5A – Identifying Local Opportunities

1) Local vape shops lose profits due to recent tobacco law

https://www.alligator.org/news/local-vape-shops-lose-profits-due-to-recent-tobacco-law/article_6033000a-42d4-11ea-bd9f-4f3ed2b963e4.html

Months ago, a law was implemented in Alachua County to raise the minimum to purchase cigarettes and vape-related products from 18 to 21. Shortly after, a similar law was put into place nationwide by the President. As a result of these recent changes, vape shops are reporting a decline in their customers and profits. These stores are reporting as losing up to 40 percent of their customers and lower wages are being paid to employees.

The problem is that the local vape shops and businesses are seeing massive drops in their customers and profits because of a law that affects a key age group.

This problem affects the vape shop owners and workers as well as the former 18-20 year old customers. Vape shops will have to find ways to target a new primary customer base and increase sales. The 18-20 year olds who once could regularly purchase their own tobacco and vape products are probably going to find illicit ways to continue to buy and use them.
 

2) Female inmates at Coleman infected with Legionnaires’
https://www.ocala.com/news/20200130/female-inmates-at-coleman-infected-with-legionnaires

The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Florida Department of Health are investigating the cause of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at a women’s federal prison in Sumter County. As many as a dozen inmates have been admitted to the hospital to seek treatment for the disease. Legionnaires’, a severe type of pneumonia, is commonly spread through the aspiration of water containing the disease-causing bacteria. Other inmates as well as their families have claimed that the deterioration of the facilities contributed to the outbreak.

The problem is with the prison officials. They have not effectively taken care of the prison’s facilities which the inmates have reported complaints of mold and sewage spills.

This problem affects the inmates at the prison. On top of living in awful conditions, they are being exposed to a serious disease. Fortunately, none of infected inmates have died from the disease.
 

3) Lucky’s Market closing all but one Florida store
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-luckys-closing-florida-20200121-jc5uva7oirg3nb2gp4oasgxusm-story.html

Lucky’s Market, a regional supermarket chain, is closing all of their stores in Florida except for the store in West Melbourne. After being invested by Kroger in 2016, the chain’s stores were reported to have not being sustainable due to underperforming and financial troubles that would lead them to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

The problem is that Lucky’s Market is not able to sustain its business and has to close most of their stores. Lucky’s tried to compete against the likes of supermarket giants such as Publix, Aldi, and Whole Foods and wasn’t effective.

This problem affects the entire company. Their stores will close and ultimately be bought by the big brand name grocery stores as mentioned before. The employees will also be affected because they will be losing their jobs.

4) Students, staff may have been exposed to Hepatitis A at a Citrus County school

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-citrus-hernando/students-staff-may-have-been-exposed-to-hepatitis-a-at-citrus-county-school

A Citrus County primary school sent a letter home to parents stating that someone that had been on school grounds tested positive for Hepatitis A. As students and staff could’ve come in contact with this virus, the letter urged vaccinations.

The problem is that somebody who tested positive for Hep A came in contact with a school with young children where it can be easily transmitted.

This problem affects everyone at the school who are at-risk of becoming infected but also the parents of the children who’ll worry about their kids’ health and have to get them vaccinated.

 5) Gainesville ranks among top cities in country for cases of STDs
https://www.alligator.org/news/gainesville-ranks-among-top-cities-in-country-for-cases-of/article_a9329c42-3ce5-11ea-8273-ab9d4cbb9e51.html

Recent study shows that Gainesville is among the top cities in the United States for reported cases of STDs. According to the article, Gainesville ranks nearly in the top 50 in the country for STDs per 100,000 people. The two most common STDs that are prevalent in Gainesville are Chlamydia and Gonorrhea.

The problem is the rise in STD cases being reported in Gainesville. With Gainesville being a college town and UF offering many health resources, the numbers are bound to rise in STD cases reported compared to other regular cities.

This problem affects Gainesville residents, more specifically UF students as they are going to have to take more precautions in order to protect themselves from STDs.