Florida Trend Exclusive
Best Companies to Work For in Florida 2020

To identify Florida’s best employers, Florida Trend partners with the Best Companies Group, which surveyed firms that chose to participate. Any firm with at least 15 employees in Florida, including firms based outside the state, could participate at no cost. In addition to the lists of large, mid-sized, and small companies, you can read about pandemic responses at Florida's best companies. [Source: Florida Trend]

A tropical storm could impact Florida by the weekend

A large tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean now has a new name — Tropical Cyclone Nine — and could arrive in Florida as a tropical storm as early as Sunday, forecasters say. The system of thunderstorms was located several hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles Tuesday morning and battling dry air to its north that was hindering development, but conditions are expected to more favorable for development in the next couple of days. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, WUFT, and the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida coronavirus deaths surge past 6,000 with record 186 new reported fatalities

Florida’s Department of Health on Tuesday morning confirmed 9,230 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 441,977. There were also 186 new Florida resident deaths announced, increasing the statewide resident death toll to 6,117. The 186 deaths mark the highest single-day death toll announced by the Florida Department of Health since the pandemic began More from the Miami Herald and the Orlando Sentinel.

See also:
» What is the positivity rate in coronavirus data and why is it important?

Florida warns of ‘doom’ in Apalachicola water battle

Arguing that a ruling for Georgia would “spell doom,” Florida lawyers are trying again to sway the U.S. Supreme Court in a long-running water battle between the two states. Florida filed a 30-page brief Monday as it asks the Supreme Court for an order requiring more water to flow into the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay in a three-river system shared by the states. The battle focuses on whether Georgia is siphoning too much water upstream, ultimately damaging Apalachicola Bay’s signature oyster fishery. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]

Python parasite spreading among Florida’s native snakes

The invasive Burmese pythons plaguing the Everglades brought some baggage with them to Florida. Lung parasites. Blood sucking ones from southeast Asia that look like tongue-shaped little worms, but are actually a type of crustacean. New research out of the University of Florida shows the pythons spread those Raillietiella orientalis parasites to Florida’s native snakes, and now the native snakes are spreading it amongst themselves in places where pythons have never slithered. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› JEA board wants to closely evaluate invoices in abandoned sale [Jax Daily Record]
The JEA board of directors took a step at its meeting July 28 toward settling invoices related to the proposed sale of the public utility that was terminated in December. According to a memo presented to the board by interim Managing Director and CEO Paul McElroy, JEA received invoices totaling more than $13 million for services rendered related to the invitation to negotiate that led to 16 companies expressing interest in purchasing JEA.

› UF students use down time to create commerce [Gainesville Sun]
University of Florida students are getting down to business. With little to do when the world seemingly closed down in mid-March, some students turned their boredom into creativity and started social media businesses.

› First Coast golf thriving during coronavirus pandemic [Florida Times-Union]
Golf on the First Coast is booming, through a series of safety measures that minimize the risk of being exposed to the COVID--19 virus. Several area organizations that sponsor tournaments also have met with success after some reshuffling of schedules and laying down some ground rules for safe competition.

› Need $30,000? Miami-Dade is still lending to qualified small businesses [Miami Herald]
Small businesses in need of financial assistance can still apply for loans of up to $30,000 through Miami-Dade County’s RISE emergency aid program. RISE, short for Re-Investing in our Small Business Economy, was capitalized with $25 million in federal CARES Act funds to assist local small businesses struggling with economic impacts of the coronavirus.

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› Digital marketing firm promotes president to CEO [Business Observer]
PowerChord Inc., a digital marketing company, has promoted Bill Volmuth from president to CEO. Volmuth, according to a press release, joined St. Petersburg-based PowerChord as president in July 2019 and led a company-wide rebranding campaign. He has more than 25 years of experience in the tech sector, including leadership positions at software, engineering and cybersecurity companies across North America.

› ‘Do not open; do not plant’: Florida officials issue warning over mysterious seed packets mailed from China [WFTV]
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued a warning Monday over unsolicited packages of seeds received through the mail from China. People around the U.S. have reported receiving unexpected packages with Chinese characters. Officials said many of the packages have the name China Post, and may be labeled as jewelry.

› Ex-CEO indicted in fraud case at Jacksonville firm [Florida Times-Union]
The former CEO of a Jacksonville software company that negotiated more than $500,000 in government incentives to grow its workforce was indicted last week on federal wire fraud charges. Jason Cory, who was president of SharedLabs Inc. when the firm negotiated terms to add about 100 jobs at its downtown offices, was accused of directing payments from his firm to a shell company he controlled for expensive consulting work that was never done.

› Aspiring Tampa filmmaker’s coronavirus detour was a blessing [Tampa Bay Times]
If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, Lumiere Rostick would have never discovered the briefcase. Rostick’s grandfather had carried it everywhere over decades as a truck driver. Inside were items that didn’t make sense at first: a collection of seemingly random business cards, a toy truck and old letters. Rostick came to see the items as snapshots into her grandfather’s life, and explored that idea in a documentary short titled The Briefcase.