Florida PPP loan recipients: See the full searchable list of who received them

Which Florida businesses that applied for and received a loan as part of a national effort to save small companies during the coronavirus pandemic is now public information. The U.S. government has released a list of businesses that have received emergency pandemic loans of $150,000 or more. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]

See also:
» Florida businesses secured $32B in federal PPP loans to pay bills, 3.2 million workers
» Tom Brady’s personal brand approved for PPP loan
» Florida lawmaker calls for political organizations to return PPP dollars

Florida Trend Exclusive
COVID-19 may stall Florida Bar's push for a statewide business court system

In 2004, Judge Belvin Perry issued an order creating Florida’s first business court in the 9th Judicial Circuit Court, which serves the Orlando area. The specialty court — which was the idea of Perry’s colleague, former Orange County Circuit Judge Thomas Smith — was popular among lawyers and businesses, and within a few years, Miami, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale followed suit with their own local business litigation divisions. [Source: Florida Trend]

Orlando hotelier Harris Rosen announces ‘substantial’ layoffs

Harris Rosen, one of the biggest hoteliers in Central Florida, is laying off a “substantial” number of workers effective July 31, another economic hit to the tourism industry struggling through the coronavirus pandemic. The company made the announcement in an emotionally worded press release Wednesday. “Never in the 46-year history of my company would I have envisioned such a drastic decision,” Harris Rosen said in a statement. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

8 Florida communities vying for Space Force headquarters

As the new U.S. Space Force looks for a prime spot for its headquarters, eight communities in Florida have submitted nomination letters to land it. Space Florida, the state's aerospace economic development agency, held a call on Tuesday with staff from the Florida Congressional delegation. Following an eligibility screening process, the agency announced Gov. Ron DeSantis had endorsed the nomination letters from all eight communities vying for the Space Force headquarters. [Source: WTSP]

Florida company develops way to generate power by harnessing the gulf stream

OceanBased Perpetual Energy has pioneered a way to generate electricity by harnessing the Gulf Stream, the steady-flowing ocean current that brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic and up the East Coast, past Greenland and all the way to Iceland and the British Isles. The Miami-based company is working with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and together they have been testing five different types of turbines to determine which works most effectively while submerged 80 feet below the ocean’s surface. [Source: Forbes]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Financial services company plans to open Jacksonville office, hire 80 [Biz Journals]
Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial services firm headquartered in New York, plans to open an office in Jacksonville, Florida, where it aims to employ 80 people. The company was the target of an April 8 incentive program by the Jacksonville City Council codenamed Project Kodiak. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity finalized the project last month.

› Weather halts SpaceX launch attempt of Starlink satellites [Orlando Sentinel]
Weather forced SpaceX to delay its planned launch of the next batch of Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center today. A Falcon 9 rocket was poised to lift off from Launch Pad 39A at 11:59 a.m. with 57 of the Internet satellites as well as two Earth observation satellites from the company BlackSky Global along for the ride.

› State regulators defy staff and approve energy-efficiency options for low-income customers [Miami Herald]
State regulators approved utilities’ plans Tuesday for proposed energy-conservation programs, several of which would help low-income customers save money on their power bills. The Florida Public Service Commission’s unanimous vote went against its staff’s recommendation to reject the proposals for not being cost-efficient enough.

› Pinellas unveils logo for SunRunner, bus line linking downtown with beaches [Tampa Bay Times]
A planned transit line connecting downtown St. Petersburg and the beach now has a name: the SunRunner. Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority officials unveiled the name, logo and bus design Wednesday morning. Yellows, blues and orange will be splashed across the buses, bus stops and branding for the new route, which is expected to begin late next year or early 2022.

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› Florida boat dealer acquires superyacht brokerage [Business Observer]
MarineMax Inc., one of the nation’s largest recreational boat retailers, has acquired Northrop & Johnson, a superyacht brokerage with offices around the world. The deal comes about a year after Clearwater-based MarineMax’s acquisition of Fraser Yachts, another superyacht brokerage that also provides luxury yacht services.

› Annual passholders sue Disney World over billing mistake [Orlando Sentinel]
Two Disney annual passholders have filed a lawsuit seeking class action status after Disney mistakenly charged them before the parks officially reopened from the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. Disney’s error happened Friday, prompting a blaze of complaints on social media from passholders who were normally billed monthly but now had unexpectedly had lump-sum bills pending in their bank accounts.

› Fewer wands, fever checks and A.I.: Largo startup reimagines venue security [Tampa Bay Times]
Xonar Technologies is a Largo startup that’s been testing and tinkering with its venue security system at Westfield Countryside, Spectrum Field, Madeira Beach City Hall and, most recently, Ruth Eckerd Hall. The system, dubbed XonarSafe, uses ultra-wideband radar scanners to determine the likelihood that a person is carrying a weapon.

› Gloria Estefan’s Facebook Watch series targets county film grant [Miami Today]
Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk Productions Inc. is heading to Miami with a new franchise second series featuring the Estefans and is seeking a $50,000 grant from the county’s film incentive program. The round table talk show-based series was made popular by executive producer Jada Pinkett Smith and parent company Westbrook Studios.