Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida public servant wages and who earns $100,000 a year

What makes for appropriate pay — in both the public and private sectors — is always up for discussion. For most government workers, full-time government work is a route to the middle class. The conventional wisdom on government work is that workers trade higher pay for job security and defined-benefits pensions that have all but disappeared in the private sector. [Source: Florida Trend]

Coronavirus: How small businesses in Florida can apply for aid

With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down business statewide, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week made $50 million available to small businesses in the state hurt by the disaster. Efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus by reducing social interaction in public and commercial spaces will harm “small businesses throughout our state,” DeSantis acknowledged in announcing the program. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

See also:
» How did Florida hire 100 epidemiologists in a weekend? Here’s how.
» Florida to order more personal protective equipment to contain COVID-19 spread
» Florida reports nearly 100 more coronavirus cases as disease spreads

Will F1 be coming to Florida?

The state is steeped in sporting success. But one sport that has been absent from Florida for over 50 years is Formula One. NASCAR and IndyCar racing might be more familiar to Americans but there have been discussions over the past few years about Formula One taking place in Miami. [Source: Boca Raton Tribune]

Hiring secrets from Florida's most successful startups

Florida is in the middle of a population boom--but if you think that'll make the task of hiring locally easier, think again. While the draw of warm weather, low housing costs, and no income tax is no doubt sparking renewed interest in the state--and that is helping spur the state's burgeoning startup ecosystem--local business owners are still having trouble filling senior or more experienced roles. [Source: Inc.]

Orlando timeshare giant buying back shares

Orlando-based Hilton Grand Vacations Inc., the timeshare industry’s No. 2 player by sales, said this week that it has budgeted an extra $155 million to repurchase shares. The company’s share price has plummeted 60 percent in the past month, amid a broader stock market collapse triggered by the spread of the new and highly contagious coronavirus, which has brought global travel to a near-standstill. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Redistricting aid to usher in Miami-Dade County sea change [Miami Today]
The 2020 Census will prompt many changes throughout the country, at both national and local levels. Among them is a remapping of Miami-Dade’s 13 commission districts, and the county is now seeking guidance for how to proceed in that undertaking. County commissioners on Jan. 22 directed Mayor Carlos Giménez’s administration to put together a bid solicitation for a “redistricting expert” to advise them and the county’s Redistricting Citizens Advisory Board on the process.

› National boat retailer acquires Fort Lauderdale startup [South Florida Business Journal]
MarineMax has acquired Boatyard, a Fort Lauderdale-based on-demand boat servicing platform, for an undisclosed amount. Clearwater-based MarineMax is among the nation's largest boat and yacht retailers. The purchase makes Boatyard its new "Customer Service Experience Platform."

› Publix adjusts store hours again [WESH]
Publix is once again changing its store hours to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The grocery store chain said earlier this week that it would be closing its stores at 8 p.m., but they just announced Wednesday that stores will not be opening until 8 a.m. daily.

› Clearwater restaurant chain promotes longtime employee to COO [Business Observer]
Hooters Management Corp., which operates 24 Hoots and Hooters restaurants in Tampa Bay, Manhattan and the Chicago area, has promoted Bill Moore to COO. Moore, according to a press release, is a St. Petersburg native who joined the Clearwater-based company in 1992 as an assistant manager.

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› Amelia Island Concours turns 25 [Fort Myers Weekly]
Florida is lucky to be home to one of the world’s greatest automotive events for a quarter-century. The annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance celebrated its 25th anniversary by continuing to deliver a field full of surprises.

› Simplicity Esports and Gaming company announces investment by Triton Funds, the largest student-run fund in the U.S. [Florida Trend]
Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company (OTCQB: WINR) (“Simplicity Esports”), an established brand within the esports industry, owner and manager of multiple esports teams, including Flamengo Esports, and an operator of Esports Gaming Centers, announced today that it has secured a $500,000 investment from TRITON FUNDS (“Triton”).

› Tech investment firm shuffles leadership team [Business Observer]
Wire Experts Group, in an effort to unify its corporate management structure, has promoted executives Brinson White, Mike Skorupa and Kevin Clements. Naples-based Wire Experts Group, which invests in wire and cable manufacturers, is the parent company of Pelican Wire and Rubadue Wire.

› Report: Lightning, NCAA, Tampa lose millions in March [Tampa Bay Times]
The cancellation of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament due to the coronavirus scare cost the NCAA nearly $12 million in ticket revenue at Amalie Arena alone, a national ticket search engine estimates.