COVID in Florida: As BA.5 variant spreads, a look at what’s ahead this summer

A new omicron subvariant known as BA.5 is quickly gaining ground in Florida, and now represents a majority of COVID-19 cases in the state. Epidemiologists say BA.5 may be the worst strain yet, mostly because is better at evading prior immunity than previous strains and increasing rapidly. That could explain why so many Floridians are becoming infected with the coronavirus, even after being caught up in an earlier wave. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Business Beat - Week of July 8th

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

Hurricane season update from Colorado State holds steady, forecasting above-normal year with 20 named storms

A bit of what can be considered good news emerged from Colorado State’s regularly-scheduled 2022 hurricane season update released on Thursday — nothing has changed from the June update. The forecast remains 20 named storms, 10 hurricanes and five major hurricanes, numbers that still reflect an above-normal hurricane season and “above-normal probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean.” More from Reuters and the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida Trend Exclusive

Florida Icon: Ashbel ‘Ash' Williams

"Character matters. That sounds corny, but it's absolutely true," says the former executive director/chief investment officer, Florida State Board of Administration, Tallahassee. "What I’ve loved about the investment field is it’s constantly changing. If you’re a lifelong learner, and you have an unlimited thirst for information, which I do, then you get up every day itching to read the news because there are always going to be new opportunities to learn about — and new threats." [Source: Florida Trend]

A rental trends study finds 10 Florida markets among the most overvalued in the nation

The rental housing market in Florida is among the most overvalued in the country, and has among the fastest-rising prices, according to a new study of rental trends. The study of 107 U.S. rental markets, released June 6 and using data from April, found that 10 of the 14 most-overvalued rental markets in the country are in Florida. The study included 10 Florida markets, and all 10 are overvalued by more than 13%. [Source: Gainesville Sun]

Who will enforce Florida’s 15-week abortion ban? And what if they refuse?

In Florida, lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis, anticipating Roe’s downfall, this spring passed a law making abortions in the Sunshine State illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The new law, which went into effect last week, carries with it a promise of a third-degree felony if broken. Doctors could also face the revocation of their medical licenses, among other sanctions, if they conduct abortions beyond the 15-week threshold. But who will enforce such a law? And what if they don’t? [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Orlando airport wins $50 million federal grant, one of biggest in U.S. [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando International Airport will receive $50 million in grant funds from the Federal Aviation Administration as part of airport assistance flowing out of last year’s infrastructure act. The announcement Thursday put Orlando’s airport among the top winners of FAA grants totaling $1 billion for 85 airports. The $50 million is to help complete Orlando International’s south terminal, which is scheduled to open in September.

› You can text 911 almost everywhere in Florida, but not in Miami-Dade County [Miami Herald]
People who can’t call 911 for emergencies have the option of texting in most of Florida. But not in Miami-Dade County, which is years behind in upgrading its emergency technology. County administrators blame a poor purchasing decision six years ago for software and equipment not able to handle the texting volume from a 911 system that receives more than 1 million calls a year in Miami-Dade.  

› Investor pays nearly $40 million for office and retail space in Tampa [Business Observer]
Nearly 116,000 square feet of retail and office space has sold in Tampa’s Channel District to a Baltimore investor. The property, Grand Central at Kennedy, brought $38.1 million. That, according to Colliers, which represented the seller, is the biggest sale of retail property in the area since 2014, when Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik bought 225,000 square feet of what was then Channelside Bay Plaza for $7.1 million.

› CSX outsourcing 137 information technology jobs [Jacksonville Daily Record]
CSX Corp. is partnering with an India-based company to outsource some of its information technology services, affecting 137 jobs. The Jacksonville-based company said July 6 in an emailed statement that Tata Consultancy Services is providing operation, maintenance and support services for CSX IT systems. TCS, with 592,000 employees in 46 countries, is a subsidiary of Mumbai-based Tata Group.

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› Small Orlando defense firms get tips from Lockheed exec on landing subcontracts [Orlando Business Journal]
Small businesses aren't an afterthought to behemoth contractors like Lockheed Martin Corp. In fact, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) seeks them out. One reason is because the U.S. government requires Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed and others to use small businesses as subcontractors for certain contract opportunities.

› Philadelphia company plans $101 million cold-storage project in North Jacksonville [Jacksonville Daily Record]
BG Capital, a Philadelphia-based real estate investment and development company, intends to build an almost $101.2 million industrial cold-storage project near JaxPort in North Jacksonville. BGCap.com says the company will buy 20.5 acres at 8730 Somers Road to build the 272,400-square-foot facility called Jacksonville Cold Storage on its portfolio list.

› Legoland hosts Lunar Launch Camp this weekend [Orlando Sentinel]
Legoland Florida is holding a two-day event built around outer-space transportation. Its Lego City Lunar Launch Camp is set for Saturday and Sunday at the Winter Haven theme park. Activities, held beneath the shade structure at the attraction’s Miniland USA, will include building an giant operational Lego telescope, assembling a moon mosaic, a visit to a spaceport to launch a rocket, galactic face painting and a moon-mission photo booth. Badges will be awarded at each station.

› Big Olaf ice cream being tested for listeria amid outbreak, Florida agriculture bureau says [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has collected ice cream samples from Big Olaf Creamery and is currently testing them for listeria. The state bureau that monitors food safety told the Herald-Tribune late Wednesday that frozen dessert samples were collected from the production facility of the Sarasota creamery on Tuesday, and that a full health inspection was done the following day.