Tuesday's Afternoon Update
A new study shows we’re already in a coronavirus recession — and it has hit South Florida hard
A new study by the StratoDem Analytics data firm in Cambridge, Mass., suggests economists’ fear was spot-on. The coronavirus isn’t putting us at risk of a recession. The COVID-19 recession is already here — especially in tourism-centric South Florida. One bright spot in the study: Most of the investment banks are anticipating an economic recovery in Q3 and Q4 of 2020. But that recovery would require significant federal funds and an economic stimulus package. More from the Miami Herald.
See also:
» Florida loses 400,000 jobs as COVID-19 outbreak hits tourism industry hard
» COVID-19 empties Tampa Bay hotels. What happens to their 150,000 employees?
Florida gun sales so brisk ammunition being rationed
First, toilet paper ran out. Now, bullets are being rationed in Florida. Some firearms retailers are placing restrictions on the amount of ammunition people can buy as coronavirus-fueled gun sales surge in the “Gunshine State,” where more than 2 million residents have state-issued concealed weapons licenses. More from the Center Square
Clearwater-based storage firm offers discounts to displaced students
PODS Enterprises LLC has cut its rental, delivery and transportation fees by 10% for college students who have lost their on-campus housing as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic. Students in the United States and Canada can take advantage of the six-month offer, according to a press release. More from the Business Observer.
Tech Data to appeal $83 million fine in French antitrust case with Apple
Tech Data announced Tuesday it disagrees with and will appeal the findings of a French government agency that a week ago fined the Largo-based technology distribution company $83.7 million. “In the area of competition law, Tech Data is committed to competing independently in the marketplace in full compliance with all applicable antitrust and competition laws wherever the company operates,” the company said in a news release. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Lazydays named top RV dealer in Florida
Lazydays, The RV Authority® and world's largest RV dealership, has been ranked as the No. 1 RV dealer in Florida across multiple categories. The annual rankings are compiled and published by Statistical Surveys, Inc., a premier provider of market intelligence for RV manufacturers and dealers. More at Florida Trend
Florida History
The Yellow House, former Ybor mafia bar during ‘the era of blood’, is demolished
A 4,700-square-foot structure in Tampa, once known as the Yellow House, has been an eyesore since a 1988 fire took its roof, windows and a large section of one wall. Still, historic preservationists hoped it could be saved. The 105-year-old building was once a Mafia bar and illegal casino, during a time in Tampa’s history known as the “era of blood” for the deadly mob war that engulfed the city.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Out of the Box
'Tiger King,' about failed murder plot involving Florida's Big Cat Rescue, is now on Netflix
Last April, Oklahoma zookeeper Joseph Maldonado-Passage, more infamously known as “Joe Exotic,” was convicted of putting out a hit on Carole Baskin, the CEO and founder of Tampa’s Big Cat Rescue. In January, Maldonado-Passage—a blonde-mulleted, self-proclaimed country music star who ran for president in 2016 and then governor of Oklahoma in 2018—was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the failed murder-for-hire plot. And now you can watch his story on Netflix while on self-quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.
» Read more from the Orlando Weekly and Vanity Fair.
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