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Friday's Afternoon Update

Can Florida employers make their employees get the COVID vaccine?

As all adults in Florida become eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine, can employers make the vaccine mandatory? As businesses look to return staff to offices and workspaces, it's important to examine employer and employee rights. A professor at Florida A&M University Seema Mohapatra says companies can make getting the vaccine mandatory. “The law allows employers to impose requirements to make sure employees don’t pose threats to the health and safety of the workplace, and COVID-19 infection is considered a direct threat to the workplace,” she said. But even though employers can legally require it, very few, if any, are actually doing so. More from Spectrum News.

State unemployment system revamp begins moving in House

A plan to revamp Florida’s much-criticized online unemployment system is now moving on both sides of the Capitol, while advocates for workers continue to push lawmakers to consider increasing jobless benefits. With few questions and little comment, the House Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee on Thursday unanimously backed a proposal (HB 1463) that would overhaul the less-than-decade-old CONNECT unemployment system and move to a cloud-based system. More from WWSB.

Delayed start for Florida peaches

Like berries, the upcoming Florida peach season will get a later harvest this year. “We’ve had a pretty cold winter compared to last year’s fairly warm winter. It’s good news because the cold weather helps set the peaches. But it has delayed our crop,” says Alise Edison of Deer Park Peaches in Saint Cloud, FL. She notes that last year, harvest began March 26 while this year she anticipates it to begin mid to late April. More from Fresh Plaza.

Crews film movie in Central Florida amid COVID-19 pandemic

We’ve all had to make major adjustments just to do our jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and the movie industry is no different. The movie that opens the 2021 Florida Film Festival is a testament to that. “Because of Charley” was shot in Central Florida at the height of the pandemic in September of 2020. The film was shot in 21 days in Celebration, Kissimmee and Orlando. More from Click Orlando.

Florida insurance companies going to new heights, using planes and drones to scrutinize roofs

If you see a plane or a drone above your house, it could be from your insurance company. Many insurance companies are upping their game when it comes to minimizing their risk of having to buy you a new roof if you make a claim. It’s part of the an industry-wide effort to cut down on roof claim fraud and recoup money lost in litigation. More from WFLA.

Business BeatBusiness Beat - Week of April 2nd

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Florida Dining
Shanghai Lane

floridaShanghai Lane is not open for breakfast — not unless you work a late shift or live a life of sleep-in leisure — but several of the items on its menu of regional staples are common morning meals in China’s biggest city. How do the Shanghainese start the day? With deep-fried pork buns, that’s how. “They are a very traditional Shanghainese food,” says Alicia Wu, who along with her husband, Alex Chen, and their partner/lead chef Franky Zhang, opened Shanghai Lane back in January. All three hail from Nanxiang, a township in Shanghai’s Jiading District, and none has had much luck finding the dish here in the States.

» Read more from the Orlando Sentinel.