Florida takes cautious approach to combat vaping illnesses

Despite the spread of vaping-related illnesses, Florida’s top health official told legislators the state isn’t taking dramatic steps at this time to address the issue. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public-health emergency in September and banned the sale of vaping products for four months, a move that has been challenged in court. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has shied away from endorsing a similar ban as part of a public-health campaign, noting that the cause of the illnesses has not been determined and that indications point to products that are sold illegally. [Source: WJCT]

How technology is helping those on the autism spectrum master the job interview

What happens when you partner up one of South Florida’s most respected charitable foundations with a hot technology startup? A growing number of new ways to help people with autism find jobs and live independently. While people on the autism spectrum excel at many kinds of jobs, one of the steps to employment that is the most difficult for them is the face-to-face interview. [Source: Miami Herald]

Florida tomato study could prevent spread of damaging disease

A recent study by the University of Florida may help prevent the spread of a disease that's damaging tomatoes globally. Florida's tomato industry generates $520 million a year, but a disease called bacterial spot is lowering the crop's immune system, and decreasing the overall yield. It’s caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas. [Source: WUSF]

Florida’s secret eateries: Virtual and ghost restaurants only a delivery away

A growing number of Florida eateries are what’s known as virtual restaurants, and the only way to get food from them is on delivery apps DoorDash, Postmates and UberEats. These digital restaurants are poised to usher in the future of food-delivery apps, which are already reshaping the country’s $863 billion restaurant industry, according to an April report by the National Restaurant Association. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Feds fault FIU, state and contractors for deadly bridge collapse

During a hearing Tuesday on last year’s deadly Florida International University pedestrian footbridge collapse, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the bridge’s “catastrophic failure” stemmed from a flawed design with “significant errors.” All of the major parties involved in the project — from the university to the Florida Department of Transportation and the project’s engineers and contractors — came in for harsh criticism during the public hearing. [Source: Miami Herald]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Looking for a job? Sawgrass Mills mall is offering over 1,000 soon [Miami Herald]
Are you searching for a job in time for the holiday season? Head over to Sawgrass Mills mall Thursday — there are more than 1,000 jobs up for grabs. Sawgrass has more than 360 shops, 100-plus kiosks, 15 sit-down restaurants, a movie theater complex and other offerings with over 30 million visitors yearly.

› FPL customers could be stuck paying $274 million for Hurricane Dorian [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Florida Power & Light Co. could file for recovery of about $274 million in its expenses for restoring power related to early September’s Hurricane Dorian, which threatened South Florida over Labor Day weekend. How much of that customers could have to pay on their monthly electric bills was unclear Tuesday, as FPL didn’t immediately respond to questions about the estimated surcharge.

› Florida senators on opposite ends of the spectrum on sunscreen ban [WJXT]
Some sun protection may come at a steep price for the ocean's coral reefs. Now, a Florida state senator wants to ban some sunscreens entirely for the potential harm they cause marine life. Sen. Linda Stewart's proposed bill would require a prescription to use sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate, two chemicals found in most sunscreens that effectively protect against UV radiation but, researchers suggest, can also cause coral bleaching and eventually kill reefs.

› Florida Bar moves to suspend lawyer facing 31 complaints. But no one can find him. [Tampa Bay Times]
The Florida Bar wants the state’s highest court to immediately suspend a Tampa attorney’s law license after he failed to respond to complaints that he stopped communicating with clients and withheld settlement money.

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› New Florida Statute May Void Physician Noncompete Agreements [Daily Business Review]
Effective June 25, newly enacted Florida Statutes Section 542.336 prohibits a restrictive covenant agreement between a physician who practices a medical specialty, and an entity that employs or contracts with, either directly or through an affiliated entity, all physicians who practice the specialty within the same county.

› Florida's unemployment rates drops but Bay County employers struggle to fill positions [WJHG]
The state's unemployment rate has dropped, but while unemployment remains low, many local businesses continue to struggle to fill positions. "The situation is a little difficult for the employers because some are not able to open up for their normal operating hours because they don't have enough of staff on hand," said Brittany Rock with CareerSource Gulf Coast. "There have been some businesses in jeopardy of not doing their grand openings."

› Home sales shine in Sarasota-Manatee last month [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Home sales shined last month in the Sarasota-Manatee region, posting their best annual gain in nearly three years. Buyers closed on 1,227 existing single-family homes in September, which was 212 more than one year earlier, according to data released Tuesday by the Florida Realtors trade association. That 21% jump was the highest year-over-year since November 2016, the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee said.

› Fun Spot adding roller coaster, holding name contest [Orlando Sentinel]
The Fun Spot location in Kissimmee is adding another steel roller coaster and is asking the public to help name it. The thrill ride is said to be five stories tall with a rail that’s 1,300 feet long. Its trains hold six people apiece. It features a triple out-and-back design made by E&F Miler Inc.