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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
COVID-19-liability bill in Florida may be ready for quick adoption
A ready-to-pass COVID-19-liability bill could await Florida lawmakers when they convene in March for the 2021 legislative session. Companion Senate and House measures seeking to shield Florida businesses from “frivolous” lawsuits related to the pandemic already have advanced through initial hearings and could secure all three required committee nods in pre-session deliberations. More from the Center Square.
Florida Trend Exclusive
Politics of the Everglades
In 2019, Ron DeSantis became the fourth Florida governor to preside over the state half of the state-federal Everglades project. A Yale student when Congress approved the Everglades plan in 2000, the Jacksonville area politician was first elected to Congress in 2012 and quickly crossed swords with the influential sugar-growing industry. As a co-founder of the GOP’s House Freedom Caucus, a small-government conservative group, DeSantis opposed the industry’s and nation’s sugar price support program as “corporate welfare.” More from Florida Trend.
Florida kept its place in 2020 as the shark-bite capital of America
Florida, with its warm weather and abundance of beachgoers, surfers, kiteboarders and paddle boarders, held its spot last year as the shark-bite capital of America, a new report says. The state’s 16 unprovoked shark bites were more than every nation in the world except Australia, accounting for 28% of the world’s attacks and 48% of U.S. attacks, according to the University of Florida’s annual International Shark Attack File. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Florida’s Citizens Insurance eyes a 7% rate hike as Legislature considers claim limits
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could increase residential rates by an average of 7.2 percent this year, as the state-backed insurer contends with a flood of new policies and troubles in the private insurance market. Meanwhile, the chairman of the state Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Monday filed a potentially far-reaching bill that seeks to reduce attorney fees and litigation in property-insurance disputes and limit the costs of claims for roof damage. More from the Miami Herald.
Port Canaveral now projecting $43.1M loss for current budget year, no cruises until July
Port Canaveral officials are revising their financial projections for the current budget year to reflect the possibility that multiday cruises will not resume until July because of the coronavirus pandemic. The cruise industry has been shut down in the United States since March 2020 because of the pandemic that triggered a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no-sail order. Cruise lines are working on restart plans that will meet the CDC's "framework for conditional sailing" announced in October that replaced the no-sail order. More from Florida Today.
Hospitality
Margaritaville Beach Hotel, LandShark Bar & Grill open Tuesday in Jacksonville Beach
Guests will be on "island time" as soon as they arrive at the Margaritaville Beach Hotel in Jacksonville Beach, which opens Tuesday at least a month ah
ead of schedule despite some COVID-19 pandemic slowdowns regarding supplies and permits. The hotel and restaurant emulate the relaxed, fun-filled atmosphere of the islands that songwriter Jimmy Buffet has made popular over the years.
» More from the Florida Times-Union.
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Sports Business
A Super Bowl in tough times
It will be a Super Bowl like never before — a championship showdown in the midst of a global pandemic, nationwide racial reckoning and political upheaval. So who better than Tampa Bay to play host? We’ve done it before, under the most challenging of circumstances, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told reporters gathered Monday to hear about community logistics now that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the NFC championship and become the first team ever to host a Super Bowl game in their home stadium.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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