Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Tuesday's Daily Pulse

DeSantis wants to see what funds flow from Washington before acting on state budget

Florida’s next budget remains on hold pending another round of federal stimulus money, which could also dictate how state lawmakers readdress the spending plan. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he has put off formally accepting and reviewing a $93.2 billion budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year that was approved by the Legislature in March and takes effect July 1. DeSantis said he is awaiting action from Washington, D.C., on another stimulus package to address the national economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Along with needing to sign the budget before July 1, DeSantis has line-item veto power. [Source: MIami Herald]

Florida’s new toll roads project plows ahead with virtual meetings

Pandemic or not, Florida officials are moving ahead with their plans to build more than 300 miles of toll roads across the state. The Department of Transportation task force panels assigned to come up with recommendations for the roads are set to meet this week over teleconference. To speak during the public comment period, you have to sign up in advance. [Source: Miami Herald]

Florida's lost blue bee rediscovered

Florida’s ultra-rare blue calamintha bee, long thought lost, was discovered by researchers in the Lake Wales Ridge in central Florida. Scientists weren’t sure the bee still existed. The plant upon which the bee depends for survival, the Calamintha ashei, is endangered in Florida. The bee has only been recorded in four locations totaling just 16 square miles within Central Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge. [Source: The Weather Channel]

Florida ranchers worry about meatpacking problems brought on by coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic has kept cows, chickens and pigs across the country from being slaughtered because of processing plants shuttered by the coronavirus, potentially hurting both consumers looking for burgers and Florida ranchers. However, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep production going, and the Florida cattle industry stresses it has plenty of animals. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Record temperatures and dry weather have sparked more than a dozen wildfires in Florida

There are more than a dozen wildfires raging across Florida, burning property and prompting evacuations, as excessive heat and dry weather take its toll on the state. Florida is known for its hot weather, but this year has been exceptionally torrid. In April, South Florida hit June-like temperatures. [Source: CNN]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Floridians filing for unemployment must request benefits every 2 weeks
The Florida Department of Opportunity has announced that in order to continue receiving payments, people who have filed for unemployment must report the number of weeks they need benefits by logging onto the portal twice a month to restate their need. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had initially waved this step when the state's number of unemployment claims began to skyrocket following the coronavirus outbreak and ensuing business shutdowns.

› Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix canceled
After initially being postponed, the annual Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix has officially been canceled and planned to return in 2021. The decision came down to the fact that even if the event were to be scheduled this year, several race teams had already indicated they wouldn’t be able to participate in the American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship Series, which includes the Sarasota race, according to a press release from event organizer Suncoast Charities for Children.

› Orlando Fringe conjures festival spirit online with ‘Fringe Today’
Lindsay Taylor didn’t let a worldwide pandemic stop her from producing a festival in her first year on the job — it just wasn’t the festival she had imagined. Taylor, who became Orlando Fringe’s festival producer last July, has put together “Fringe Today,” a 14-day lineup of more than 100 shows and other events that will start Tuesday.

› Florida Tech announces it is eliminating football
Football is no more at Florida Tech. The school made the announcement late Monday morning, citing financial challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason behind the decision. Tech is one of two NCAA Division II schools in Florida. The program was founded in 2011. Two years later, the Panthers kicked off their inaugural season in 2013 as a member of the Gulf South Conference.

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› Regency Square Mall reopens to shoppers in Jacksonville
Shoppers are being welcomed back to Regency Square Mall, which has reopened after shopping centers statewide were closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The shopping center at 9501 Regency Square Blvd. has reopened, Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group said in a Monday news release.

› IT firm taps board member for CEO role
Vology, a provider of managed IT, cloud and network security services, has named Tom York CEO and Steve Torres president. York, according to a press release, had been serving as a board member at Clearwater-based Vology, while Torres was the firm’s COO and CFO from 2007 to 2016, during which time he helped grow revenues from $17 million to more than $175 million. Torres returned to Vology in October 2019.

› Sarasota-Bradenton airport traffic down 95%
As airline travel came to a standstill this spring because of the coronavirus, passenger traffic at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport fell by 95% in April. Last month, 9,742 passengers traveled through Sarasota-Bradenton, compared to 183,119 in April 2019. Passenger traffic started to plummet in March, when it fell by 23% after two straight years of consecutive growth.

› Pollo Tropical giving away free kid lunches to help during coronavirus
Pollo Tropical is giving away free kids’ TropiChop lunch bowls to help South Florida families struggling to put food on the table during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Miami-based restaurant says it will be giving away a Kids Classic TropiChop Bowl and small bottle of water every Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to noon at select restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.