M AY 22 - M AY 28 , 2020 | TH R E E D O LL A R S
FLOR IDA’S NE WSPAPER FOR T HE C - SUI T E
Retail | From small boutiques to national chains, reopening a store is a balancing act. PG.16 PASCO • H ILL SBOROUG H • PIN ELL AS • P OLK • M A N ATEE • SA R ASOTA • C H A R LOT TE • LEE • COLLIER
KettleSWIM Upstream Mettle A pair of area tourism attractions are at the forefront of a national challenge: how to reopen safely. SEE PAGE 12 PANDEMIC RESPONSE: PAGES 7-17
Roger Germann | CEO, FLORIDA AQUARIUM
MARK WEMPLE
DATA SNAPSHOT
REAL ESTATE
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
Shop Around
Visual Confirmation
Musical Chairs
Florida’s consumer confidence has fallen, rapidly. When, and how, will it come back? PAGE 6
An industry that relies on in-person sales pitches — selling homes — finds new ways to reach customers. PAGE 8
REAL ESTATE
Furniture stores reg ionw ide a re jockeying for market share and to grasp rapidly changing demand. PAGE 14
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
HOSPITALITY
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Master Plan
Hot Plate
Industrial Strength
Workplaces across the region are starting to reopen. There are several minefields to be wary of. PAGE 7
T he Ta mpa w a rehou se ma rket, through early May, was riding high. Now brokers are bracing for impact. PAGE 18
New Jersey firm moves headquarters to Westshore. 17 Investor buys east Hillsborough land. 17
PAGE
3 National TV show pours some love on area brewery. Receive the top Business Observer news of the day in your inbox.
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DON’T MISS
The pandemic has put a 30-year Sarasota restaurant veteran in a precarious position. PAGE 10
Luxury senior housing community in Naples sold for $80.4 million. 16