Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Monday's Afternoon Update

What authority do local leaders have now that Florida is in Phase 3 of coronavirus reopening?

hase 3 is underway after Governor Ron DeSantis gave businesses the green light to reopen on Friday. Some businesses are already taking advantage of the relaxed rules and adjusting to allow increased capacity. How much authority do local governments have to implement COVID-19 orders now that the state is in phase 3? The order states local authorities cannot issue COVID-19 orders that prevent businesses from operating or stop people from working. More from WKMG.

With 30 seconds to liftoff, SpaceX scrubs Starlink launch due to bad weather

With just about 30 seconds left in the countdown, SpaceX scrubbed Monday’s launch of another batch of the company’s Starlink satellites due to bad weather. A Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to lift off at 10:22 a.m. from Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A, carrying about 60 of the 570-pound satellites. The same mission also scrubbed Sept. 17 due to a “recovery issue.” More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Clearwater doctors got a PPP loan, then dissolved practice — but only on paper

In February, a group of doctors in Clearwater decided to cut a partner from their radiation oncology practice by legally dissolving the partnership, then regrouping under a new name without him. Three weeks before the partnership formally ended May 31, however, the doctors applied for and received a $222,700 Paycheck Protection Program loan, a federally backed payment designed to assist struggling small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Doral retail center sold for $20.4M. It has a single tenant - and a prime location

A commercial real estate investor has paid $20.4 million on a Doral retail center with a single tenant: Best Buy. RK Centers bought the 45,675-square-foot retail location and 4.23 acres at 10760 NW 17th St. on Friday, according to the firm’s vice president for development and acquisitions Andrew Zidar. More from the Miami Herald.

Omni Orlando Resort Hotel furloughed 541 employees, expects a ‘significant number’ to be extended

The Omni Orlando Resort Hotel at ChampionsGate will be extending the furloughs of a “significant number” of 541 employees beyond six months. The employees were furloughed in March, but the company said it was unable to report it to the state at the time because “the length and severity of the adverse business impacts resulting from COVID-19 ... were not reasonably foreseeable,” according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice filed on Sept. 17. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Trend Mention

Mention ImageThe Florida Council of 100: The Rigor Gap

A new study by the Florida Council of 100 details a serious statewide gap between high school students’ grades and their actual mastery of skills, as demonstrated on standardized end-of-course exams. This “Rigor Gap” raises concerns that Florida’s future workforce will be underprepared for the professional world, despite good grades. Further, the Rigor Gap may have widened in Florida due to the impact of school shutdowns amid COVID-19. Visit www.fc100.org for more information.

Milestone
5 women become first all-female fire rescue crew in Florida department's 57-year history

 A group of five female firefighters made history in Florida. For the first time ever, Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue had a crew that was entirely made up of women. The team working the shift was made up of rescue lieutenants Krystyna Krakowski and Kelsey Krzywada, firefighter paramedic Julie Dudley, captain Monica Marzullo and driver engineer Sandi Ladewski.

» More from ABC 7.

 

Profile
Janice Donaldson: A legacy of helping small business succeed

floridaFor 39 years, Janice Donaldson has been helping the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida launch entrepreneurs. The center worked with more than 1,800 clients in 2019. “I still look forward to working every day and meeting great people who make a difference in our community,” Donaldson said Aug. 31. She won’t be doing that after Feb. 28 because Donaldson, 61, is retiring as regional director of the center.

» Read more from the Jacksonville Daily Record.