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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Aerospace industry feeling effects of Florida's oxygen shortage caused by rising COVID cases
As Florida deals with a surge of COVID patients, supplies of oxygen for health care providers are running low and the shortage is affecting other industries outside of health care like aerospace. The supply of liquid oxygen is dwindling and being diverted to hospitals as more and more COVID patients require oxygen during recovery. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket uses rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen to create thrust. The diminishing supply of liquid oxygen could be a problem for future SpaceX launches. More from Health News Florida .
Florida quickens pace of rent aid disbursement but still lags behind nation
Florida officials say they have distributed more than $108 million in emergency rental assistance funds as of August 27, a significant increase from the $18.3 million disbursed at the end of July. The new figures, sent in an email Friday evening from the Florida Department of Children and Families, represent around 12 percent of the first round of funding the state received from the federal government. That’s much higher than the approximately 2 percent the state had doled out to landlords as of last month. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
State withholds school board salaries over masks
Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced Monday that the state Department of Education has withheld funds from the Alachua and Broward county school districts in amounts equal to school board members’ monthly salaries. The move was a penalty for the school boards requiring students to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, with exceptions only for students whose parents submit doctors’ notes. More from the News Service of Floridaand the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Orlando theme parks face spooky uncertainty as they launch Halloween events
Halloween events at Orlando’s theme parks are major contributors to theme park revenue and to Orlando tourism, experts say, and visitors are looking forward to the return of their spooky offerings after many were canceled or scaled back last year. But uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the transmission of the Delta variant could spell more tricks than treats for tourism as some visitors reconsider their plans. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Tampa Bay Times sells printing plant to developer for $21 million
Some 60 years after the first papers rolled off its presses, the Tampa Bay Times has sold its shuttered St. Petersburg printing plant for $21 million. The buyer of the 27-acre property at 1301 N 34th St. is the real estate arm of Alden Global Capital, a name familiar to those who follow the newspaper industry. The Times hasn’t used the property in six months, having dismantled the printing presses and transferred operations to Lakeland to produce the Sunday and Wednesday print editions of the newspaper. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
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Out of the Box
Want to eat like you’re at a NASCAR track? Orlando’s Robert Earl can help with that.
The latest delivery-only restaurant backed by Orlando restaurateur Robert Earl will offer hotdogs, pimento cheese sandwiches and other menu items from NASCAR racetracks across the country. NASCAR Refuel will be available on DoorDash and the NASCAR Refuel app and website. Locations started to go live Friday.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Business Profile
Amid changes, Arlington Bait & Tackle Fishing endures
As the Town & Country Shopping Center in Arlington transforms into College Park with new lighting, parking and landscaping, one element will remain constant. Arlington Bait & Tackle Fishing will stay open. Specializing in fishing from rods, reels, clothing to live bait, husband-and-wife co-owners Bill and Carmen Lamb will continue to serve the market, including those who use the boat ramps near the store.
» Read more from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
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