Fewer Floridians traveling for Thanksgiving

Travel over Thanksgiving will slump to a three-year low in Florida as more people choose to celebrate at home during the coronavirus pandemic. An estimated 2.8 million Floridians will travel during the Thanksgiving holiday next week, down by 150,000, or 5.4%, from last year, according to AAA. Air travel in Florida is forecast to plunge by 44% during the Wednesday-through-Sunday holiday. And those projections could be optimistic, AAA says, as wary Floridians monitor the public health landscape. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Post election wrap-up: Local tax referenda in Florida

On November 3, 2020, Floridians went to the polls (or voted by mail) to elect the next President of the United States, voted on numerous state and local races, and decided the fate of six proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. As if that were not enough, voters across the state had to consider more than 200 local referenda, including some significant tax increases. Proving that 2018 was not a fluke, voters in many Florida counties again voted to raise their taxes in 2020. This taxpayer generosity follows the primary and general elections of 2018, where 22 counties passed 26 sales and property taxes worth $1.5 billion. [Source: Florida TaxWatch]

Multiple national franchise brands plan Florida expansion

Franchises are flourishing in Florida — and 2021 could be an even bigger expansion year for several national entities in the state and region. The list of franchisors targeting the Sunshine State ranges from upstart restaurant chains to a swimming lesson provider to a flooring company. Yet the projected growth comes at a contradictory time. In February, right before COVID-19, Florida ranked No. 2 nationally in franchise economic output growth, according to a survey from the International Franchise Association. Florida’s franchise-based businesses produced an economic output of $63.5 billion in fiscal 2020, up 5.3% from $60.2 billion in 2019, second in growth rate behind Texas. [Source: Business Observer]

'Keep calm and carry on': Lockdown unlikely as Florida sees spike in COVID-19 cases

As COVID-19 rates spike across the country, many states are imposing new shutdowns, restrictions and mask mandates to combat the spread of the virus. Though Florida is among the 47 states experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 infections, it's unlikely that Governor Ron DeSantis will respond with the types of restrictions implemented last spring. In September, DeSantis pledged to "never do any of these lockdowns again." [Source: WOFL]

Fried calls for halting new toll roads to help with COVID-19 budget crunch

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wants the state to put the brakes on a series of news toll road projects as lawmakers face budget shortfalls caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Three Department of Transportation task forces sent a report to lawmakers about the projects, including recommending a need for more economic and environmental-impact studies before the projects are built from Collier County in Southwest Florida to Jefferson County near the Georgia border. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Despite pandemic odds, South Florida van vacation rental company amid successful comeback [Miami Herald]
Business is booming for South Florida’s van vacation rental company Ondevan as more and more locals seek auto escapes. When COVID hit, Ondevan’s original clients — international tourists — disappeared, eliminating all bookings. Eight months later, about 80% of the company’s vacation vans are booked — almost reaching pre-pandemic levels.

› Jacksonville Civic Council backs Lot J development 'with conditions' [Florida Times-Union]
The influential Jacksonville Civic Council on Monday gave its backing "with conditions" to the Lot J development that Jaguars owner Shad Khan and The Cordish Companies want to build with up to $233 million in taxpayer backing. "As Ross Perot once famously said, the devil is in the details," Civic Council Chairman John Delaney and organization CEO Jeanne Miller wrote in a letter delivered Monday to council members.

› Port of Pensacola to be featured in national TV show [WEAR]
The Port of Pensacola will soon be featured on the national television series "World's Greatest." The show highlights the port as one of the premier and most historic deep-water ports in the world. The "World's Greatest" episode will air on Monday, Nov. 23 and Monday, Dec. 7.

› Just like the famous London Eye, Miami gets its own mega Ferris wheel for sightseeing [Miami Herald]
Downtown Miami’s skyline has a major new $18 million player. The Skyviews Miami Observation Wheel debuted recently at the Bayside Marketplace. The 200-foot high Ferris wheel — or observation wheel, as it’s known in the tourism biz — allows you to take in spectacular views of Biscayne Bay and the city’s skyline. There are 42 climate-controlled gondolas with music and video features.

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› Disney theme parks want to bring back some entertainment after cuts, executive says [Orlando Sentinel]
Disney parks chairman Josh D’Amaro acknowledged the company hears from the message from fans who miss the theme parks’ live entertainment and vowed to bring some of it back. “We’ve heard from many of our guests that they’re looking forward to us bringing back some of the entertainment that we recently had to discontinue. And we plan to do that,” D’Amaro said, without providing further details, as he gave a keynote speech at IAAPA Virtual Education Conference Monday.

› The Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant may be no more. But the church battle has just begun. [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
One of Broward County’s oldest churches — the sponsor of a beloved Chrismas pageant for nearly four decades — is struggling to prevent a civil war. At the center of the conflict at First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale is the decision this year to cancel the church’s popular annual Christmas attraction.

› Lightning cut 30 positions throughout organization [Tampa Bay Times]
The Lightning are the latest professional sports team forced to downsize because of revenue lost due to the coronavirus pandemic, eliminating 30 positions throughout the organization on Monday. “Rest assured, these decisions were not made lightly,” Lightning and Vinik Sports Group CEO Steve Griggs said. “But with the sports and entertainment industry being impacted like at no other time in modern history, this was a necessary step as we position ourselves for maximum recovery.

› New plan for San Marco bathhouse [Jacksonville Daily Record]
A 68-year-old San Marco building, used for decades as a men’s bathhouse, is slated for conversion into professional offices, a different direction from a previous plan. Developer Bill Ware intends to buy the building, at 1939 Hendricks Ave., in January and start on the project for completion by summer.