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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Paycheck Protection Program: Thousands of Florida businesses received only hundreds of dollars in relief
Some Florida businesses feel short-changed by the Paycheck Protection Program, intended to help keep companies afloat and staff on payrolls during the COVID-19 pandemic, after only receiving a few hundred dollars in relief funds. Records show 860 businesses in Florida received $500 or less. More than 3,500 companies throughout the state received less than $1,000 in PPP funds. More from WPTV.
Florida condos are going fast as COVID-19 eases
Condos are back in vogue in South Florida, lifted by the COVID vaccines, a dearth of homes for sale and a steady flow of migrants from out of state. Buyers appear to be more comfortable again with tight multiunit living spaces. In Boca Raton, someone plunked down $10 million for a downtown penthouse that won’t be completed until next year. And some purchasers buy sight unseen — clinching deals after viewing their condo layouts virtually. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
CSX is having a ‘pretty good recovery’
After a difficult February, CSX Corp.’s business is recovering well in March, CEO James Foote said last week. However, the situation isn’t perfect, Foote said at an investor conference sponsored by J.P. Morgan. “The railroad, under the circumstances, is actually running pretty good,” he said. But, “it’s clearly not nirvana.” Business was looking up in January after the 2020 pandemic-related slump but “February slammed us in the head,” Foote said, as rough weather affected the northern part of the company’s rail network. Jacksonville-based CSX operates throughout the eastern half of the U.S. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Cruise industry group calls for CDC to open U.S. as Port Canaveral official raises alarm about lost business
The trade group that represents most cruise lines including Disney, Royal Caribbean and Carnival has called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to open back up U.S. ports to business after more than a year of shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Port Canaveral officials detailed how cruise lines are moving forward with business around the world including planned sailings from the Bahamas, Bermuda and other Caribbean home ports, a move that takes business away from Florida. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
KnowBe4 going public as Clearwater firm aims for $100 million IPO
The cybersecurity firm KnowBe4 is going public and wants to raise $100 million. The company filed a document Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission declaring that it has filed an initial public offering in the U.S. KnowBe4 is valued at about $1 billion and has just over 1,000 employees, most of whom work in the firm’s downtown Clearwater headquarters. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
In Memoriam
Bike man Joe Haskins, who kept his struggling neighbors on the road, dead at 79
Joe Haskins preferred denim dungarees and suspenders to the Lycra favored by many serious bicyclists. Still, he was the school-trained real deal, whether fixing a walk-in customer’s blown tire or saddling up for a spin on a BMX bike he had refurbished. The soft-spoken Mr. Haskins felt most comfortable covered in grease while working in the tiny shop that bears his name at North Florida Avenue and Columbus Boulevard — a business with more room for bikes than people that he owned and operated for more than 60 years.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Entertainment
Dezerland attraction in Orlando
Miami-based developer Michael Dezer and his partner, second-generation Argentinian arcade mogul Sebastian Mochkovsky, say they are confident in the prospects for Dezerland, a 450,000-square-foot entertainment center inside a twice-failed mall at the north end of Orlando’s International Drive. Although they launched a soft opening in December, the inside of Dezerland is still swirling with more construction and employees than visitors. And its extensive auto museum is missing key elements, such as information on the cars and the correct artwork in the exhibits.
» Read more from the Orlando Sentinel.
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