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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Amid unfilled job openings, workers talk about what they want from employers
Some Florida businesses are struggling to find employees and those employees are demanding better working conditions. The clash is especially obvious in college towns where businesses rely on student labor. Business owners and local politicians expected a meaningful boost to the economy after students returned to campus this fall. But some industries that were popular with students before the pandemic, have fallen out of favor. More from the WFSU.
Which Florida toll-road transponder is better: E-PASS or SunPass?
The two largest transponder brands in Florida perform much alike, having identical electronic guts. One is SunPass offered by the Florida Department of Transportation. The other is E-PASS of the Central Florida Expressway Authority. There is another, far smaller system in Florida provided by Lee County. For the most part, E-PASS and SunPass are interchangeable, functioning equally and registering identical rates on any toll road in the state. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Orlando holiday shoppers should start searching the shelves now, experts say
Coronavirus in Asia has delayed the loading of ships heading to the United States while equipment and labor shortages along with truck and rail capacity issues have worsened congestion at American ports. Axel Stock, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Central Florida, doesn’t expect to see whole groups of products completely sold out, but he said shoppers should buy items at brick and mortar stores instead of online. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
In a warming ocean, some corals are winners. UM study has insights on heat tolerance
For coral scientists trying to save the world’s reefs from climate change, the big existential question is: how to help these vital ecosystems withstand the heat of a warming ocean and resist a damaging effect called bleaching. In a new study led by the Shedd Aquarium and the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, scientists set out to understand why some coral colonies and even individual corals are better at tolerating heat than others. More from the Miami Herald.
City of Winter Park to host job fair for about 50 openings
The City of Winter Park is hosting a job fair Saturday for about 50 open positions, including some that were previously frozen as the city assessed the impact of COVID-19 on its budget. “During the economic uncertainty of COVID, we held several positions vacant until we had a clear understanding of the impact of the revenue shortfall,” city spokesperson Clarissa Howard said in an email. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Paramedics with an iPad: Live streaming stroke & patient care
If a person in Coral Gables suffered what paramedics thought was a stroke, how could they best assess the patient’s condition and prepare doctors at a nearby emergency department for their arrival? How could they even be sure it was a stroke? What once was a radio call now is a video “call” that allows stroke specialists to see the inbound patient. [Sponsored report].
Business Beat - Week of October 22nd
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Out of the Box
USF researchers hope electrochemical nose will ‘sniff’ out COVID
It can take up to five days after being exposed to COVID-19 before one tests positive for the virus. But what if the virus could be detected indoors, circulating in the air before people get infected? University of South Florida electrical engineers believe they are on track to build such a device, one that can detect the presence of the COVID virus in the air — or even when an infected person exhales.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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