Florida business in bankruptcy can't get PPP loan, appeal court rules
In a Florida case that could have broader implications, a federal appeals court has upheld a U.S. Small Business Administration decision that prevents businesses from receiving Paycheck Protection Program loans if they are in bankruptcy proceedings. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday overturned a decision by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Williamson, who sided with Gateway Radiology Consultants, a Pinellas County medical practice that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 and sought a $527,710 loan under PPP, part of the CARES Act approved by Congress in response to the coronavirus pandemic. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida property insurers may continue facing instability through 2021
Florida’s property insurance market was rattled this year as insurers faced financial pressure on a number of fronts. Rates spiked by double digits to help pay for rising reinsurance costs. Storm claims lingering from two years-old hurricanes continue to put a drag on insurers’ finances. And that’s compounded by a continued high volume of litigation over claims that aren’t related to storms. And while the tumultuous year is coming to a close, sustainable relief likely is far off. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Medicaid cuts may still loom in Florida amid COVID-19 health care crisis
As the coronavirus pandemic rages, sickening more than 1.2 million people in Florida and killing 21,000, state lawmakers soon will be dealing with another stunning number. The cost of Medicaid, the health coverage relied on by a projected record 4.6 million lower-income and laid-off Floridians, is skyrocketing. It will demand another $1.2 billion in state taxpayer money next year, state analysts say. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Coastal affordable homes are most vulnerable to sea level rise, study says
New research shows that by mid-century, affordable homes in Florida will see eight times the amount of flooding compared to 2000, meaning some of the most vulnerable people across the state will be affected by sea level rise. Scientists with Climate Central say that in 2000, there were about 110 affordable homes in Florida that were expected to flood every year, but the study concludes that figure will go up to nearly 1,000 by 2050. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Greyhound racing in Florida ends next week, but what will happen to the dogs?
What is certain is adoptions of Florida greyhounds have been just as political as the campaign that forced their permanent retirements. Adoption groups that supported the passage of Amendment 13 have been blacklisted from receiving dogs retiring from tracks, with the National Greyhound Association only endorsing groups that are pro-racing or neutral on the matter, executive director Jim Gartland confirmed. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida energy efficiency loan reform not a priority yet for lawmakers
A few months after Florida legislators said they would like to see changes in a state-authorized energy efficiency loan program, no bills have been filed. And with a number of high-profile issues to tackle in the 2021 session, efforts for reform may be challenging. Property Assessed Clean Energy programs hold themselves out to homes and businesses as a way to finance costly energy efficiency upgrades, such as new air conditioners or weather-proof windows.
› Dream Finders Homes planning an IPO
Dream Finders Homes Inc., the fast-growing Jacksonville-based home building company formed 12 years ago, is planning an initial public offering. Dream Finders filed a registration statement Dec. 22 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell an unspecified amount of stock in its IPO.
› NBA players give $50,000 to help keep Disney World union food bank going
This summer, NBA players lived and played at Disney World in a bubble so the games could go on during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the players union is trying to help the Disney workers during a time when thousands are facing unemployment or furloughs. The NBA Players Association said it is donating $50,000 to a union-run food bank for displaced Central Florida tourism employees.
› Months later, Tampa Bay businesspeople still reeling, reacting to coronavirus shutdown
The Tampa Bay Times reached out to a number of business owners, workers and nonprofit operators to see what toll the coronavirus shutdown was taking on their livelihoods. Some had been hit hard. But almost to a person, they were hopeful about coming through it intact. A few were even using it as an opportunity to try something new.
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› Land Trust must raise $350K to buy, preserve Intracoastal Waterway’s ‘Small Islands”
North Florida Land Trust has reached an agreement to purchase 245 acres located in the Intracoastal Waterway at J. Turner Butler Boulevard in Jacksonville Beach, known widely as the Small Islands. The owner, the Small Group, LLC, had been marketing the property for $3.9 million to build extravagant houses on the nine small wet flatwood islands in the saltmarsh just north of JTB.
› Snake-hunting dogs latest FWC anti-python strategy
A pair of snake-hunting dogs are the latest to join the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's (FWC) effort to remove invasive Burmese Pythons from South Florida. Burmese Pythons arrived in Florida when the exotic pet trade flourished in the 1980s. The reptiles were released into the wild in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew swept through the state destroying a python breeding facility in the Everglades. Today the Burmese Pythons are blamed for tipping the balance of South Florida's ecosystem.
› Pinellas business helps turn unemployed people into entrepreneurs
The announcement of a new stimulus relief bill is what many people have been waiting for, but a Pinellas County man is offering a more long-term option for when the money from the government dries up. Dovev Weaver knows what it’s like. He made a video to document his experience days after getting the call many fear. He learned he had been laid off from his corporate job where he worked for five years.
› County-developer deal around Dolphin Station nears
Negotiations with an unnamed company to develop up to 44 acres around Dolphin Station in West Dade are nearing the homestretch, says the project’s chief supporter, Miami-Dade Commission Chairman-elect Jose “Pepe” Diaz. “They have somebody,” he told Miami Today this month, adding that few details can be discussed due to a hush rule for active bids. “It’s still in the cone, but I’m really looking forward to seeing who won that particular procurement. I can’t wait. It’s something I’ve been working on for a very long time.”