Thursday's Afternoon Update
Facing national microscope again, Florida braces for several recounts
Florida's chief legal officer, Secretary of State Ken Detzner, told county election supervisors Thursday to plan for statewide recounts and for extraordinary public and media scrutiny in the state with the singular status of unusually close elections. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.
See also:
» Florida waiting for Broward, Palm Beach counties in vote count
» Not another Florida recount! This one should be smoother
Alachua-based Sandvik named 2018 Manufacturer of the Year
The Manufacturers Association of Florida announced Sandvik as the recipient of the 2018 Manufacturers of the Year competition in the Large Manufacturer category. For more than a decade, MAF has recognized the best in manufacturing across the state of Florida as the industry continues to thrive. More from the Gainesville Business Report.
Parent company of Brio and Bravo restaurants to move HQ to Orlando
Former Olive Garden president Brad Blum is moving the headquarters for the parent company Brio Tuscan Grille and Bravo Cucina Italiana to downtown Orlando after taking the helm of the firm earlier this year. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Using cash to avoid paying OT just cost a Florida business over $62,000
A Pasco County golf cart retailer paid $62,413 in back pay and damages after getting caught trying to take a few strokes off their workers’ overtime pay, the Department of Labor has announced. Instead of paying workers overtime when they earned it, Affordable Golf Carts would pay them regular per hour pay in cash. More from the Miami Herald.
Language school closes Florida branches, stranding hundreds of education visa holders
International students in Florida on F-1 education visas were thrown into crisis this week when their chain of English-language training schools suddenly closed. Inlingua schools — which operated branches in Boca Raton, Weston, Aventura, Doral, Coral Gables, Miami, Orlando and Tampa — closed permanently Nov. 2. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Health and Safety
Florida does not test or require Hep A vaccine for food workers
Some people in Pinellas County are pushing for change after workers at two popular Tampa Bay restaurants tested positive for the contagious Hepatitis A virus. Florida does not require food workers to get tested or be vaccinated for Hepatitis A.
» More from WFTS.
Tech Trends
New Florida neighborhood has zero emissions, tons of smart tech, and is hurricane-proof
In a fishing village south of Tampa called Cortez, a new community of small homes will run on solar power to reach a “net zero” energy footprint–using Google Home to help optimize how the power is used.
» Read more from Fast Company.