Gov. Ron DeSantis says most of Florida will enter phase 2 of reopening Friday

Gov. Ron DeSantis reopened bars, movie theaters and other entertainment in 64 counties on Wednesday, announcing Florida’s movement into Phase 2 of his three-step plan to restart the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The changes go into effect Friday but don’t apply to three hardest-hit counties in the state: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. More from the Orlando Sentinel, the Tampa Bay Times, and WKMG.

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» Florida coronavirus cases surge past 58,700, the biggest daily gain in six weeks

SpaceX launches another set of 60 Starlink internet satellites

SpaceX on Wednesday night launched another batch of Starlink internet satellites, just four days after sending into space the first two American astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011. The liftoff, which came at 9:25 p.m., took 60 internet satellites to orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s launch complex 40. The 570-pound satellites tightly stacked in the rocket’s fairing will become part of a constellation of tens of thousands that will work together to provide high-speed internet to the world, including some of its most remote areas. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida tells feds thanks, but no, we don’t need the anti-riot force. It had already arrived

The feds are here. They are ready to quell the unrest in the streets. But who summoned them? Anybody? State and local officials insist they were blindsided by the arrival of a Federal Bureau of Prisons riot-control team in Miami on Monday, purportedly to assist the local police in clamping down on people protesting the killing by Minnesota police officers of George Floyd. [Source: Miami Herald]

MLS, facing $1B loss, to resume season with Orlando summer tournament

Major League Soccer, which could lose as much as $1 billion because of the COVID-19 crisis, averted a lockout and will return to action with a summer made-for-TV tournament at Orlando’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, league commissioner Don Garber confirmed during a teleconference Wednesday. MLS positioned itself to be the first major U.S. sports league to resume after the MLS Players Association ratified a revised collective bargaining agreement that cleared the way for the Orlando plan. [Source: Miami Herald]

Trump wants to move RNC convention. Florida cities wonder if they’re in contention

President Donald Trump’s latest threat to move the Republican presidential convention from North Carolina is renewing chatter among Florida Republicans of luring the party’s seminal gathering to the Sunshine State. “We welcome the opportunity to host the @GOPconvention in Jacksonville,” Mayor Lenny Curry tweeted Tuesday night after Trump announced the Republican National Committee would seek a new home for its August convention. More from the Miami Herald and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Major losses in jobs, GDP in Northeast Florida because of coronavirus [St. Augustine Record]
A study commissioned by the Northeast Florida Regional Council forecasts that more than 41,000 jobs will be lost because of the coronavirus in 2020 compared to 2019. The report says that the effects in Northeast Florida are expected to be 15% more severe than the national average. The report forecasts a 2.6% loss in gross domestic product value in St. Johns County in 2020 compared to 2019, though numbers are expected to be better in 2021 and 2022.

› Analysis: Florida, Texas, Minnesota cities show biggest drop in used car prices [The Center Square]
While used car sales have always been prone to fluctuations, data from the U.S. Census Bureau found that retail used car sales plummeted more than 20 percent year-over-year in March even before the full effects of stay-at-home orders were realized. The last time that used car sales fell so precipitously was at the onset of the Great Recession in 2008.

› Margaritaville Orlando reopens with ‘Stay in Paradise’ deal [Orlando Sentinel]
Paradise has reopened! Well, the one with cheeseburgers in it, anyway. The Margaritaville Resort Orlando is back in business and taking bookings. And they are looking to incentivize people into taking a getaway with the Stay in Paradise deal.

› Spirit Airlines announces comeback: 47 FLL flights planned by July as demand increases [Miami Herald]
Spirit Airlines plans to more than triple its current service out of South Florida by July, the company announced Wednesday. The return of many of the low-cost airline’s pre-pandmic flights to its home base at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport came sooner than expected as demand has taken off, said John Kirby, Spirit’s vice president of network planning.

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› New Miami International Airport hotel on the runway [Miami Today]
Miami-Dade has launched a process that by November could see a deal for the first new hotel at Miami International Airport (MIA) in 60-plus years take flight, but without the mayor’s endorsement. Commissioners directed staff to start a three-month bid request process, followed by a 30-day review to conclude in September.

› Developer buys fitness facility for $5.5 million, plans 207 homes [Business Observer]
The 13-acre Bath and Racquet Club in Sarasota was sold for $5.5 million to Mark Lukas. According to a press release, if Lukas secures the support of the city commission, he plans to renovate the fitness facility at 2170 Robinhood St. and incorporate it as an amenity in a 207-home, mixed-use development. The sale of the facility, built in 1969, closed May 27.

› Winn-Dixie grows with new Lake Mary store, as parent company ditches BI-LO brand [Orlando Sentinel]
Winn-Dixie plans to add eight new Florida stores this year at the same time its Jacksonville-based parent company decided it will no longer operate BI-LO stores. One of the new locations will be in Lake Mary, at a site off Lake Mary Boulevard once slated to be a Lucky’s Market.

› Miami rents still among the highest in country. Just be glad we’re not San Francisco [Miami Herald]
Good news: Rents have dropped. Bad news: South Florida rents are still among the highest in the United States. The Miami area ranked No. 10 out of 100 U.S. metros in the June 2020 Zumper National Rent report. Based on May 2020 data, the median rent for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit is $1,750 per month in the metro area, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.