Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Tuesday's Afternoon Update

Florida spring break tourism in question amid spread of coronavirus

Amid spring break for millions of Americans, Florida's governor declared a state of emergency to help fight the coronavirus outbreak. The state's popular beaches have been expecting big crowds, but some tourism officials are worried about the potential impact the outbreak will have on businesses. For now, tourists are still flocking to the Sunshine State. More from CBS News.

See also:
» Families decide whether to take spring break trips amid coronavirus outbreak
» Gulf Coast visitors continue Spring Break plans despite coronavirus outbreak

3 infected with coronavirus at company that greets Florida cruise passengers

Three employees of a company that greets cruise ship passengers in Florida have tested positive for the new coronavirus, state health officials said Tuesday, urging anyone who recently traveled through Port Everglades to isolate themselves for 14 days if they start experiencing symptoms. More from Click Orlando

Florida Senate OKs new hurdles for constitutional amendments

It would become much harder for citizens to change the Florida constitution through petition drives under a bill passed by the Florida Senate on Monday. The bill would raise the threshold for the number of signatures required before the Supreme Court reviews an initiative for placement on the ballot. Right now, that review is triggered once a petition has signatures from at least 10% of voters in at least one-eighth of the state’s congressional districts. More from the AP.

Public power officials rebut JEA position on growth potential

Florida Municipal Electric Association officials on Monday told Jacksonville City Council members that if JEA wants to enter new lines of business, the only potential barrier would be changing the City Charter. That view conflicts with JEA’s position last summer that JEA would need changes in state law and the Florida Constitution. More from the Florida Times-Union.

Tampa Bay’s BlueGrace Logistics acquires rival Anthym Logistics for $80 million

Fast-growing BlueGrace Logistics on Monday announced that it has acquired crosstown rival Anthym Logistics. The $80 million deal is BlueGrace’s largest acquisition since 2016, when it announced that a $255 million investment from New York private equity firm Warburg Pincus would provide capital to support its rapid growth. Anthym was created last October through the merger of Atomic Transportation and Cousins Logistics. More from the Tampa Bay Times

Out of the Box
Art center searching for Florida graffiti artist

 A Florida art center is asking for an enigmatic graffiti artist with an eye-catching palette of canned paint to step forward to help bring awareness to the medium. The Leesburg Center for the Arts is looking for the artist who uses the tag “Mute” and has painted various walls throughout the central Florida city of Leesburg.

» More from the Daily Commercial and KIRO.

 

Sports Business
Baseball team flexes marketing strength

floridaWhen the Class-A Advanced Affiliate of the Minnesota Twins kicks off its minor league baseball season April 9 at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, fans won’t just see some new players on the field. The entire team has a new name and look to better reflect its Southwest Florida home base. In December the team announced its name change from the Fort Myers Miracle to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. The team dates back to 1926, when it was called the Fort Myers Palms.

» Read more from the Business Observer.