March 29, 2024

Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 6/21/2013

Florida unemployment rate falls to 7.1 percent

Florida's May unemployment notched down to 7.1 percent from 7.2 a month ago. The state's job creation machine, however, stalled with the Florida labor force losing 6,200 jobs between April and May. The state is still up 122,500 jobs, or up 1.7 percent, compared to year-ago levels. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Related:
» May unemployment rates down in 25 states


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Tallahassee tung oil

Floridian

Tung oil was first produced in the United States in Tallahassee 100 years ago, derived from the fruit of seedlings brought from China by a U.S. ambassador. Over the following three decades, tung trees became regional insignia and tung nut oil became an industry, used for wood finishes, inks, paints, skin balm and other products.

» Read more

Close to completing its ,ission, what’s next for the CRA?

Coming up on the completion of several decades-long redevelopment projects, the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency is at a crossroads for its next step. As its projects have become more intertwined and the agency has taken on more holistic district planning efforts. [Source: North Central Florida Business Report]


Small Business Administration increases size standards for 70 industries

Size standards define the maximum size a firm can be and still be considered a small business. The revised standards reflect changes in marketplace conditions and public comments that SBA received to the proposed rules. New size standards will enable more businesses in these sectors to obtain or retain small business status; will give federal agencies a larger pool of small businesses from which to choose for their procurement programs; and will make more small businesses eligible for SBA’s loan programs. [Source: SBA]


» FRIDAY PREVIEW: Coming next week to FloridaTrend.com:

  • Legal Elite 10th Anniversary Edition: In this 10th Anniversary edition, we are pleased to report that the legal profession in Florida remains vibrant with new practice areas represented in Legal Elite, increased statewide voting and a 43% increase in the number of firms with Legal Elite attorneys.
  • Source Outdoor: Manufacturing can still be done profitably in Miami — at least on a small scale with a focus on custom pieces and fast turnaround.

» You'll find all these stories first on the Daily and Afternoon Pulse e-mails.


Out of the Box
Coffitivity

coffee shopPulling up a seat at your favorite coffee shop may be the most efficient way to write a paper or finish a work project. But now a new Web site lets you bring the coffee shop to your cubicle. The site, called Coffitivity, was inspired by recent research showing that the whoosh of espresso machines and caffeinated chatter typical of most coffee shops creates just the right level of background noise to stimulate creativity. The Web site, which is free, plays an ambient coffee shop soundtrack that, according to researchers, helps people concentrate.

» Full story from the New York Times

Tags: Daily Pulse

In case you missed it:

Florida Trend Video Pick

Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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