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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida will start paying $300 ‘lost wages’ unemployment benefits this week
Floridians eligible for the additional $300 weekly benefits under the federal “lost wages” program should expect their money to arrive this week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday. Anyone who’s currently eligible will automatically receive their three weeks of benefits, at $300 each, according to a DeSantis administration news release. Floridians do not need to reapply for the benefits. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Ed Chiles is a Florida Icon
The son of the late Gov. Lawton Chiles talks about his childhood and what he considers important issues in Florida. His thoughts on community: “The most important thread in the fabric of a community, a village, a small city, to me is the small business district. If you don't have a place to go get a frock or a newspaper or a cup of coffee or a sandwich or a gift and convene with people, then you’re a subdivision.” [Source: Florida Trend]
In swing states like Florida, mail ballot rejection rates could triple
Thousands of absentee ballots get rejected in every presidential election. This year, that problem could be much worse and potentially pivotal in hotly contested battleground states. With the coronavirus creating a surge in mail-in balloting and postal delays reported across the country, the number of rejected ballots in November is projected to be significantly higher than previous elections. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida reports fewest new COVID-19 cases in nearly three months
Florida’s coronavirus report for Tuesday showed promising trends continue even as the state officially surpassed 650,000 cases of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. The state Department of Health reported 1,823 new infections of the infectious disease, which is the second straight day with fewer than 2,000 new cases based on people testing positive for the first time. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
SeaWorld, Hard Rock plan layoffs at Florida properties
Large-scale layoffs are coming to two Florida brands that specialize in tourism and entertainment: SeaWorld and Hard Rock. The Seminole Tribe of Florida has notified the state of a mass layoff at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, where up to 1,527 workers could be affected. Many had been let go early in the coronavirus pandemic; some had been brought back to work in June. Meanwhile, in Orlando, SeaWorld Entertainment last week filed a notice with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission saying it had reached a “plan of termination” for an unnamed number of furloughed employees. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› DeSantis pushes back on challenge to Supreme Court nominee
Attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis are trying to scuttle a lawmaker’s renewed challenge to DeSantis’ appointment of Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Renatha Francis to the Florida Supreme Court. The DeSantis administration late Friday filed arguments that said Rep. Geraldine Thompson’s “efforts amount to no more than an impermissible attempt at a second bite of the apple.”
› Mental health startup ready for untapped market
Armed with a cutting-edge mental health treatment, Tampa-based NeuroSpa TMS believes it’s set to capitalize on a wave of demand about to crest. Getting the word out is a principal challenge.
› Firehouse opens ‘restaurant of the future’ in Palatka
Jacksonville-based Firehouse Subs opened its first restaurant – designed as a modified “restaurant of the future” prototype – in Palatka in Putnam County. Vice President Meg Rose said the company searched for more than five years “for the right location to place a Firehouse Subs in Palatka.”
› Lakewood Ranch posts record home sales for August
Lakewood Ranch said it posted a record-setting 189 sales in August, up from 115 one year earlier. The 33,000-acre community, which spans the border of Manatee and Sarasota counties, has now secured 1,197 new home sales through the first eight months of 2020, topping last year’s pace by 8%.
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