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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Workers' compensation protection expires for COVID19 cases in Florida
An executive order put in place to protect those who protect Floridians during the pandemic has expired. Now tens of thousands of first responders, healthcare workers and other employees are left unprotected if they were to claim work-related coronavirus infection. You may assume that if you contract the virus while you are at work, then you should be covered by workers’ compensation and that your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance should kick in under the Florida Workers’ Compensation Act. Yet, that is not always the case. More from WPEC.
Fighting rezoning, neighbors seek cash to buy railroad-blocked land for Jacksonville zoo
North Jacksonville waterfront that has stayed undeveloped for generations might someday become a gift to Jacksonville’s zoo — but only if neighbors can derail construction plans by America’s largest homebuilder. That challenge could be decided soon by a City Council vote on whether to rezone 113 acres off the Trout River west of North Main Street that members of the deep-rooted Broward family have owned since the 19th century. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Southwest Florida unemployment rate lower than state’s; many industries growing
Fewer people are filing for unemployment across the US. New numbers from the Labor Department show 198,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week. Unemployment numbers in Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties also saw a decline from a year ago, and the latest data from experts at Florida Gulf Coast University show that the unemployment rate in those counties is lower than the state’s, which is 4.5%. More from WINK News.
Seminole’s fire department receives top mark in national ratings
Seminole County Fire Department is ranked one of the best in the country after recently receiving a coveted top rating by the Insurance Services Office, according to officials. Seminole joins Orange and Duval counties in Florida, and only 10 other counties nationwide, with the top rank. For homeowners and commercial property owners, it could mean a reduction in their property insurance rates, officials said. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Tech, blockchain firm reels in nearly $6M investment
Upstart tech company BlockSpaces, which helps companies connect to blockchains, has started the new year with an oversubscribed venture seed round, raising $5.75 million. San Francisco-based investor Leadout Capital led the investment round, according to a Jan. 3 statement. Others participating in the investment include GTMfund, Tampa-based Druid Ventures and tech investor Mark Pincus, founder of mobile social gaming company, Zynga. More from the Business Observer.
Out of the Box
NASA and Tide are working on a long-standing space problem: cleaning astronauts' laundry
With no laundry machines in orbit, International Space Station astronauts cycle through about 160 pounds of clothing per crew member per year, relying on resupply missions to replenish their wardrobes. And with limited cargo capacity, they're roughing it: ISS astronauts can wear the same pair of underwear for up to a week, NASA reports.
» More from Florida Today.
Profile
Johnny Crowder
Johnny Crowder is a man used to living in two worlds. But as 2021 comes to a close and 2022 begins, those two worlds are going in different directions. Crowder is the rock star and CEO (not to be confused with a rock star CEO) who’s running the Tampa-based tech startup Cope Notes while simultaneously maintaining his role as the lead singer of the heavy metal band Prison.
» Read more from the Business Observer.
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