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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Judge weighs decision to halt unemployment money
A Leon County circuit judge Wednesday waded into a lawsuit about whether Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration violated state law when it cut off federal unemployment money in June for tens of thousands of jobless Floridians. Judge Layne Smith heard testimony from plaintiffs who said the decision to stop the $300 a week in federal benefits has caused them to struggle to pay for housing and other expenses. As part of COVID-19 assistance, the federal government made the money available on top of the state’s maximum $275-a-week unemployment payments. The DeSantis administration stopped the additional federal benefits June 26, saying it was trying to spur people to return to the workforce. More from the News Service of Florida.
Water users asked to cut back so oxygen keeps flowing to COVID-19 patients
The delta variant is infecting more people with coronavirus in Florida than in any other state, flooding hospital emergency rooms with unvaccinated patients and killing people at a record-breaking rate. But efforts to help victims keep breathing are draining resources across the country and in Tampa Bay — creating competition between hospitals and municipal water systems for crucial supplies of liquid oxygen. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Schools across Florida may unite to fight the state on masks
School boards across Florida may unite in a legal challenge against state mask rules that they say endanger students and the communities they were elected to represent. The debate about whether students should be required to wear masks has divided Floridians for weeks, and it’s now leading an increasing number of districts to challenge state rules that leave it up to parents whether their children wear masks. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Orlando-based Reservations.com to merge with HotelPlanner in $680M deal
Reservations.com, an online travel site based in downtown Orlando, is merging with Florida-based HotelPlanner in a deal expected to be worth more than $680 million. The two companies will combine with Astrea Acquisition Corp. in order to go public. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Appeals court says former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn can get arbitration over firing
A state appeals court sided this week with ousted JEA CEO Aaron Zahn in ruling he can have an arbitrator decide if the utility's board wrongly deprived him of several hundred thousand dollars in compensation. The decision by the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee is one of two ongoing legal cases related to Zahn's time at JEA when it embarked on an ill-fated attempt in 2019 to find a buyer for the city-owned utility. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Sports Business
Fanatics licensing deal kills Topps Co. merger
Iconic baseball card firm Topps Co.’s plan to go public fell apart last week and apparently Jacksonville-based Fanatics Inc. is to blame. Topps in April agreed to merge with a special purpose acquisition company called Mudrick Capital Acquisition Corporation II, which would have turned Topps into a public company. Mudrick scheduled a shareholders meeting for this week that would have been the final step before completing the transaction.
» More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Profiles
7 Miami leaders to know on Women’s Equality Day. Here’s how they changed the city
Miami is known for pioneers. And that includes the women who helped found the city, save the Everglades and run some of the most notable institutions. Miami-Dade County’s first female mayor. The city’s founding mother. A pioneering prosecutor. The primary defender of the Everglades. A civil rights leader. The general manager of the Miami Marlins. The president of Miami Dade College.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.
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