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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Losses prompt Amazon to dial back expansion. What does this mean for Florida?
Amazon is dramatically pulling back its plans to aggressively expand its national network of warehouses and distribution centers in the wake of unexpected losses. Amazon's expansion plans in Florida include more than two-dozen projects, including five-story 2.8 million-square-foot robotic fulfillment centers currently under construction in both Daytona Beach and Tallahassee. Each are expected to create at least 1,000 jobs. More from Florida Today and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
SpaceX mission to be Florida's 40th launch this year if weather permits
SpaceX teams are preparing for liftoffs from both of the company's Florida launch pads this weekend. Falcon 9 flights on Saturday and Sunday scheduled between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. will mark Florida's 39th and 40th launches of the year if the weather holds out. The first stages of both Falcon 9s are expected to land on drone ships stationed in the Atlantic Ocean and be towed back into Port Canaveral a few days later. No sonic booms are expected for the Space Coast this weekend. More from Florida Today.
Six projects reshaping downtown Jacksonville
From One Riverside to JAX River View Plaza and Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s Four Seasons hotel, more than $3 billion of investment is in the pipeline for the urban core. Downtown Investment Authority Director of Downtown Real Estate and Development Steve Kelley offers an update on where those projects stand. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Swiss life sciences company chooses Tampa for regional HQ
Inpeco, a Swiss health care company, is opening a regional headquarters in Tampa. The clinical lab automation company will open a 2,650-square-foot office at the University of South Florida’s CAMLS — Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation — in downtown. Inpeco introduced the first automation system to reduce errors in clinical labs to advance medical diagnoses in 1995. The company, today, manufactures and delivers more than 2,400 lab automation systems to 78 countries. More from the Business Observer.
Broward could soon start fishing through your toilet water. Here’s why.
Broward County officials agreed Thursday to explore whether the region’s wastewater should be tested as an early way of detecting diseases — a move inspired by how New York City recently detected polio in its sewage. Broward’s wastewater previously has been checked to detect COVID-19, but this testing would aim to check for additional viruses in the wastewater, which is the water that goes down residents’ showers, kitchen sinks and toilets. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Business Beat - Week of September 9th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Dining Trends
Dunedin restaurants face pushback over new server pay model
A Dunedin restaurant’s shift away from tips was supposed to be about “data over drama,” but former employees say it’s definitely been both. The Black Pearl introduced a new pay model for servers. Instead of taking home tips, waiters will receive a flat 20% commission and $1-an-hour wage. Ahead of the change, the restaurant fired some staff, employees told the Tampa Bay Times. Since then, criticism from hospitality workers and patrons pushed the review website Yelp to disable reviews on the restaurant’s page.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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