As Florida tourism falters, public employees fret about jobs

Even as Florida starts to ease stay-at-home orders and begins lifting restrictions on restaurants and other hard-hit businesses, public sector workers are fretting over job losses that could arrive in the weeks and months to come because of the economic downturn. Florida's budget situation remains uncertain as state officials try to get a firmer grasp on state revenues, which relies heavily on tourist dollars and its other revenue-generating economic engines to pay for salaries and state services. [Source: AP]

Florida’s senators cry foul over U.S. decision to import certain Chinese citrus

Backing the state’s struggling citrus industry, Florida Republicans and Democrats are opposing a federal decision to allow the importation of certain fruits from China. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott have sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking him to reverse a decision to let five varieties of citrus fruits be imported from China. [Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel]

NASA goes with SpaceX Starship, Blue Origin, Dynetics for moon mission landers

NASA went with big names SpaceX and Blue Origin as well as lesser-known Dynetics as the three commercial companies vying to build lunar landers for its Artemis missions to return humans to the moon by 2024. The three contracts worth $967 million are for design and development of human landing systems. They were awarded under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships program. Several other companies that were vying for the contract including Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corp. did not make the cut. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Will Tampa Bay’s craft beer scene survive the coronavirus pandemic?

Like the restaurant and bar world, Tampa Bay’s booming craft beer scene came to a screeching halt in March. All breweries were abruptly forced to close their taprooms, their draught distribution lines wiped out as the restaurants and bars they supplied were forced to shutter, too. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park will be delayed

Universal is pausing construction of its Epic Universe theme park in Orlando as its parent company stands to lose $500 million in profits if the parks remain closed for the entire second quarter, Comcast executives said Thursday. The new park was set to open in 2023, the company previously had disclosed, although Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did not say how much delaying construction impacts the project’s overall timeline. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› A week in Orlando’s arts scene: What’s happening without shows? Plenty [Orlando Sentinel]
Although theaters, galleries and concert halls sit quiet, there is a constant buzz of creativity behind the scenes. Masks, graduations, telethons and an endless array of Zoom meetings: Here’s a glimpse into a week in the life of Orlando’s arts organizations during a pandemic.

› NASCAR’s return won’t be in Florida [Tampa Bay Times]
NASCAR plans to make its return from the coronavirus pandemic in May, but it won’t be in Florida. It announced Thursday that Cup Series plans to return without fans for a 400-mile race at Darlington on May 17. It will be shown at 3:30 on Fox. Darlington will host another Cup race on May 20 before the series races its marquee Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte on May 24. Charlotte will host another Cup race on May 27.

› Iconic Miami Beach hotel Eden Roc lays off 458 [Miami Herald]
The Eden Roc Miami Beach hotel has said it would lay off a total of 458 workers as a result of dead stop in its operations sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. In a Worker Retention and Adjustment Act (WARN) notice filed with the state dated March 30, the hotel qualified 142 layoffs as permanent, with the other 316 slated as temporary.

› Tampa sends nurses to inspect major construction sites [Tampa Bay Times]
Construction is a $2 billion-a-year industry in Tampa, so City Hall is sending nurse-inspectors to the 52 largest construction sites in town to help keep workers healthy and employed. The use of nurses to do spot checks appears to be unique among the largest local governments in the Tampa Bay area.

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› Tampa area bank posts best quarterly gain in deposits since 2004 [Business Observer]
In most metrics, the first quarter at First Citrus Bancorporation, parent company of Tampa-based First Citrus Bank, was strong, with growth in assets, loans and deposits, among other data points. The one negative: profits in the quarter were down 21%, bank officials say in a statement, attributing it “largely due to personnel additions on the business and retail banking roster.”

› Florida Bar Launches Confidential Lawyer Helpline Early Amid COVID-19 Pressures [Daily Business Review]
The Florida Bar had planned to launch its new confidential attorney helpline in July. But in the shadow of COVID-19, now seemed as good a time as any. Beginning Friday, attorneys will be able to connect confidentially with professional counselors, who will help them deal with family and medical woes, work pressure, substance abuse and other issues. The service will be free for all bar members and open 24/7.

› Lynx buses run with no fares, fewer riders as leaders map out future [Orlando Sentinel]
Recovery from the Lynx bus system’s coronavirus implosion will be gradual and uncertain, the agency’s leaders say as they look optimistically toward the future. “We remain on solid financial ground,” said Lynx director Jim Harrison, citing his agency’s cash reserves, availability of tens of millions of federal relief dollars and an appraisal of financial bleeding as painful but not ruinous.

› Sarasota’s Harvey Milk Festival to hold virtual event [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
One of the many Sarasota-Manatee gatherings postponed due to coronavirus was Harvey Milk Festival, the annual LGBTQ celebration that was set to take place starting Friday, concluding with a free daylong concert in downtown Sarasota’s J.D. Hamel Park. Yet the show will go on through a virtual event, which will take place on the same dates of Friday and May 7-9. The virtual version will also conclude with music, featuring both previously recorded performances and ones specifically recorded for the event by national and Florida musicians.