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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Panic buying is back, but experts say a 'toilet paper-pocalypse' won't return
Customers at big box stores have been greeted with a familiar, much bemoaned sight these past few weeks: near-empty shelves of toilet paper, disinfecting wipes and more. As COVID-19 cases spike across the country and Florida passes the million-case landmark, stores are again struggling to keep certain items in stock and reinstating item limits. According to Publix’s website, the grocery chain has lifted restrictions on items that disappeared from shelves during the first round of panic buying — eggs, meat and more. But some restrictions still apply, and some items have suffered from low stock. More from Florida Today.
Tampa offering forgivable loans to affordable housing landlords during pandemic
The city of Tampa announced this week that it had launched a new program to offer deferred payment loans to landlords of multi-family affordable housing properties who have seen major decreases in rent because of the pandemic. The goal of the Rental Rehab Program is to help landlords continue to afford needed repairs, without which some housing could become “uninhabitable,” according to a news release. Having units fall into disrepair would force evictions and decrease the area’s supply of affordable housing, the city said. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida ranks 49th in the nation in how long it takes to pay unemployment benefits
In a finding unlikely to surprise the millions of Floridians who filed unemployment claims this year, Florida was the second-worst state in the nation at paying benefits on time, federal data shows. Just 36% of Floridians who filed for benefits received their first payment within three weeks this year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That’s a rate so pitiful that only Hawaii did worse. More from the Miami Herald.
Jacksonville City Council fails to advance $233.3 million Lot J subsidy to final vote
The Jacksonville City Council on Thursday failed to advance a proposed $233.3 million incentives package for Jaguars owner Shad Khan's Lot J development, although representatives for the football team said they will continue working to have the deal ready for a final vote next week. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Eight months after all cruises were canceled, customers still wait for refunds
Eight months after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down cruising around the world, customers are still waiting for refunds of money they paid for canceled cruises. After reaching a fever pitch over the summer, complaints about delayed refunds are still coming into the Florida Attorney General’s Office, according to data requested by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The number of consumers angry enough to file complaints with the attorney general represents just a fraction of those frustrated by delayed refunds. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Out of the Box
Florida Christmas light display turns trash into festive decorations
An educational non-profit organization in Florida has turned trash into a festive light display to help raise awareness about how the waste people produce affects the world’s oceans. Footage shared by Beaches Go Green on November 28 shows its beautiful Octopus Garden, a single-use-plastic awareness art installation, at this year’s annual Deck the Chairs event at Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach.
» More from WOFL.
Event
Delayed invasion: Gasparilla won't set sail until spring
Uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and about the timing of a COVID-19 vaccine continues to knock over dominoes in the Tampa Bay region’s tourism and hospitality sector. While it’s still unclear whether fans will be allowed to attend Super Bowl LV, scheduled for Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, two major events — Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Children’s Gasparilla — that usually take place in late January and early February have made the decision to cancel.
» Read more from the Business Observer.
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