DeSantis says local governments face millions in fines for mandating COVID vaccines

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration will start issuing $5,000 fines to cities and counties that require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, he said Monday. The governor’s comments came during a campaign-style rally of politicians and residents who blasted President Biden’s vaccine mandate order from last week. “Nobody should lose their job over this issue,” DeSantis said, calling vaccine mandates “very intrusive” and “illegal.” More from the  Orlando Sentineland the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida Trend Exclusive

Boosted by eMerge Americas, Miami can finally boast of being a tech hub

Led by homegrown startups Reef Technology, Magic Leap and ShipMonk, South Florida attracted nearly $2.3 billion in venture capital last year. Japanese investor SoftBank recently launched a $100-million initiative to invest in Miami-based startups, having already established a $5-billion Latin American fund in Miami. Financial giant Blackstone Group announced that it would create 215 jobs at a new technology office in downtown Miami, and venture capitalists Peter Thiel and Keith Rabois, formerly of Silicon Valley, now call Miami home. [Source: Florida Trend]

Crushed by pandemic, conventions mount a cautious return

In pre-COVID times, business events - from small academic conferences to giant trade shows like CES - routinely attracted more than 1 billion participants each year. The pandemic brought those global gatherings to a sudden halt, emptying convention centers and shuttering hotels. More than a year later, in-person meetings are on the rebound. [Source: AP]

Plan calls for annual harvest of 200 goliath grouper

Three decades after being placed on a list prohibiting the harvest and possession of goliath grouper, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commission is considering a plan to allow a limited number of the fish to be harvested in state waters. The commission on Oct. 6 will consider a proposal to allow up to 200 fishing permits a year for goliath grouper. [Source: News Service of Florida]

See how much plumbers, HVAC technicians, and electricians are paid in Florida

Not all job markets are the same. While it should be fairly easy to find work in all 50 states, how much that work pays is different depending on the state. To find the states where home service workers are paid the most, ServiceTitan analyzed June 2020 data from Payscale. The average salary of a home service worker was calculated by averaging the pay of entry-, intermediate-, and senior-level workers in each state. [Source: WFLA]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Carnival CEO discusses cruise lines, the pandemic, politics [Tampa Bay Times]
Carnival Corp., once a $21 billion company, saw revenue plunge to zero overnight last year when the pandemic shut down the cruise industry. It’s CEO Arnold Donald’s job to navigate uncharted waters for the cruise giant, which operates nine brands that span the globe. The company hopes to have the entire fleet of nearly 90 ships back sailing by next spring, but regulations aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 on board have meant slow going so far.

› Fort Myers retailer posts best earnings quarter since 2013 [Business Observer]
Women’s retailer Chico’s FAS, while focusing on its future as a digital-first company, turned back the clock a bit in its latest earnings call: it had its best quarter in eight years in the 13-week fiscal period that ended July 31. “These results show the incredible progress we continue to make in our turnaround strategy, despite pandemic challenges,” Chico’s FAS President and CEO Molly Langenstein says in the statement.

› Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport breaks annual passenger traffic record in August [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Just nine months into the year, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport has shattered its annual passenger record. So far this year, the airport has seen 2.03 million passengers, more than the busiest year on record in 1990, when it had 2.01 million passengers. Airport President and CEO Rick Piccolo said in a press release the growth means more revenues and lower costs for airlines.

› Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s Four Seasons proposal headed to City Council [Jacksonville Daily Record ]
The Jacksonville City Council is expected to introduce legislation Sept. 14 for a nearly $114 million incentives deal with Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan for his plan to build a Four Seasons Hotel and Residences and an office building at the former Kids Kampus site along the Downtown riverfront.

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› The Bay Park could be defining feature of Sarasota when complete, first phase moving along [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
When Jon Thaxton closes his eyes and thinks about the 53 acres along Sarasota Bay being transformed into a landmark green space for the region, he doesn't see 10 or 15 years down the road when The Bay Park should be nearly complete. He envisions 100 years into the future, with families enjoying a bayfront breeze in one of the last natural sanctuaries left in the area.

› Orlando gas prices simmer down along with State average [Orlando Sentinel]
Since last week, gas prices at the pump have eased downward, according to AAA Auto Club Group. The average price of gas fell just below $3 for the first time in September. Prices had previously increased after pressure built from Hurricane Ida closing refineries in Louisiana.

› ‘The best-kept secret in South Florida.’ This FIU lab makes stronger, better concrete [Miami Herald]
In the corner of Florida International University’s engineering campus, a constant mechanical pulsing echoes through a warehouse that smells like a construction site. The rapid “hum hiss” is coming from the hydraulic pistons that are dropping — then lifting — hundreds of pounds of weight off a chunk of concrete the size of a dining room table. A computer screen keeps track of the results with a red line on a graph and steadily increasing green numbers. It’s part of an experiment testing a newer, better form of concrete.

› Ex-Supreme Court justice backs ‘Grim Reaper’ who sued DeSantis over COVID pandemic [Orlando Sentinel]
A former Florida Supreme Court justice has lined up in support of a Santa Rosa Beach attorney who’s the focus of investigations after he dressed up as the Grim Reaper and sued Gov. Ron DeSantis for refusing to shut down state beaches last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Daniel Uhlfelder garnered national headlines for donning the costume to criticize DeSantis’ handling of the pandemic.