Florida retailers expect decrease in 2020 holiday sales

Due to economic struggles caused by the coronavirus pandemic, retailers in Florida are expecting a five percent decrease in holiday sales this year. The average consumer is expected to spend 998 dollars on gifts in 2020, about 50 dollars less than last year. The holiday shopping season is the biggest time of the year for stores, with shops making 20 to 40 percent of their annual sales during the month before Christmas. [Source: WMFE]

Florida official results: 77,400 voters chose 'none of the above' for president

When it came to choosing a president this year, 77,400 Floridians just couldn't make up their minds. Or didn't like their choices. Or got confused. Either they chose no candidate or disqualified their vote by bubbling in too many candidates. Still others wrote in the name of someone who had not qualified as an official write-in candidate. Although it's a tiny fraction of the total vote, it's also Florida, where elections are sometimes decided by margins of 1% or less. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Carnival cancels all cruises through January, but ships returning to Florida to ramp up for sailing

Carnival Cruise Line has opted to not sail from the U.S. until at least February next year as it ramps its efforts to adhere to stringent requirements from the CDC on how to resume safe cruising amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an announcement Wednesday, the line canceled all sailings from U.S. homeports set to sail from Jan. 1-31, all sailings from Baltimore, Charleston, Jacksonville, Long Beach, Mobile, New Orleans and San Diego through Feb. 28; and all sailings on Carnival Legend from Tampa through March 26. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida utility regulators will ask for law changes that allow secrecy at public hearings

State utility regulators are planning to ask for legislative changes that would allow them to conduct portions of public hearings in secret. The legislative push, brought up at a Tuesday internal affairs meeting, was spurred by a recent Duke Energy Florida case. An administrative law judge ordered the utility to return $16.1 million to customers. The public was barred from a majority of the proceedings because they were heavily reliant on confidential trade secrets. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida mandates human trafficking training

In an effort to crack down on human trafficking across Florida, a new law is going into effect mandating that all lodging establishments provide annual human trafficking awareness training for housekeeping and front desk employees. The state will require hotel owners and operators to provide training for new employees within 60 days after they begin employment in a housekeeping or reception area role, or by January 1, 2021, whichever occurs later. [Source: Hotel Business]

See also:
» More than 170 arrested in Florida human trafficking case

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Canadian border closing to COVID-19 stopped flow of snowbirds, affecting Polk County [Lakeland Ledger]
In past years, Ann Rye would begin to see Canadian customers coming into her downtown Lakeland gift shop, Traditions Unlimited, around early November. So far: zero, zip, nada. “I don’t know whether it's COVID-19 in general or the snowbirds, but business is down,” said Rye, the store owner.

› New Gainesville salon sees business grow as manicures become a simple luxury during pandemic [The Alligator]
In an era of face masks, nail polish may be the new lipstick. Pro Paris Nails and Spa, located at 150 NW 13th St., became the closest nail salon to the UF campus after its Oct. 12 opening. The business has a steady flow of customers all day long, said manager John Nguyen. Nail polish has replaced lipstick as the new small luxury since lips are now hidden under masks. When COVID-19 hit in March, salons closed and people bought nail polish to use at home.

› Jacksonville Housing Authority CEO finalists have all withdrawn from hunt [Florida Times-Union]
The Jacksonville Housing Authority is back to square one in its search for a CEO after the third finalist still in the running withdrew from consideration. "We currently do not have any candidates," board member Roslyn Mixon-Phillips said Monday during an update at the board meeting.

› Miami Beach hunts for venue sponsorship revenue [Miami Today]
Miami Beach commissioners, who seek to reduce the city’s dependence on tourism as that sector continues to falter, explored on Friday the first category of opportunities for economic expansion laid out by city administration: sponsorship opportunities and naming rights.

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› Here’s when low-income FPL customers will start getting $20 monthly bill credit [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Florida Power & Light announced it will give its low-income customers a $20 monthly bill credit for a year to help offset financial hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The credit will be given to an estimated 55,000 FPL customers who currently receive federal assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or the Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program, the company said in a news release.

› More cases of West Nile virus reported in Broward, health officials say [Miami Herald]
Broward County has reported more cases of West Nile virus this year, although it still doesn’t come close to Miami-Dade County’s nearly 60 cases. On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health in Broward said seven human cases of West Nile virus were reported since January. “There is a heightened concern that additional residents will become ill,” health officials said.

› Having laid off staff, Westgate Resorts now is hiring 500 seasonal employees in Central Florida [Orlando Sentiel]
Timeshare giant Westgate Resorts is hiring 500 employees for seasonal positions at its seven Central Florida hotels and properties. But the privately held company would not reveal how much of its original workforce was let go because of the coronavirus pandemic. In an email, chief operations officer Mark Waltrip said the company no longer has any team members still on furloughs because of the pandemic, “however, those that were laid off are definitely the first [that] we hope rejoin the team” in this latest round of hiring.

› Tampa VA hospital seeks volunteers for coronavirus vaccine trial [Tampa Bay Times]
The James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital began clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine last week and continues to seek volunteers, including those who are not military veterans, according to a spokesperson. On Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that more than 50 VA medical centers are participating in trials to test vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.