s growers have invested billions of dollars to battle citrus greening disease that came from Asia. The bill comes after the US Department of Agriculture authorized limited varieties for import as of April 15. Before that, the United States had not allowed any citrus imports from China. More from Fresh Plaza.
Florida looks for way forward on bars
Florida’s ban on serving alcohol to people in bars will be reevaluated daily, the state’s top business regulator said in a series of tweets over the weekend that also offered apologies for the crackdown. Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday the Department of Business and Professional Regulation is “trying to figure out a way forward” for bars, nightclubs and craft breweries that are essentially having to shut down again because of “widespread non-compliance” with coronavirus guidelines. More from WWSB.
Political Trends
The Florida convention curse
his August, when President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to take to a stage in Jacksonville and accept his party’s nomination for re-election, the event will mark the fifth time that a political convention has been held in Florida at the height of the state’s molten summer. If it’s anything like the other four, something—or quite possibly several somethings—will go wrong.
» More from Politico.
Business Profile
Toast Distillers
Toast Distillers’ signature product was premium vodka. But when unemployment increased and medical supplies became scarce nationwide, Toast switched formulas to solve both problems. The company hired 15 new employees as it shifted production from spirits to hand sanitizer, said founder and CEO Dieuveny “DJ” Jean Louis.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.
In case you missed it:
