In Florida and beyond, long-term poverty is forgotten issue in 2020 election

About 38 million Americans live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census, including about 1.5 million in Florida. But their plight has garnered little more than a passing mention in this year’s presidential campaign, which has been dominated by healthcare, the economy and the coronavirus. Neither presidential candidate’s platform makes tackling long-term poverty a specific goal. Addressing poverty doesn’t appear as a high priority for most of Florida’s congressional candidates, either. If elected, they would be responsible for the fate of the nation’s safety net programs. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Visit Florida reaches out to Canada, England seeking tourists

Florida’s tourism-marketing agency has started to reach out to Canada and England while continuing to focus initial marketing efforts on Floridians and East Coast residents as the travel industry tries to rebound amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit Florida President and CEO Dana Young said the taxpayer-funded organization has started a campaign with The Weather Network, a Canadian English-language weather channel, and co-hosted a five-day virtual “TTG Florida Fest” this month with the travel industry newspaper TTG Media, trying to position the state for when travel by foreign tourists resumes. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Half of registered Floridians have voted as Election Day looms

Nearly 7.4 million Floridians have now voted in the 2020 general election — more than half of the state’s 14.4 million active registered voters. With days left before the end of in-person early voting, Republicans have cast 2.8 million ballots to Democrats' 3 million, according to data posted Thursday morning by the Florida Division of Elections. Voters without a party affiliation, who make up about a quarter of registered voters, have cast 1.5 million ballots. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Can Florida have tropical trouble in November?

The historically active 2020 hurricane season continues this week as Zeta impacts portions of the northern Gulf coast. With so much activity this year, it begs the question, can Florida be hit in the month of November? Unfortunately, the Sunshine State has been impacted by multiple tropical cyclones in November during the last 100 years. Eight systems have made landfall in the state during the month. [Source: Bay News 9]

What small businesses can learn from Disney about masks, distancing

Social media is full of images of people getting into shouting matches over face masks. Yet at Walt Disney World, a worker reminds a mother to put a mask on her child in a stroller, and she does it without question. The hospitality industry is based on the idea of doing whatever it takes to make the customer happy. The Ritz-Carlton famously gives its workers up to $2,000 to resolve conflicts. But, in the midst of a pandemic, companies large and small are trying to figure out how to enforce face mask and social distancing guidelines without angering their customers. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› UWF awarded $6 million grant to lead national cybersecurity workforce development program [Florida Trend]
The University of West Florida will lead a coalition of 10 institutions designated as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity in establishing a program to address the critical national shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. The National Security Agency selected UWF to oversee the program, which will launch in the spring and be funded by a two-year, $6 million grant.

› State’s first snow park to hire 160 as it prepares for grand opening [Business Observer]
Snowcat Ridge, which bills itself as Florida’s first-ever snow park, has set a grand opening date of Nov. 20 and seeks to fill 160 positions at the Dade City facility. According to a press release, Snowcat Ridge is interviewing for a wide range of full- and part-time jobs, including snow tubing attendants, skilift attendants, snow play attendants, concession staff, cashiers and shift supervisors. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.

› Orange County raises transportation-impact fees, but keeps discounts [Orlando Sentinel]
Developers and home-builders — and ultimately consumers in Orange County — will likely pay more next summer for a new home as county commissioners this week approved an increase of transportation-impact fees, a move proponents say was long overdue. The fees, a key funding source for new or improved roads, are typically passed onto home buyers by builders.

› Black-owned Jacksonville restaurants could share in a $10 million assistance program [Florida Times-Union]
Black restaurant owners in Jacksonville and 11 other cities nationwide could be eligible for financial aid, mentoring and other resources via a new program being launched by the National Urban League and PepsiCo. The Black Restaurant Accelerator Program announced Oct. 20 is intended to boost about 500 Black-owned eateries over the next five years.

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› LGBTQ landmark Parliament House resort says it will close Monday [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando’s Parliament House resort will shut down Monday, after a court this week ordered the operators of the famous LGBTQ nightclub and theater to leave. The landmark on Orange Blossom Trail, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015, said it would reveal its plans for the immediate future in the coming weeks. A “Last Dance” is scheduled for Sunday.

› Historic global wealth management firm acquires Naples company [Business Journal]
A New York City wealth and money management firm that dates back to before the Civil War has acquired Naples Wealth Planning, a registered investment advisor (RIA) with four offices in Florida. Terms of the deal — Laidlaw Wealth Management buying Naples Wealth Planning —weren’t disclosed.

› Orange County's convention biz eyes major events coming in fall and winter [Orlando Business Journal]
The winter season may bring some holiday cheer to Orlando's convention industry. A slate of upcoming shows has the potential to draw more than 74,000 attendees to the region and generate more than $71.3 million in economic impact. That would be a huge boon to the area that has seen convention activity slow to a crawl due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

› Appeals court upholds ruling on law determining how candidates are listed on ballots [News Service of Florida]
A federal appeals court has refused to reconsider a ruling that upheld a decades-old Florida law that determines how candidates are listed on election ballots, nailing down a win for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and Republican groups. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday issued a one-page order denying a request by Democratic organizations and other plaintiffs for a hearing by the full court, known as an “en banc” hearing, in a challenge to the constitutionality of the law.