Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
A study released Monday by Destinations Florida shows the tourism industry is still struggling amid the pandemic but the impacts have lessened in intensity.
According to the study, tourism businesses retained 72% of employees in October compared to 56% in June. Additionally, hotel occupancy is down 29% points in October which is a marked improvement compared to the 71% drop in April.
The study also found that tourism-related businesses’ profits were down 43% in October compared to 51% in June. Likewise, tourism businesses’ revenue was down 29% in October compared to 45% in June.
“Slowly but surely, we are seeing signs of a recovery and Florida’s tourism industry, which is a key driver of employment and our economy, continues to work hard to ensure our communities are able to rebound,” said Robert Skrob, Executive Director of Destinations Florida.
“There is no magic fix for an economic recovery but what we have seen and what we know works, is the efforts of local tourism promotion organizations that have been providing critical resources, information and opportunities for local tourism businesses to welcome visitors back in a safe and secure manner. With the help of these organizations, Florida’s tourism economy is prepped to recover fully and thrive in the future.”
Although the trends demonstrate positive improvements, more than half of tourism partners surveyed believe the impact of the pandemic response will continue until sometime between the third quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.
The study was compiled from 244 completed surveys from industry partners in 19 counties. The majority of respondents were small tourism-reliant businesses with fewer than 10 employees and less than $1 million in annual revenues.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 1,048,264 FL residents (+7,537 since Sunday)
— 17,521 Non-FL residents (+174 since Sunday)
Origin:
— 9,569 Travel related
— 401,239 Contact with a confirmed case
— 11,640 Both
— 625,816 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 56,607 in FL
Deaths:
— 19,529 in FL
Evening Reads
“Federal judges reject GOP effort to overturn swing state election results” via Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein of POLITICO
“An inadvertent glimpse of what Gov. Ron DeSantis is really like when a secret tape is running” via Lucy Morgan of Florida Phoenix
“Marco Rubio says COVID-19 ‘double standard’ erodes media credibility” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Florida GOP leaders stand solidly behind voting by mail, despite Donald Trump’s unfounded cries of fraud” via Steven Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel
“Federal arm of the Florida Democratic Party — the Democratic Executive Committee of Florida — is broke” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“The Tampa Bay Times answered a question no one is asking: What will David Jolly do in 2022?” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics
“GOP women’s record-breaking success reflects party’s major shift on recruiting and supporting female candidates” via Rachael Bade of The Washington Post
“Many aren’t buying public officials’ ‘stay-at-home’ message. Experts say there’s a better way” via Soumya Karlamangla of the L.A. Times
“COVID-19 relief proposal won’t offer $1,200 checks, but provides extra $300 in federal unemployment benefits” via Hope Yen of The Associated Press
“A full table at Christmas this year may mean an empty one in the years ahead, experts warn” via Joel Shannon of USA Today
“UF students, faculty protest spring semester plans to Trustees” via Sarah Nelson of The Gainesville Sun
“Florida voters barred ex-lawmakers from lobbying for 6 years, but revolving door still swings” via Gray Rohrer of the Orlando Sentinel
“As cases rise, college students take COVID-19 prevention into their own hands” via Matthew Reagan, Hannah Getahun and Maddie Beck of CalMatters.org
“Coral Gables Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli, 77, tests positive for COVID-19” via Samantha Gross of the Miami Herald
“Cynthia Chestnut throws her hat into the ring for Florida Democratic Party chair” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
Quote of the Day
“I have every intention of being on that ballot in November of 2022, and I feel very good about the account we’ll be able to bring to the people of Florida.” — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, confirming he will seek reelection in 2022.
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