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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida’s initial unemployment claims drop sharply to new COVID-19 low
First-time unemployment claims in Florida took a steep drop to 45,723, a level not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic first stunned the state and national economies in March. Claims for the week ended Aug. 22 were off by 27,051, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. But nationally, the figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims remained over 1 million, ending the week at 1,006,000, a decrease of 98,000 from the previous week’s revised level. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the Tampa Bay Times.
Could legalizing recreational marijuana help solve Florida’s COVID-19 budget shortfall?
A bipartisan pair of state lawmakers have a long-shot green stimulus plan for Florida’s gaping pandemic budget hole — legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana. Pot enthusiasts shouldn’t get their hopes up too high, though. Such an idea hasn’t caught fire in the conservative Florida Legislature, and Gov. Ron DeSantis opposes the idea. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
DeSantis exceeded authority in appointing justice, Florida Supreme Court rules
In a stunning rebuke to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday said the governor exceeded his authority when he appointed Renatha Francis to the high court by selecting the Palm Beach judge to the post before she was technically eligible. But while the court invalidated the appointment in principle, it also formally did not change the outcome. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the Palm Beach Post, and the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida was social distancing less and less, until its summer coronavirus explosion
Floridians have hit a new plateau — in how much they’re going out. In March, society came to a halt when the outbreak of the new coronavirus forced businesses and schools to close and led people nationwide to stay at home. But, like most Americans, many people in Florida changed their patterns after about a month of lockdown. People in the state began leaving home more and more. We know about this behavioral change because private companies tracked the locations of cell phones. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida Bar exam now scheduled online on Oct. 13
The Florida Bar exam that was rescheduled Aug. 26 by the state Supreme Court will be administered online Oct. 13. The July Bar exam was rescheduled to Aug. 19 and intended to be available online. However, “It was determined that administering a secure and reliable remote Bar examination in August was not technically feasible,” said the Florida Board of Bar Examiners in a statement released Aug. 16. [Source: Jax Daily Record]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida quietly publishes medical marijuana edibles rules
Wednesday night, four years after Florida voters approved the legalization of medical marijuana and one year after the Legislature allowed patients to smoke it, edible marijuana products were allowed to enter the market.
› A wave of COVID bankruptcies looms, and in Orlando, filings have already begun
Nationwide, experts predict a wave of pandemic-related bankruptcies. They just don’t know when it will hit. In Central Florida, where businesses rely on tourists to bolster sales and so many residents work in the low-wage industries that have been hit hardest by the pandemic, that bankruptcy wave could be even more severe.
› Cleveland’s Old Fashion Ice Cream, from Jaxson’s longtime ice cream maker, opens in Miramar
The 2,500-square-foot sugar shack opened last weekend with 48 ice-cream flavors made on premises — many exotic — along with homemade fruit toppings, whipped cream and fudge. Yes, the soft drinks — birch beer and soda floats — are also homemade. Next week, there will be 52 flavors. After that, at least one new rotating flavor per day.
› Miami business chamber launches Black business initiative
Miami-Dade’s largest business advocacy group is launching an initiative to boost access and opportunities for local Black-owned businesses. The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday the creation of GMCC Unites, a program designed to increase Black membership and committee representation in the organization.
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