Florida small business owners have optimistic outlook for 2021

A TD Bank survey shows that 41% of small business owners in the U.S. expect revenue to grow in 2021, while only 9% anticipate a decline. The survey polled more than 750 small businesses nationwide with less than $5 million in annual revenue. It showed 57% plan to expand hours and/or operations, and 9% are set to add a business location in the next 12 months. [Source: Business Observer]

Business Beat - Week of July 16

Get the top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

New Disney campus at Lake Nona in Orlando will house 2,000+ employees relocating from California

A new Disney regional hub in Orlando’s Lake Nona community will be home to more than 2,000 professional jobs relocating from California, the company revealed Thursday afternoon. The average wage for the positions is $120,000 annually, according to Tim Giuliani, Orlando Economic Partnership president and CEO. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Las Vegas Sands readies push for casinos in North Florida and potentially Jacksonville

A political committee bankrolled by Las Vegas Sands Corp. has drafted two proposed constitutional amendments that would open the door to casino gambling in the northern part of Florida including Jacksonville. Las Vegas Sands pumped $17 million on June 28 into a political committee called Florida Voters in Charge, according to filings with the state Division of Elections. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

St. Petersburg council to DeSantis: Declare Red Tide emergency

Council members voted 7-0 to approve a resolution late Thursday night asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency as a severe Red Tide bloom and an onslaught of dead marine life continue to plague St. Petersburg’s coastline. They acted the day after the governor’s office rebuked Mayor Rick Kriseman when he made a similar request at a Wednesday news conference. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tax decline cuts Orange County’s investment in the arts [Orlando Sentinel]
The tourist-tax slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic means for a second year Orange County won’t be handing out money for cultural organizations to improve their facilities or stage large-scale community events.

› Tampa Bay to join national wheelchair football league [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa Bay to join national wheelchair football league Hillsborough’s adaptive sports program adds football to its list of games to choose from, which includes basketball, swimming and archery.

› First Lady Casey DeSantis announces expanded Hope for Healing website, expansion of Hope Ambassadors [Florida DoE]
The new site is an aggregator of federal, state, local, private sector, faith-based and non-profit mental health resources, and is designed to be updated as additional resources are made available.

› JEA names chief operating officer, VP of financial services [Daily Record]
JEA announced July 14 it filled two senior leadership positions with Raynetta Curry Marshall named chief operating officer and Joseph Orfano promoted to vice president of financial services.

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› Fortune ranks FIT's online MBA among the best [Hometown News]
Florida Tech has been included in Fortune magazine's first-ever list of top ranked online MBA programs.

› Tampa zoo’s newest arrival: Wendy’s first Frosty cart [Tampa Bay Times]
Even at the African penguin exhibit, “frosty” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you think about ZooTampa at Lowry Park in July.

› Local surgeon, SMH testing motion-preserving alternatives to spinal fusion [Sarasota Memorial]
Spinal fusion is generally considered the “gold standard” in the surgical treatment of low-back pain and neck pain with arm pain; however, fusion surgery is often associated with accelerated degeneration and disease in adjacent levels of the spine.