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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Spring Break in a pandemic? Florida still expects a crowd
Spring Break, that booze-filled rite of passage for stir crazy college coeds, might be dead on arrival this year thanks to the coronavirus. But some wary Florida leaders aren’t counting on it. The thought of thousands of mask-free college students mingling on the sand the way they did last year — just when the deadly pandemic was taking hold — has some officials talking of curfews and maybe even beach closings to prevent another surge. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Some jobless Floridians must resubmit unemployment paperwork to keep receiving benefits
Weeks after Congress extended unemployment benefits, out-of-work Floridians continue to face hurdles in collecting them. In particular, self-employed, part-time and contract workers have had the arduous task of resubmitting documents to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to stay on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, which provides jobless benefits to residents who otherwise would be ineligible under the state’s system. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Nonprofit plans to hire 100 people in 100 days in Southwest Florida
Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida is opening three new retail stores and donation centers in the region, from Naples to Port Charlotte. It’s also reopening a store that had closed for a major expansion and remodeling. To support the new stores, the nonprofit plans to hire at least 100 people in the next 100 days in positions including retail supervisors, sales associates, processors, donation door attendants and donation door leads, according to a statement. More from the Business Observer.
Massive invasion of sand burying Little Wekiva River leads residents to suspect I-4 construction
Just where it begins to blossom as a treasured wilderness waterway, the Little Wekiva River is being obliterated by invading dirt. The Wekiva River is one of two rivers in Florida with a federal Wild and Scenic designation. The Wekiva system, including springs, tributaries, wetlands and forest, and crowded by metro Orlando and suburban Lake County, has been one Florida’s most costly and challenging environmental treasures to protect. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
‘Florida is very much a bright spot’: JetBlue begins first Miami airport flights
JetBlue flights took off Thursday from Miami International Airport for the first time. Headed for New York, Newark, Boston and Los Angeles, the new daily flights mark the discount airline’s MIA debut after years of service from Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. The Miami launch is part of a more “comprehensive South Florida strategy,” said Scott Laurence, the airline’s head of revenue and planning. The airline continues to serve Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Palm Beach International. More from the Miami Herald.
Tech Trends
Miami votes to study using Bitcoin for employee salaries and payments to City Hall
Miami City Hall could begin conducting some of its financial transactions in Bitcoin. City commissioners voted late Thursday night at the request of Mayor 
Francis Suarez to study the use of the cryptocurrency and look for a vendor to help with transactions. Should the commission approve a contract down the road, employees would have an option to receive all or part of their salaries in Bitcoin, and the public would have a Bitcoin option while paying for city services.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Florida Dining
This Miami doughnut shop was just named one of the best in the country
The Salty Donut, which first opened in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, also has locations in South Miami, Audubon Park in Orlando; Austin, Texas; and Bishop Arts, Texas. In Miami, it’s famous for special collaborations (say, a mango and coconut croughnut with Chef Michael Schwartz or a cinnamon roll doughnut with Knaus Berry Farm). There’s also a weekend pop-up on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.
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