Friday's Afternoon Update
Florida tops 400,000 COVID-19 cases with 12,444 reported Friday
Florida on Friday topped 400,000 COVID-19 cases, after adding 100,000 reported infections in just nine days. Only California and New York have had more confirmed cases during the coronavirus pandemic. The Florida Department of Health reported 12,444 more cases on Friday, for a grand total of 402,313. The state has reported an average of 10,724 cases per day over the past seven days. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, WFLA, and the Miami Herald.
Orlando airport moving ahead with Virgin tracks, new main road entrance
Orlando International Airport has been getting major upgrades, resulting in a lot of raw dirt, construction vehicles and traffic cones, but under conditions eased by the pandemic’s reduction of travelers and traffic. Virgins Trains has laid tracks at its airport station, the first such installation of rail along the passenger train’s 170-mile extension from West Palm Beach, and the region’s expressway authority has begun to overhaul the airport’s front entrance, a complex and congested meeting of state roads 436 and 528. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Broward County Library gets $123,000 from Google to teach business and tech skills
Broward County Library announced Thursday it had been awarded nearly $123,000 from Google and the American Library Association to improve tech skills among small businesses owners and entrepreneurs from low-income and under-represented groups. The funds will go towards an initiative called Making Entrepreneurship in Tech Accessible (META). More from the Miami Herald.
Orlando firms stole millions from people who needed help with credit card debt, FTC says
A federal judge last week ordered a group of Orlando businesses to halt what investigators claim is a “bogus” credit card debt reduction scheme, one that has gone on for more than six years and potentially stolen millions of dollars from unknowing Americans. The FTC did not specify exactly how many people were defrauded in the scheme. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Investors are showing love - but little money - for South Florida’s office market
Investors stayed on the sidelines of South Florida’s office market during the second quarter 2020 as they to measure the pandemic’s impact. But that’s changing. Office sales in Miami-Dade and Broward counties fell to rock bottom during the second quarter of 2020, according to data from commercial real estate firm CBRE. That’s a drop from the second quarter 2019, when 10 buildings were sold — seven in Miami-Dade and three in Broward. More from the Miami Herald.
Business Profile
Florida lemonade entrepreneurs expand business with sweet new venture: deep-fried Oreos
A pair of entrepreneurs who began selling ice-cold lemonade on a street corner last summer is back with a popular new business venture. Demetrius Murray and Marquis Williams started Gurlie’s Lemonade last summer, slinging $3 cups of the pink and yellow drink, made using a recipe from Williams’ grandmother, Gurlie Wells. This summer, the two best friends who consider each other to be brothers, are sharing another one of Grandma Gurlie’s favorite sweet treats with customers: deep-fried Oreos.
» More from the Palm Beach Post.
Out of the Box
Florida credit union pokes fun at mask debate
A Florida credit union settled its own COVID-19 mask debate by turning the controversial topic into a laugh. Panhandle Educators Federal Credit Union in Bay County posted a photo illustrating “suitable” and “unsuitable” face coverings to its Facebook page. The photo depicts a person wearing a face mask with the mouth and nose covered (suitable) next to someone wearing a ski mask (unsuitable). The post read simply: “Just so we are clear.”
» Read more from WMBB.