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Sugarcane, Holiday Inn in Miami lay off 165 people
Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered residents to stay home except for essential businesses
The number of layoffs in South Florida’s restaurant and hospitality industries continues to rise as businesses reel from the impacts of Covid-19.
Sugarcane Raw Bar & Grill at 3252 Northeast 1st Avenue in Midtown Miami has closed and laid off 93 workers. The popular restaurant is led by Chef partner Timon Balloo. The restaurant, known for its raw oysters and small plates, said it does not know whether the layoffs will be temporary or permanent, according to a WARN notice filed with the state.
The 200-room Holiday Inn Port of Miami Downtown at 340 Biscayne Boulevard laid off 72 people. It said it expects the layoffs to be temporary, according to its WARN notice.
The Keys Collection, which operates various hotels in Key West, laid off 110 employees. This included at the 100-room Gates Hotel at 3824 North Roosevelt Boulevard and at the 145-room 24 North Hotel at 3820 North Roosevelt Boulevard. It also includes the 141-room Hilton Garden Inn at 3850 North Roosevelt Boulevard and the 133-room Fairfield Inn and Suites at 3852 North Roosevelt Boulevard.
Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order requiring people to stay at home, except for essential businesses. The order followed previous decisions by individual counties and municipalities to close down non-essential businesses. Two weeks ago, Monroe County prohibited tourists from entering the Florida Keys.
The latest layoffs join others in previous weeks, including Brightline, the high-speed train service that runs from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, which said it was laying off 250 employees after it suspended operations, according to a spokesperson. The company is a subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, which is backed by the private equity firm Fortress Investment Group. Daniel Boulud’s French-American restaurant Cafe Boulud in Palm Beach also laid off 99 employees.
The hospitality industry in South Florida has been particularly hit hard. Last week, the 221-room Four Seasons Hotel Miami at 1435 Brickell Avenue furloughed 312 people.