Thursday's Daily Pulse
Florida chosen for coronavirus vaccine test program run by the CDC
Florida, which has endured a surge of coronavirus infections this summer, will participate in a COVID-19 vaccine pilot program with the federal government but few details have been released about how it will work. Florida has been invited to be part of a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine pilot group, state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said Tuesday during a conference call with hospital officials. Rivkees said Florida was one of four states chosen to participate, along with the city of Philadelphia. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida advocacy group says environmental law hurts its chance to save nature
When Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the year’s signature environmental bill into law last month, a cadre of activists said he might have effectively killed their movement just as they were gaining a toehold. Folded into the Clean Waterways Act are lines blocking local governments from giving legal rights to parts of nature such as rivers, springs and forests. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Federal funds for Florida election supervisors delayed over a month, expected this week
The state’s 67 county supervisors of elections were supposed to get their share of the $20.2 million in federal funds on July 1 to help fortify polling places and bolster the extraordinary 2020 elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, many supervisors have had to spend money earmarked for other expenses to prep polling sites for early voting, which started Saturday for most Florida counties. And with a week to go before the Aug. 18 primary, they were told by state Division of Election officials the money is coming this week. [Source: Palm Beach Post]
Stein Mart files for bankruptcy, closing most stores
Discount retailer Stein Mart has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and plans to close most of its stores, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Jacksonville company did not say which stores it planned to close, or when; only that it would operate as normal in the near term. Chief executive officer and chief financial officer Hunt Hawkins said in a statement it would soon sell off its assets in “an organized going out of business sale.” More from the Tampa Bay Times, the Florida Times-Union, and the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Business bankruptcy rise of 54% may be artificially low
Business bankruptcy filings are on the rise in South Florida as Covid-19 takes its toll on the economy, but government aid programs may be holding these numbers back from what they might otherwise be. Multiple high-profile businesses have already filed this year including Neiman Marcus, Lord and Taylor and 24 Hour Fitness, and these cases may well be indicative of the danger that brick-and-mortar retail and other businesses based around in-person experiences are facing as Covid and social distancing concerns rock the business landscape. [Source: Miami Today]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Proposed Amazon delivery station would bring packages to South Florida doorsteps even faster [South Florida Sun Sentinel]
In this era of one-day shipping, many of us want our packages even faster. That’s why e-commerce giant Amazon continues to build new warehouses, distribution centers and delivery stations closer and closer to the consumers it serves. Now, Amazon is proposing to convert two warehouses in western Pompano Beach into a delivery station to more quickly get retail goods to customers in South Florida.
› Orlando Sentinel to leave downtown office building after 69 years [Orlando Sentinel]
The Orlando Sentinel announced Wednesday it will leave its downtown building, the newspaper’s home since 1951. “After careful deliberation, we have decided to permanently vacate our Orange Avenue office,” Publisher and General Manager Nancy Meyer said in an email to Sentinel employees.
› Mote Marine scientists observe lab-grown coral spawning in the wild [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
For two consecutive nights, scientists with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium documented the spawning of lab-grown mountainous star coral that had been planted five years ago on a reef in Newfound Harbor, near Cook Island and Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys.
› After 24 years, a Miami contractor and construction management firm is splitting up [Miami Herald]
The general contracting and construction management firm Amicon is splitting up 24 years after it was established. The principals of the Miami-based Amicon are going their separating ways, dividing the firm into two companies, according to a news release.
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› U.S. Sugar sweetens back-to-school season with backpack giveaway [Florida Politics]
It’s back-to-school season, and in some parts of the state, that means students will soon be on school campuses after finishing out the 2019-20 school year online. U.S. Sugar is helping thousands of K-12 students make the transition by donating backpacks filled with school supplies.
› Duke Energy provides more than $1 million in grants to support social justice, racial equity [Florida Trend]
Duke Energy, through its foundation, today announced the recipients of more than $1 million in employee-directed grants to nonprofit organizations committed to social justice and racial equity. Grants will be distributed to 80 organizations across seven states where the company has electric and gas customers – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
› Ratings of new Miami-Dade Transit bonds indicate ‘resilience’ [Miami Today]
Fitch Ratings has given a pair of new Miami-Dade transit bond series that together total about $790 million “AA” ratings and “stable” outlooks despite an economic downturn that the agency says will worsen before it improves. In an Aug. 3 report, the credit-rating group assessed two forthcoming county bond issues: series 2020A, a $239.6 million issue whose proceeds will fund various transportation and public works projects; and 2020B, a $550 million issue that will refund and replace bonds the county issued in 2012.
› Nestle water permit tabled [Gainesville Sun]
Consideration of a proposed permit that would allow more water to be pumped to a Nestle Waters bottling plant at Ginnie Springs was tabled by the Suwannee River Water Management District Tuesday morning. The action was taken because most of the board members believe the controversial permit should be considered at a live meeting rather than a video meeting. Tuesday’s webinar meeting was so flooded with people watching that the limit was reached. Others had to listen by phone.