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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Coronavirus changed Florida society. Some of those changes could become permanent.
Last March, when the coronavirus arrived in Florida, state and local governments enacted policies that fundamentally changed how communities interact. Most of the changes restricted the movement of people with the hope of saving lives. But some concessions made things more convenient in a less personal society. As lawmakers gather in Tallahassee, some of those convenient policy changes could be here to stay. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Orlando one of the worst cities for discretionary income
Orlando is one of the worst cities in the U.S. for people looking to save money, according to a new study, with expenses exceeding the average single resident’s income by $72 each month. Of the 50 largest cities, Orlando had the ninth-lowest amount of discretionary income for a single adult, with a median monthly income of $3,097 and median monthly expenses of $3,169. Thus, the study found that an adult actually had nothing left over each month for entertainment or other perks of life and instead was running a $72 monthly deficit for basic needs. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Four names from 2019 and 2020 hurricane seasons to be retired
Au revoir, Dorian, Laura, Eta and Iota. The names of these past storms — all of which were catastrophic hurricanes in 2019 and 2020 — are being retired from use in naming tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean moving forward. The decision came from the World Meteorological Organization, which just concluded its three-day annual session on Wednesday. Their retirement continues the tradition of avoiding the repetition of names from storms that inflict significant damage and deaths. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Miami’s 50th-annual auto show has been postponed one more time
Third time’s a charm? The 2021 Miami International Auto Show has been postponed once again, this time to October, the South Florida Automobile Dealers Association said Tuesday. Originally slated for February, the 2021 show had first been postponed to May amid the pandemic. The 2020 show had been scheduled to be skipped prior to the pandemic to conform to new auto show dates in Detroit. More from the Miami Herald.
City of Sarasota wins appeal of $49 million Palm Avenue Parking Garage lawsuit
The city of Sarasota has won an appeal upholding a judge’s decision to reduce a jury’s award in a decade-old breach-of-contract lawsuit from $49 million to $1.4 million. The Second District Court of Appeal issued the decision Wednesday against Buck-Leiter Development without a written opinion. Buck-Leiter was originally selected to design and construct the Palm Avenue Parking Garage, as well as a mixed-use hotel and retail on city property. The firm won a 2018 jury verdict against the city in the contract lawsuit in the amount of $49 million. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Entertainment
‘Blair Witch’ and ‘Friday the 13th’ directors to restart Tampa web series
A year after suspending production of his Tampa-area web series due to COVID-19, The Blair Witch Project director Dan Myrick and his Ybor City-based Power Station production studio are ready for cameras to roll again. And another big-name filmmaker is joining them. Tom McLoughlin, whose directing and screenwriting credits include Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, wrote andwill direct the second episode of the Black Veil web series.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Business Profile
Off Lease Only
Independent used car dealership group Off Lease Only LLC has opened a new location in Bradenton. Off Lease Only, founded in 2004, has five retail locations across Florida — Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Miami, Orlando and Bradenton. Off Lease Only offers no negotiating, no haggling, no hidden fees and a five-day, 500-mile no-questions-asked free exchange policy.
» Read more from the Business Observer.
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