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Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Judge to weigh lawsuit on Florida’s unemployment compensation problems
Nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began tossing people out of work, a circuit judge is again poised to consider a potential class-action lawsuit stemming from major problems in Florida’s unemployment compensation system. Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper is scheduled Tuesday to hear arguments about whether he should dismiss the lawsuit filed against the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Deloitte Consulting, LLP, a contractor that helped put the state’s CONNECT online unemployment system in place in 2013. [Source: Miami Herald]
Florida continues to outpace rest of country with new mutant COVID-19 cases
Florida continues to lead the nation in the number of documented COVID-19 variant cases tied to the U.K. with nearly 380 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, according to the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now with 379 documented cases, the Sunshine State has twice as many U.K. variant cases as California, which has 189 as of Sunday night, according to the CDC database. Texas has 49 cases, both Illinois and North Carolina have 23 cases each and Maryland has documented 22. [Source: Click Orlando]
Florida’s emergency management chief Jared Moskowitz is stepping down
State Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz, who has helped lead the Florida’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and other disasters, has announced he will step down from his role. Moskowitz did not give an exact timeline for his departure, but said it “won’t won’t be imminent,” and that there would be a “gradual transition.” [Source: WFLA]
Consumers, workers’ rights coalition push back against COVID-19 liability protections
A coalition of consumer and workers’ rights groups voiced opposition on Monday to the legislative effort to create COVID-19 liability protections in Florida. The opposition comes as Republican leaders fast-track several bills that would shield businesses, schools and healthcare providers from COVID-19 related lawsuits. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, AFL-CIO Political Director Rich Templin warned the proposals offer near “blanket immunity” to employers. [Source: Florida Politics]
‘The wheels of justice are turning’ in Florida’s federal courts
While each of the three U.S. District Courts in Florida is handling the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic independently, there’s a common theme for how the federal judiciary is conducting business. “The wheels of justice are turning. Attorneys and judges are working as hard as ever,” said Melissa Visconte, chair of The Florida Bar Federal Court Practice Committee, at a Feb. 11 videoconference with the chief judges in each district. [Source: Jacksonville Daily Record]
Shareholders clauses strengthen business, avoid litigation
Partners often go into business together with the best of plans. But what happens when those plans go awry? Ideas for the business’s future may stray in different directions, partners may accuse each other of self-dealing, or one may give a spouse or family member an ownership stake — and a say in the business’s future. 50/50 disputes, selling or bequeathing of shares or ownership, minority ownership rights, and other such issues are not wholly unpredictable. [Sponsored Report]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Marketing campaign seeks cyber-workers for Northwest Florida
Florida West – the economic development arm of the Panhandle – is out with a new campaign. “Remote from Here” urges cyber-workers up north braving another harsh winter are being courted either to move to the Florida Panhandle, or at least sign on to a company here without leaving home.
› Central Florida DJs are beating the pandemic with new project
Usually, artists work closely together to bring your favorite songs to life. But, with health officials warning people to travel less and stay home more, many including the local Grammy award-winning duo The Nasty Beatmakers are coming up with new ways to make music. Instead of flying back and forth to California all the time to work with artists such as DJ Khaled and Rihanna, DJ Nasty says he and his brother LVM are working out of a studio in Orlando more.
› OneJax to present 2021 Humanitarian Awards
OneJax, an institute of the University of North Florida, announced the recipients of its 2021 Humanitarian Awards. Honorees will be recognized April 15 at a virtual event. Nathaniel “Nat” Glover, former Duval County Sheriff and former president of Edward Waters College, will receive the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award.
› Ohio investment firm relocates headquarters to Sarasota
Nickolas, a privately owned and operated family office with some 30 employees, has relocated its headquarters from Ohio to Sarasota. The firm, run by CEO Nick Reinhart, moved from Findlay, Ohio, south of Toledo, to an office at 55 South Palm Ave. in downtown Sarasota, according to a statement. The 11,000-square-foot space was recently renovated, the release adds. A company spokesperson says the company has 20-30 employees.
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