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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Lawmakers, school officials eye drop in student enrollment
Florida legislators and local education officials are trying to pinpoint what happened to nearly 90,000 “missing” public school students, as public school enrollment estimates have dropped amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A mid-school-year estimate by state economists projects that 87,811 fewer students have enrolled in public schools than were predicted to sign up for the 2020-2021 academic year. “Imagine a school district just closing. That’s the size of this problem,” House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, said. More from the News Service of Florida.
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» Fewer students might lead to less money for Florida schools
Florida lawmakers seek to slow down evictions
One in five renters and one in 10 homeowners are believed to be behind on their rent or mortgage payments nationally. In Florida, more than 47,000 eviction notices have been filed, and a handful of bills filed at the State Capitol seek to keep people in their homes. Every day in Florida, 180 new eviction notices are being filed. A total of 47,676 have been filed since the pandemic began according to the state courts administrator. More from WJXT.
World-class kosher hotel planned across from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Construction is set to begin this week on what will be South Florida’s only full-time kosher hotel and one of only 15 or 20 such hotels in the world. “This is very exciting. It really is a game-changer,” said Raphi Bloom, co-owner of TotallyJewishTravel.com, a website based in Manchester, England, that caters to Jewish travelers around the globe who want to remain observant while on vacation. “It means anytime that Jewish people want to travel to South Florida — not just during Passover, winter break or summer holidays — they’ll be able to stay in a hotel with 5-star amenities,” he said. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Chicago’s Thoma Bravo is joining the Miami migration
Private equity firm Thoma Bravo is joining the growing list of out-of-town firms migrating to South Florida. The company hopes to open a Miami office in the second half of 2021, according to Orlando Bravo, the co-founder and managing partner of the Chicago-headquartered firm. The firm also expects to hire local talent but is uncertain how many jobs it will fill here. Bravo launched the firm about 20 years ago by investing in start-up software companies. More from the Miami Herald.
Tampa-based cleaning firm scores big with Super Bowl contract
By the start of 2020, Robyn Donaldson, 51, owner of Renew Construction Services, had secured janitorial contracts with clients as large as the Tampa Convention Center that were helping her to grow her business. As COVID-19 spread last year, she was able to transition her post-construction cleaning and janitorial firm to specialize in sanitation measures she could provide clients to help protect them from the coronavirus. Then the Super Bowl came to town. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Business Profile
Brown's Grove moving its Sarasota County business from downtown to farm
Twenty years ago, Brown's Grove in eastern Sarasota County was off the grid. The farm had five acres of orange groves in the early 2000s, all ripe for picking during season. The problem was, nobody knew who they were. "People wouldn't come out here 20 years ago," owner Tim Brown said. "There was nothing east of Interstate 75, so that's why we felt we needed to take our business to the town."
» More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
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Entertainment
Tampa Bay drive-in entertainment expands to drag show, laser lights
The retro concept of the drive-in has renewed life in the coronavirus pandemic era. Two local promoters plan to take the idea further in February with a drag show in Brandon and a laser light show in Wesley Chapel – both to be watched from the safety of your vehicle. A drive-in show in the Brandon Town Center parking lot will feature queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race. In Wesley Chapel there will be a family friendly laser light show with music and huge video screens.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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