Florida's September tax revenues offer a mixed picture

Florida had a second consecutive month of better-than-expected revenue numbers in September, but tax collections continue to reflect the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. State economists released a report Tuesday that said general revenue for September was $230.2 million above a revised estimate issued in August. However, the report highlighted the continued struggles of the state’s vital leisure and hospitality industries, as the September total marked a 6.8 percent decline in tax collections from the same month in 2019. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Obamacare lawsuit threatens health care coverage for 2 million Floridians, and maybe millions more

No matter who wins the presidential election, health care coverage for nearly 2 million Floridians will be in jeopardy if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act. That’s how many state residents bought health plans through the federal exchanges, most of whom receive federal subsidies they’d in danger of losing if the ACA were eliminated. The increased cost could price them out of the coverage. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

COVID-19 may be claiming more lives in Florida than official data indicates

Today, official coronavirus deaths stand at 16,505 in Florida. Yet the true number of dead from the pandemic could be up to 25% higher if you include people who are listed as having died of other causes brought on by the pandemic, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers at the CDC found that up to 22,861 people more than normal may have died between Jan. 1 and Oct. 3 — 8,000 above the official COVID-19 tally at that time. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Opioid overdoses up 62% in Florida; $5 million pledged to fight addiction

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says the federal government is stepping in to help with the opioid crisis. The state is set to get $5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Labor for programs to help people suffering from opioid addiction. For some recovering addicts, finding help can be difficult -- even more so during a pandemic. Governor DeSantis said he believes isolation could be fueling worsening an already bad situation. [Source: WTVT]

They’re not in the mood. Toxins are turning off great egrets mating in the Everglades

Great egrets in the Everglades are losing their sexual motivation because they are exposed to mercury through the fish they eat, a University of Florida study using more than 20 years of data has found. Researchers observed that mercury contamination led to a 50% reduction in attempts by the birds to breed, showing that the heavy metal is affecting their reproduction process much earlier than previously thought. [Source: Miami Herald]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› New layoffs: Walt Disney World slashes entertainment, leaving big shows in limbo [Orlando Sentinel]
Walt Disney World laid off entertainers from its highest-profile shows Tuesday night in what some described as a “bloodbath” as the scale of the layoffs rocked the Central Florida arts community. The deluge of pink slips showed the theme park has no foreseeable plans to remount marquee attractions such as “Festival of the Lion King” or “Finding Nemo: The Musical,” both of which have been dark since COVID-19 shut the parks this spring.

› After public interviews of 3 CEO candidates, JEA board expects to make hire in days [Florida Times-Union]
JEA's board of directors expects by next week to hire one of the three candidates they interviewed Tuesday to become the city-owned utility's next chief executive officer. The board interviewed John Lewis Hairston, acting CEO and administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, Ore.; Morgan O'Brien, former CEO and president of Peoples Gas in Pittsburgh; and Jay Stowe, CEO and founder of the Stowe Utility Group in Chattanooga, Tenn., and a former executive for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

› Tupperware bounces back, reporting its first sales growth since 2017 [Orlando Sentinel]
Buoyed by the North American market, Tupperware Brands saw its first year-over-year sales growth in a quarter since 2017, the company said Wednesday in its third-quarter earnings report. The Osceola County-based company’s sales were $477.2 million, up 14% compared with last year. Net income improved 341% to $34.4 million, the company reported.

› Super Bowl economic impact touches down at $571 million [Miami Today]
The Kansas City Chiefs may have walked out of Hard Rock Stadium with the Lombardi Trophy in February, but many Miami businesses won Super Bowl LIV – and two more big games are coming to town in January. According to a report released by the Super Bowl Host Committee and reviewed by Miami Beach commissioners at a Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee meeting last week, the Super Bowl and surrounding events brought 4,597 full- and part-time jobs to South Florida and had a total economic impact of $571.9 million.

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› Miami-Dade company recalls stone crab sauce sold during stone crab season’s first week [Miami Herald]
Medley company IncredibleFish recalled Incredible Stone Crab Mustard Sauce because of a packaging mistake that creates a food allergy danger. The packaging’s ingredients section doesn’t include milk, eggs or fish. All are allergens and all are in the sauce.

› Tampa Bay area headquartered tech giant hires chief information officer [Business Observer]
Bonnie Smith has been named chief information officer at Tech Data, succeeds John Tonnison, who is retiring after nearly two decades with the company. According to a press release, Smith brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the Clearwater-based tech distributor. She will oversee IT deployment and lead the company’s global IT organization through a chapter of strategic innovation and digital transformation.

› New Darifair Foods headquarters a nod to growth [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Jacksonville-based Darifair Foods, a culinary and food science company, broke ground Oct. 27 on its 47,500-square-foot corporate headquarters and innovation center in Flagler Center in South Jacksonville. Darifair CEO Andy Block called it a new era for the company. “For five generations our family has owned and operated food and dairy companies, but the Darifair we know today is completely different than the one we started 35 years ago,” he said in a news release.

› ‘Live PD’ is canceled, but spin-off show raises legal concerns in Miami criminal court [Miami Herald]
The Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office is asking Homestead Police for footage taken by producers of the popular reality show 'Live PD.' Camera crews rode along with officers as part of a spin-off show called Florida Heat.