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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida jobless rate dips as state adds nearly 30,000 jobs
Florida is leading the nation in job growth. New figures released Friday show the state added 29,600 jobs in May. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that's the highest raw total in the country.
The state's unemployment rate dropped to 4.3 percent in May, a slight decline from April's rate of 4.5 percent. Florida's unemployment rate is now even with the national rate. More from the AP. The report from Gov. Scott's office, which touts private-sector jobs, is here.
JEA looks at land swap to build new headquarters downtown near Duval courthouse
JEA is attempting to work out a land swap deal that would allow it to build a new headquarters in downtown Jacksonville. As it stands, the JEA headquarters, located on West Church Street in Downtown, is in need of extensive updates. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show signs long-term lease with Bahia Mar
The 30-year lease extension with the Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel & Yachting Center will keep the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the world's largest in-water yachting and boating exhibition, at the property through 2050. More from Exhibitor Online.
Florida class of '15 fares well in job market, study finds
A new study that followed the outcomes of university students in Florida who earned bachelor's degrees in 2015 shows that more than 90 percent of students were working within one year of graduation, with full-time employees earning a median salary of $39,100. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
50 percent chance Gulf of Mexico will see tropical cyclone after the weekend
There remains a 50 percent chance that a tropical cyclone will form in the Gulf of Mexico during the next five days, the National Hurricane Center said Friday. The area is one of two that are being watched by forecasters. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Miami Herald.
Around the State
The right track
When word leaked in January that Hunter Harrison was seeking the CEO’s spot at CSX, the railroad company’s market value jumped by $8 billion. Harrison, who got the job in March, had developed a reputation in the industry for an efficiency-oriented concept called “precision scheduled railroading” that he implemented as CEO at three other railroad companies.
Trade
The strange story of the first Cuban import in half a century
On January 24 of this year, two containers of artisanal charcoal arrived aboard a ship to the Port Everglades in Florida. It was just a test run; the charcoal was valued at just $17,000 and would be sold online. But most of that money would flow back to Cuban co-operatives, not to the government. Symbolically, it meant a lot.
» Read more from Politico.
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