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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Tropical Storm Elsa expected to grow stronger as it bears down on Florida
Tropical Storm Elsa’s rain and wind fell near the Florida Keys Tuesday morning, as the Sunshine State’s upper Gulf Coast was issued a Hurricane Watch. The fifth named storm of the season emerged off the north coast of Cuba Tuesday morning retaining its maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, and is moving west-northwest at 12 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. More from the Orlando Sentinel,the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida IT firm says ransomware attack didn’t harm critical infrastructure
The ransomware eruption centered on a Florida IT firm was never a threat to the nation’s critical infrastructure, the company said Tuesday. In a statement, Kaseya said its technology was typically used to help manage small businesses such as dentists’ offices, small accounting offices and local restaurants. “This attack was never a threat nor had any impact to critical infrastructure,” the statement said. More from Reuters.
Florida and FCC both crack down on robocalls
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill last week that updates existing telemarketing laws to require express written consent for robocalls and allows for Floridians to sue for damages. The law also allows for courts to increase damages threefold for willful violations. With the FCC’s new requirements, wireless companies had until the last day of June to implement call authentication technology to stop robocalls. More from WINK News.
Florida gas prices top $3 per gallon, set new high for the year
Gas prices across the state are on the rise and setting records. According to new numbers released by AAA, pump prices in Florida are now averaging over $3 per gallon. Experts say that is the most expensive daily average since October 2014. It is also the highest daily average for 2021. More from Click Orlando.
Condo buyers shun older buildings after Surfside collapse
The collapse of the Champlain condo building in Surfside could reverberate through the real estate market in South Florida for months to come, real estate experts say. The red-hot condo market could cool as buyers might hesitate to buy in older buildings, worried that the buildings have put off maintenance and that mammoth repair bills could be coming, brokers say. Sellers, meanwhile, might discover they can’t find buyers as quickly as they’d hoped — and can’t get the price they were looking for. Over time, their investments in their condos could shrink. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Profile
Meet the Whole Foods ‘forager’ filling Tampa’s new store with local grub
When shoppers visit Whole Foods Market’s newest Tampa store on Wednesday, they can grab an exclusive blend of Buddy Brew coffee or an exclusive IPA from Coppertail Brewing. They might pick up some dark and milk chocolate pirate ships created just for the grand opening, courtesy of Delray Beach’s 5150 Chocolate. “When you walk through the store, you will feel the local presence, just in a bigger way,” said Joanne Neugebauer, Whole Foods’s Florida “forager” — the company’s term for a local and regional business coordinator. “The goal of the store is really to celebrate Tampa.”
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Sports Business
A South Florida-based company plans to strike endorsement deals with every UM scholarship football player
A South Florida-based company is looking to rock the college football world in favor of the Miami Hurricanes through college sports’ new legislation regarding athlete name, image and likeness, which allows NCAA athletes to profit off endorsements. Every University of Miami scholarship football player will be offered a $6,000-per-year endorsement deal by American Top Team, one of the nation’s top training academies for MMA fighters which has 44 licensed gyms — many of which are in South Florida, including its main academy in Coconut Creek.
» Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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