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Five Senate primaries to watch

When they go to the polls Aug. 20, Democratic primary voters in the Orlando area will decide the winner of one Florida Senate seat, while voters in other parts of the state will set the final slate of Senate candidates for the November elections.

The primary elections won’t affect the supermajority that Republicans hold in the Senate. But some Republican and Democratic primaries are drawing big money and big-name endorsements.

Voters have started casting mail-in ballots, and early-voting sites started opening in some areas of the state Monday — and will have to be open statewide on Saturday.

Here are five Senate primaries to watch:

SENATE DISTRICT 7: The Republican primary has drawn a flood of money and endorsements as House Appropriations Chairman Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, former St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar and financial adviser Gerry James seek to represent the heavily Republican district.

Florida farmers will be able to apply for financial relief due to Debby

As Debby skirts up the Atlantic Coast into the Carolinas, Florida is beginning recovery programs for agricultural and aquacultural interests impacted by the tropical blast.

Farmers, ranchers and growers in the Sunshine State can begin applying for low-interest or no-interest loans beginning next week to help pay for damage sustained by Debby as the system plowed through the Florida peninsula.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is helping to organize the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Program. The program offers loans to eligible producers to repair or replace properties that were damaged from winds and rains caused by Debby.

That financial relief could include fences, equipment, greenhouses and other buildings, along with removal of vegetative debris.

After ransomware cyberattack, OneBlood’s computer systems are recovering

OneBlood, Florida’s primary distributor of blood, is able to again move supplies to hospitals but is still recovering from a ransomware attack that shifted the nonprofit into manual operations.

On Sunday, the nonprofit reported that its daily operations are starting to come back online. Although the cyberattack left OneBlood unable to use a digital system, it has been able to collect, process and distribute blood at a hindered capacity as it shifted to manual operations.

“The biggest obstacle in getting blood out the door was moving to manual labeling, although we were still able to get significant amounts out the door,” said Susan Forbes, OneBlood’s vice president of communications.

Labeling operations bore the brunt of the attack, leaving staff to manually register donated blood before moving onto hospital distribution. OneBlood said the process caused hospitals to operate as if there were a shortage of blood, otherwise known as a “blood shortage protocol.”

Lee BIA Builders Care receives $100,000 donation from Lennar

Lee BIA Builders Care, the nonprofit charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA), has received a donation of $100,000 from Lennar’s Southwest Florida Division.

Funds will support the nonprofit in its mission of providing emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners, and their families, who cannot obtain repairs through traditional means in Lee County.

“Lennar is one of our longest-standing community partners and we are so appreciative of their continued support,” said Leigh Cloud, executive director of Lee BIA Builders Care. “This generous gift is one of many incredible examples of their dedication to our organization and the community at-large, and we cannot thank them enough for believing in Builders Care and for their commitment to serving local families in need.”

Lennar first joined forces with Builders Care in 2005 to support a home renovation project for homeowner Michael English, and has been a regular supporter of the nonprofit’s ongoing projects and events. To date, Lennar has donated approximately $500,000 to benefit Lee BIA Builders Care and its mission, in addition to providing hundreds of volunteer hours to support special home renovation projects for families served through Builders Care.