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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida’s curve no longer flat amid new surge of virus cases
Fighting a surge in coronavirus cases in the spring, Florida appeared to be “flattening the curve” as theme parks shuttered, sugar sand beaches closed and residents heeded orders to stay home. Now, it's almost as if that never happened. Bars, restaurants and gyms began reopening in May — critics said it was too soon — and weeks later, the Sunshine State became one of the country's virus hot spots, experiencing an alarming surge in cases. More from the AP and WTOP.
See also:
» Florida adds 11,433 coronavirus cases for 2nd-highest daily increase, and 93 new deaths
» Dr. Anthony Fauci says states like Florida have reopened too quickly
» Florida sending $138 million to county health departments
Coronavirus complaints pile up as businesses receive warnings
Despite amassing more than 2,000 complaints about violations of coronavirus rules, Palm Beach County has not issued any citations, newly released data shows. Complaints ranged from people not wearing required masks to lack of physical distancing to employees being forced to work when they should be quarantined. Some complaints weren’t about violating the rules but focused on what they say or targeted county commissioners. Those were categorized as “non-processable.” More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Sarasota Ballet cultivates a future for aspiring dancers
Few ballet companies in the United States have a well-funded educational infrastructure that can serve as a feeder for their professional rosters — Sarasota Ballet is one of those few companies. Unsurprisingly, the company popped up in her search for a place to train during her summers, and she would go on to participate in three successive summer intensives with Sarasota Ballet. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
St. Pete-Clearwater airport traffic up in June, but still way down from 2019
June passenger traffic at St. Peter-Clearwater International Airport was down 38 percent from the previous year. For now, this still qualifies as reason for optimism. The airport saw 141,561 passengers pass through its gates in June — nearly double the traffic in May — as travel and business operations eased a bit from the peak of the coronavirus shutdown. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Amazon’s Central Florida industrial facility sells for $58m
A joint venture led by Redrock Developments and Wharton Industrial has sold Florida Crossroads Logistics Center, less than one year after completing development of the 617,000-square-foot facility in Ocala, Fla. With the assistance of Cushman & Wakefield, the partners sold the fully leased, state-of-the-art facility to Lexington Realty Trust in a transaction valued at $58.4 million. More from Commercial Property Executive.
Out of the Box
This life-size T. rex dinosaur head could be yours for $2,250
An Orlando Craigslist post featuring a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex head on sale for $2,250 is making the rounds online and yes, it’s completely real. John Hammond, the man behind the post who also happens to share a name with a “Jurassic Park” character, said he bought the to-scale fiberglass sculpture in the mid-2000s from a store on Orlando Avenue that sold rarities and collectibles after his daughter spotted it and thought it would be a great addition at Hammond’s shop, RocksandBones on Fairbanks Avenue.
» More from Click Orlando.
Florida Dining
Squeeze Play
Millennials' obsession with juices is driving a new brand of entrepreneur. Juices and teas are hipper than ever. Florida-born Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Texas-based Jamba Juice have more than 800 locations each; Smoothie King has close to 1,000. While it's a nationwide trend, Florida is on the squeezing edge.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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