Up to 1 million Floridians with unpaid bills face October utility shutoffs

Florida’s investor-owned utilities are ending voluntary agreements to not pull the plug on residential accounts for nonpayment but are offering pandemic assistance programs to help customers catch up on electricity bills that, in at least 1.25 million cases, were in arrears this month. Those assistance programs, however, likely won’t help up to 1 million Floridians who could be without power within the coming two weeks, warned Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law advocacy group. [Source: The Center Square]

NASA, SpaceX pick wee hours of Halloween for next launch of astronauts to the space station

NASA and SpaceX are planning to launch another crew of astronauts to the International Space Station from Florida on Halloween morning, following a successful round-trip test mission to the ISS with Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley earlier this year. Currently scheduled for 2:40 a.m., the historic launch known as Crew-1 will include four passengers, NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, the first woman to fly on a commercial flight, and Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Millions of new rapid COVID tests on their way to Florida

Florida will receive 400,000 rapid-test kits a week that can be used to detect COVID-19 infections at schools, senior centers and long-term care facilities, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday at a news conference in Clearwater. The Florida Division of Emergency Management will take the lead in distributing the test kits, which are coming from the federal government, said division Diretor Jared Moskowitz, who joined DeSantis at Morton Plant Hospital for the announcement. More from the News Service of Florida and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

New Florida laws go into effect Thursday

From stricter penalties for ripping off military veterans to new guidelines for specialty license plates, 24 laws go into effect Thursday after being passed during the 2020 legislative session. The changes are among 206 bills that cleared the House and Senate before the session ended March 19. Of those bills, 201, including a new state budget, were signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida school opening lawsuit gets nudge forward

A small decision by the 1st District Court of Appeal could put the state’s school reopening lawsuit back on track for the expedited ruling that many expected. In a three-sentence order, the court announced it would not combine the original case seeking temporary injunction against the Department of Education emergency order with a second related case asking to reconsider the Florida Education Association’s standing to bring the suit. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Trend Mention

Event: GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Tickets are on sale for the 2020 GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Awards Celebration! The Honorees will be revealed during a live broadcast from Orlando on November 12. Companies to Watch was developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation to recognize companies that demonstrate high performance in the marketplace, making them “worth watching”. The program is brought to you by Nperspective CFO & Strategic Services, in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation. Learn more.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Pre-holiday pop-up shops bring new life to Lincoln Road — and fill empty spaces [Miami Herald]
Lincoln Road is getting a trio of new pop-up shops. To help small businesses and fill a growing number of retail vacancies, the Lincoln Road Business Improvement District has launched a pre-holiday pop-up program. So far, three small business owners have signed leases.

› New delay: No Broadway shows in Orlando until at least April [Orlando Sentinel]
With the latest delay, Central Florida audiences will go more than a year without seeing a touring Broadway show. The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, with co-presenters Florida Theatrical Association and Broadway Across America, announced today that the 2020-21 season of touring shows would not begin until April.

› Tampa airport introduces coronavirus screening for all passengers [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa International Airport is introducing a first-of-its-kind initiative to make travel more palatable for passengers in a post-pandemic age: coronavirus testing right in the terminal. The airport will team with BayCare Health System to offer voluntary testing for any passenger departing from or arriving at the airport.

› Blue Origin rocket plans for Cape Canaveral include filling wetlands [Orlando Sentinel]
Blue Origin plans to expand its rocket facilities in Cape Canaveral include a request to fill wetlands adjacent to its existing building near Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Blue Origin Florida LLC applied for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill 10.32 acres of wetlands near its current facilities, which are part of its efforts to build is heavy-lift New Glenn rockets with plans to begin launches as early as next year.

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› National industry group taps Tampa area banker for leadership role [Business Observer]
Rita Lowman, president of Tampa-based Pilot Bank, has been named to the American Bankers Association’s board of directors. She will also serve as 2021 vice chairwoman of the ABA’s Government Relations Council, and then take over as chairwoman in 2022.

› Jacksonville University partners with company that pays students during IT training [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Jacksonville University is partnering SkillStorm to offer an information technology course that will pay participants while they are training for a job waiting for them when they complete the curriculum and earn certification. “We believe we can impact the region’s economic development and make the area more attractive for tech companies,” said Justin Viarello, SkillStorm CEO.

› Florida Snow Park Still on Track to Open in November [Bay News 9]
Snowcat Ridge, a snow park currently under construction in Dade City, plans to open its slopes this year. Many have wondered if the snow park, a first of its kind in Florida, would still open this year in light of the pandemic. A spokesperson confirmed with Spectrum News that the park is still aiming for a November debut, although an exact opening date has not yet been shared.

› Orlando financial planners field difficult questions about ammo and the election [Orlando Sentinel]
If clients of financial planners are a barometer, people are worried about the future. “I’ve gotten the question a couple times, ‘Colby, should I stock up on weapons and ammunition?’” said Colby Winslow, a personal wealth manager with Creative Planning in Orlando. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, financial planners have been getting some tough questions from very troubled clients.