SHARE:
Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida courts seek money to dig out of pandemic ‘hole'
Florida’s state court system needs more than $16 million to address increased workloads caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a budget request submitted last week to the Legislature. The major portion of the request --- more than $12.5 million --- is aimed at helping trial courts deal with a projected backlog of more than 990,000 cases due to COVID-19, the request says. Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady shuttered courthouses in March, as the highly contagious virus began to spread throughout the state. More from the News Service of Florida.
Bradenton-based retailer acquires intellectual property, distribution center from firm in liquidation
Retailer Beall’s Inc. has acquired a distribution center and the intellectual property of Texas-based retailer Stage Stores Inc., which is in liquidation. Bradenton-based Beall’s is a 105-year-old retailer with over 500 stores across the U.S. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 435,000-square-foot distribution center is in Jacksonville, Texas, according to a press release. It belonged to Stage Stores Inc. prior to the acquisition. More from the Business Observer.
Cash on menu for Miami Beach restaurants that paid delivery services in pandemic
Miami Beach officials are hoping to deliver aid to local restaurants that have been affected by the pandemic and incurred expenses from third-party delivery programs such as UberEats, GrubHub and Postmates. City commissioners are to review Oct. 28 a program developed by staff for aiding these businesses, and the administration hopes to roll out applications by Nov. 1 to be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until funds run out. More from Miami Today.
Movie theater shutdowns may bring long-term pain to Oviedo Mall, other retail centers
Regal’s temporary shutdown of its 536 theaters across the country earlier this month likely won’t hurt Oviedo Mall and other retail centers much more because theaters were already seeing fewer customers because of the pandemic. But the COVID-19 crisis might have created another long-term problem for the businesses already struggling to compete with online shopping before the pandemic hit. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Firm behind Florida unemployment mess will get $135 million state contract after all
Deloitte Consulting, the company behind Florida’s disastrously faulty unemployment system, is getting another huge state contract after all. Despite months of negative publicity, including criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Agency for Health Care Administration is moving forward with Deloitte on a potential $135 million contract to overhaul the state’s Medicaid data system. More from the Miami Herald.
Innovation
Buy a home from CC Homes, get free telemedicine service
Coral Gables-based CC Homes has partnered with Baptist Health South Florida to offer telemedicine services to home buyers in two of its newest developments, Canaris at Downtown Doral and Maple Ridge in Ave Maria. Each buyer gets a hand-held medical exam kit with a camera, microphone, thermometer and several adaptors so that doctors can remotely check a patient’s ears, throat, heart and lungs. CC Homes also will pay for a year’s worth of unlimited, virtual urgent care visits with a Baptist Health provider.
» More from Florida Trend.
Out of the Box
Florida’s bizarre old tourism films, explained
The story starts with an alien. A shaggy, one-eyed creature has landed to spy on the people of St. Pete Beach. It watched the humans skimboard along the shoreline, sit poolside and glide across the gulf in powerboats. It follows them as they visit museums and play golf. It transforms into a kitten, then a pelican, then a porpoise, to blend in. That’s the plot of a 1965 film commissioned by the St. Petersburg Beach Chamber of Commerce called The Adventures of X-14.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
In case you missed it:
