Florida becomes COVID's U.S. epicenter

Coronavirus cases have tripled in the past two weeks in Florida and there’s no sign the resurgent pandemic will slow down. There were 73,119 new infections reported between July 16 and Thursday, according to the latest seven-day report released by the state on Friday. That’s an average of more than 10,000 infections per day, a number not seen since early February. It’s also the highest increase in cases since the first wave of infections in June 2020. More from Florida Today, the Tampa Bay Times and the News Service of Florida.

Florida’s unemployment site hacked, exposing personal data on 58,000 claimants

The Department of Economic Opportunity said Friday that hackers targeted the site, known as CONNECT, between April 27 and July 16 of this year, breaching the personal information of unemployment recipients. The hackers targeted 57,920 claimant accounts, the department said, and they might have obtained those people’s Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, bank account numbers, claim information and other personal details, such as addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Court reverses course on COVID-19 cruise-ship regulations, lifting CDC’s safety measures

In a matter of days, things have changed again for the cruise industry in Florida. Judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta reversed course Friday, siding with the state and ruling that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cannot impose COVID-19 safety rules on cruises sailing from Florida ports this summer. More from the  South Florida Sun-Sentineland the News Service of Florida.

Partnership boosts supply chain resiliency for Florida’s $56B manufacturing industry

Florida’s 21,000 manufacturers – not to mention farmers, restauranteurs, hoteliers, retailers – were also affected by pandemic-induced supply disruptions, as they were by Hurricanes Irma in 2017 and Michael in 2018. To mitigate disruption for the state’s $56 billion manufacturing industry, which employs about 400,000 Floridians, the Associated Industries of Florida (AIF), Space Florida and FloridaMakes have formed Connex Florida, an online database to link manufacturers connect with prospective suppliers and develop business opportunities. [Source: The Center Square]

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have moved to Florida during COVID pandemic

More than 33,500 New Yorkers have moved to Florida in the last 10 months, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. South Florida real estate agent Bonnie Heatzig said the end of 2020 was the height of New Yorkers seeking to move to the Sunshine State. "New York was closed, New Jersey was closed," Heatzig said. "There were people who were saying, 'I really want to come down to Florida. I want to accelerate my plans.'" [Source: ABC 11]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Central Florida kids, teens show business savvy at Sanford showcase [Orlando Sentinel]
Lauryn Jones has been drawing her whole life, starting with pencil and paper and later creating digital art using a tablet and stylus. Just a couple months ago, she created a coloring book entitled, “Black, Brown & Beautiful,” a collection of characters and affirmations aimed at girls of color. On Saturday, the 12-year-old, known online as SumerStrawbree, showed off the book at the Academy of Excellence for the first Kid$ Bi$ Children’s Business Fair.

› Sarasota County has record-breaking June for tourism as red tide looms [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Tourism in Sarasota County was the strongest it has ever been in June, as the area saw an influx of travelers from the northeastern and midwestern U.S. The increases come despite lingering red tide off the coasts of Sarasota, Manatee and Tampa Bay this summer. Last month, 132,700 travelers stayed in paid lodging in Sarasota, according to the latest statistics from Visit Sarasota County.

› The Space Between in Murray Hill offers a posh co-working space for local creators [Florida Times-Union]
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Brittney McColgan, quickly realized her Murray Hill home wasn't cutting it as a workspace. That's how The Space Between — a new co-working space on Edgewood Avenue — came to be. The posh, modern-bohemian space with mid-century modern design elements and dried floral arrangements is meant to be whatever it needs to be, McColgan said. A photo studio one day, a meeting room another, a pop-up market venue the next. That's how McColgan said the business got its name.

› Tourism board talks long-term vision for Daytona Beach [AP]
Still reeling from the mayhem generated by the invasion of the chaotic Daytona Truck Meet in June, the Halifax Area Advertising Authority board of directors on Wednesday took a step toward defining a better long-term vision of the World’s Most Famous Beach as a tourist destination. The tourism board, which oversees and funds the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, directed CVB staff to research consultants that might be able to help distance Daytona Beach from its lingering reputation as a home for such disruptive events.

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› Mining crypto: Suarez plugs ‘MiamiCoin’ to support city services [Miami Herald]
Bitcoin is not the official currency of Miami — at least not yet. But late Thursday, Mayor Francis Suarez submitted a resolution authorizing the city to begin researching the possibility of accepting donations from a new cryptocurrency project that aims to support cities like Miami. The CityCoin initiative wants to raise funds for municipalities by generating demand for city-specific digital tokens.

› Archer residents plead with Gainesville leaders to intervene in battle over proposed solar farm [Gainseville Sun]
Archer residents are now pleading with Gainesville leaders to stop a company from installing a solar farm near their historic Black neighborhood. They thought their concerns were resolved when the Alachua County Commission on July 6 voted not to allow Miami-based Origis Energy to build a solar farm on 638 acres outside Archer on County Road 346.

› Curry files bill for Jaguars $120 million football performance center [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Mayor Lenny Curry filed legislation with City Council to split the cost of a $120 million football performance center with the Jacksonville Jaguars. If approved, the bill would authorize Curry administration officials to borrow $60 million to help finance the NFL team’s proposed 127,087- square-foot practice facility and amend the Jaguars stadium lease with the city.

› Beverage distributor says billionaire investor's money is for growth not to purchase the company [Business Observer]
Tom Pepin, CEO of Pepin Distributing Co., says a Maryland-based firm has invested in the business his family has owned for decades — but disputes published reports the business has been sold. Pepin, in an email to the Business Observer July 14, categorized the investment by Redwood Capital Investments in the Tampa-based company as “more of a capital restructuring that will infuse capital to fund growth.”