5A – Identifying Local Opportunities

Title: Esports, startups plan for major push in 2019
Description of story: Orlando city leaders, universities, and affluent businesses are attempting to turn Orlando into a major hub for the world’s premier competitive gaming location. Companies like the NBA’s Orlando Magic, Electronic Arts (EA), and Full Sail University are creating massive esport arenas to appeal to gaming companies looking for event locations.
Description of problem: Many other cities, like Las Vegas and Los Angeles have had esport arenas built and used for years now, so the shift from these cities to Orlando will be a difficult task without heavy capital investment and marketing.
Description of who has the problem: The pressure lies most on the Orlando Magic’s Amway Center gaming overhaul, as well as Full Sail University’s investment in “The Fortress,” a 500-seat gaming arena. The task of marketing central Florida as the location for gaming will be a challenge.


Title: Oasis of the Seas' outbreak among worst
Description of story: About 600 people were hit with a gastrointestinal virus halfway through their vacation on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. It was the second-largest outbreak on a cruise in the last decade. The specific disease that infected the passengers is still under investigation by the Center for Disease Control.
Description of problem: This virus has become a PR nightmare for Royal Caribbean, as the cruise line is responsible for the food, water, and sanitation of their passengers. Additionally, all cabin crew live where they work, so crew members are the most likely to be hit with viruses while on board.
Description of who has the problem: The biggest victims in this case are definitely the passengers. Royal Caribbean has a responsibility to keep the ship clean and virus-free. Additionally, no lawyers will take a case against a large corporation like RC, and the cruise line has not yet decided if they want to refund the passengers’ money.


Title: Food banks worry as shutdown nears 1-month mark
Description of story: One month into the partial government shutdown, Orlando-area food banks are seeing a 60% increase in food requests. President and CEO of the Second Harvest Food Bank, Dave Khrepo, attributes this enormous influx of demand to the thousands of unpaid government workers who cannot afford to put food on the table.
Description of problem: These smaller food banks in the Orlando area simply cannot keep up with the demand increase after the government shutdown.
Description of who has the problem: Both the small food banks and the furloughed or unpaid federal workers are the biggest victims in this situation.



Title: 2,200 Florida teacher jobs remain unfilled
Description of story: We’re halfway through the school year, and more than 2,200 teacher positions are left to be filled across Florida’s public school systems. Cathy Boehme, a legislative specialist, urged leaders to push for more teacher funding to make teaching in Florida more appealing.
Description of problem: The underfunding of teachers in Florida is leading to people taking other, better-paying jobs instead of teaching.
Description of who has the problem: Students are the ones who deal with the burden of a lack of qualified, skilled teachers. Instead, they deal more with temps and substitute teachers who are unable to lead a year-long curriculum.


Title: Lawmakers, cultural leaders confront legislature for arts funds
Description of story: During a town hall forum, art advocates called on the Florida Legislature to fully fund $61 million in arts grants for the state. Last year, only 5% of those grants were funded.
Description of problem: Because of this lack of funding, Florida dropped to 48th in the country in terms of per-capita arts funding. In 2014, Florida was 10th. Arts leaders cited a study done by Americans for the Arts that stated that for every dollar funded by the state government, it led to a $9 economic boost.
Description of who has the problem: Struggling artists in Florida are taking the brunt of this clash, as they are not able to receive the proper funding to pursue their careers.



Comments

  1. Kailey CampbellJanuary 23, 2019 at 6:02 PM

    I've had a few teachers while in grade school leave because they were offered a higher paying job that takes them to another career. It's sad because you want to be happy for them but at the same time they've helped you so much and you don't want them to be replaced. If teachers were paid how much they deserved, we wouldn't have to worry about bad replacements. This is a great idea and one I wished I thought of as I completed this assignment!

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