Florida COVID update: Biggest jump in cases since September, with 6,381 added
Florida on Thursday reported 117 more deaths and 6,381 additional COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Miami Herald calculations of CDC data. This is the largest dump of newly reported cases since September. The CDC backlogs cases and deaths for Florida on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sometimes leading to big increases. About 97% of the newly reported deaths — all but three— occurred since Nov. 18 and about 63% of the newly reported have died in the past two weeks. [Source: Miami Herald]
Business Beat - Week of December 17
Get the top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Welcome to Florida: Expect the unexpected on your restaurant bills
After an enjoyable meal at a South Florida restaurant, the bill is placed before you and the indigestion begins.
A $2 charge for ultra-filtered tap water? $1.25 for extra tomato on your bagel? A to-go fee? A fee to use a credit card? An incoming wave of service tariffs have been startling newcomers in the South Florida dining scene veterans as the price of food continues to rise, making eating out more expensive than ever. Many say they are perturbed by the abundance of upcharges they are noticing, even as they acknowledge COVID-19 has complicated restaurants’ staffing problems and access to food staples. [Source: Sun Sentinel]
FSCJ to launch truck driver training program in Nassau County
Gov. Ron DeSantis and DEO Secretary Dane Eagle visited the FSCJ Nassau Center on Dec. 16 to present the award, which will help establish the Nassau County Transportation Education Institute. FSCJ will be the first state college to offer workforce certification training in Nassau for truck driving. [Source: Jacksonville Daily Record]
German technology company Everphone opens US headquarters in Miami
Berlin-based Everphone started its U.S. operations by opening an office at 5201 Blue Lagoon Drive in the city's Waterford Business District. The office is large enough to hold three employees, said Tillmann Schwabe, general manager of Everphone’s U.S. operations. A secure storage room to hold cellphones for existing U.S. customers is in the same office building, Tillmann added. “We are starting small now, but we are looking forward to expanding and growing quickly,” Schwabe said. [Source: South Florida Business Journal]
Ron DeSantis unveils bill allowing lawsuits over critical race theory
A news release from DeSantis' office said the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act, or Stop WOKE Act, "will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation and will take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory." The bill would provide employees, parents, and students a "private right of action" in schools teaching critical race theory and in workplaces that have a "hostile work environment due to critical race theory training." Parents who win lawsuits would also be entitled to collect attorneys' fees. [Source: Office of the Governor]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Minority-owned businesses secure more from the program, but obstacles remain
Minority-owned businesses have made gains to secure more Small Business Association loans over the past year.
› Space tourism company to build headquarters in north Brevard
Long connected with space flight and rockets, Titusville is about to become the production home and headquarters of a space balloon company.
› Will Siesta Key become its own town? Odds aren't good for incorporation
State lawmakers representing Sarasota and Manatee counties have submitted dozens of bills for Florida’s upcoming legislative session, but the most hotly debated bill so far is one that has yet to be filed, and may never be
› Feud between Florida and Washington over school mask mandates is officially over
A standoff between Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and federal education officials about student mask requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic has ended after school districts canceled mask mandates.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› South Florida seasonal help is in extreme demand
If you are in need of some extra cash, now’s the time to be looking for a job in South Florida. Seasonal help is in extreme demand and businesses are anxious to find employees.
› 'We’re putting people who are visiting Disney in danger.'
Firefighters say they are short-handed at the Walt Disney World theme park
› Don CeSar request for expansion on hold until 2022
A vote on requested variances was moved to a meeting in January.