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Monday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida holds four of top five large U.S. cities to start a business in 2024
Two Florida cities could be the best destination for entrepreneurship after Orlando and Tampa were named the best large cities to start a business in America for 2024. Analyzed by WalletHub, the study placed Orlando in the top spot overall, along with ranking first for business environment, 13th for access to resources, and 29th for business costs. More from Florida's Voice and WDBO.
South Florida sees gains in relocating tech workers to the region, but are they enough to fill the demand?
South Florida’s got tech talent. But are there enough professionals to go around for the startups, existing companies and public agencies to keep their customers happy? Last week, San Francisco-based SignalFire released a survey of 18 U.S. metropolitan areas that showed New York leading the nation in attracting relocating technology workers in 2023. The Big Apple’s net gain: 3.5%. San Francisco was last, with a 3.7% net decline. The “Miami-Fort Lauderdale” area came in fifth with a fractional net gain. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Escambia County fights judgement, legal fees over lost jail lawsuit
Escambia County is objecting to paying more than $330,000 in attorney’s fees and legal expenses incurred by DLR Group, the architectural firm the county unsuccessfully sued over issues related to building the new Escambia County Jail. In a motion filed with the court, the county is arguing no payment should have to be made until the judge rules on Escambia County’s motion for a rehearing of the final judgement. More from the Pensacola News-Journal.
ConnectWise faces class action after alleged data breach affecting thousands
One of Tampa's largest tech firms faces a class-action lawsuit alleging the firm's negligence incited a data breach. A Georgia citizen, Mark Marshall, alleges Tampa software service firm ConnectWise and Arizona-based mortgage broker On Q Financial were responsible for leaking the personal information — Social Security numbers, addresses and names — of more than 200,000 individuals to the dark web, according to the lawsuit filed on April 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. More from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Tijuana Flats gets new owner, files for Chapter 11 and closes 11 restaurants
Central Florida-based Tijuana Flats announced that it has been acquired by a new ownership group, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and that it had closed 11 restaurants. The changes, revealed Friday, mark a new chapter for the Winter Park-based Tex-Mex chain which was founded nearly 30 years ago by former UCF student Brian Wheeler. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Out of the Box
This Central Florida restroom is getting national recognition
Cintas — a restroom products supplier in the U.S. — has released its annual “America’s Best Restroom Award” for 2023. Each year, Cintas announces which restrooms in the country are considered the “best” based on a public vote on Cintas’ website. In 2023, the award went to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland, though there were nine runners-up for the year — including one restaurant in Central Florida.
» More from Click Orlando.
Profile
They said she wouldn’t sell ‘a single empanada.’ Now this Miami CEO sells 3 million a year
Pilar Guzmán had $46 in the bank and her business was on the verge of bankruptcy 16 years ago. Today Half Moon Empanadas, which opened in 2008 in Miami, has 22 stores throughout the country, 11 of them in airports. “Last year we sold about 3 million empanadas, half in Miami and the other in the rest of the country,” says Guzmán, CEO of Half Moon Empanadas, which is among Inc.’s 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.
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