ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 74,000 Floridians applied for unemployment benefits last week, a tenfold increase from the previous week, as the spread of the novel coronavirus shut down the state's theme parks and visitors stayed away from its hotels and airports, officials said Thursday.
The extraordinary jump in unemployment benefits applications came the same week that the largest theme park resorts in Florida — Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa — closed their gates and emptied their hotels, cruise lines halted trips and Gov.
Ron DeSantis suspended on-premise food and alcohol consumption at Florida restaurants and bars. Disney World and Universal Orlando promised to pay workers during the two weeks they