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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
New unemployment applications in Florida unexpectedly increase. Here’s what that means
For the week ending Oct. 3, new filings increased to 40,200, from 32,373 the week before. So-called continuing claims, or the number of workers who collected unemployment for at least two consecutive weeks, fell from 373,194 to 273,985 — though this may have been a sign that some workers may simply be exhausting their 12 weeks of state benefits. [Source: Miami Herald]
Miami-Dade is one storm away from a housing catastrophe. Nearly 1M people are at risk
As the tail end of one of the most active hurricane seasons in history nears, Miami-Dade County appears once again poised to emerge unscathed. The region dodged hurricanes and tropical storms that posed a potential threat to South Florida. But what will happen when our luck runs out? Housing advocates have long feared that the city is one storm away from disaster; nearly a third of all housing structures in Miami-Dade County built before 1990 are at risk of wind damage, mold contamination and even complete devastation from a hurricane. [Source: InsuranceNewsNet]
Are Floridians better off than they were four years ago?
Shortly before the 1980 election, Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan urged voters to ask themselves a simple question that became a bombshell: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” The answer soon became clear that Americans felt they weren’t better off, and Reagan ousted President Jimmy Carter by winning all but six states and the District of Columbia. Challengers have asked this question of incumbents ever since. So how would Floridians answer it in 2020? Most economic measures show that the Sunshine State is broadly worse off today than it was in early 2017, when President Donald Trump took office. The obvious culprit is the novel coronavirus, which has exacted a toll even in a state that has been more aggressive than most in trying to reopen the economy. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Justices look again at high-stakes marijuana case
In a case that could have a dramatic impact on the state’s pot industry, the Florida Supreme Court made the unusual move Wednesday of hearing a second round of arguments in a challenge to a state law aimed at implementing a constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana. Tampa-based Florigrown LLC is challenging the 2017 law, which created a regulatory structure for the state’s medical marijuana industry. Florigrown, whose owners include prominent strip-club operator Joe Redner, alleges that the law improperly carries out the amendment. [Source: WUFT]
Tourism is waning but construction is booming in central Florida
Thousands of workers in Central Florida, primarily at the theme parks, have lost their jobs in recent weeks. While the tourism industry in Central Florida is struggling, another is booming and, more importantly, hiring. In the last six months more than 2,300 homes built in 2019 have sold in Orange and Seminole counties. New development is still happening, and some companies are hiring to keep up with the demand. The housing market and job market in Central Florida couldn’t be more opposite right now. [Source: Spectrum News 13]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› 'A historic year for gun sales': Florida background checks surge amid pandemic, protests [Palm Beach Post]
Gun dealers credit the surge to the coronavirus pandemic and this summer's street protests. Many purchasers are buying guns for the first time.
› Florida reports 3,306 new cases of COVID-19, 170 deaths [WKMG]
Florida has seen increase in cases for three days straight. State health officials have always maintained that virus fatalities are often delayed in being reported to the FDOH, with some deaths not reported for a month or more.
› UCF graduate students land NASA awards to recreate conditions found on asteroids and comets in a lab [UCF]
Two UCF physics students just landed two NASA awards that are giving the pair the opportunity to recreate the harsh cosmic conditions found on asteroids and comets in a lab at UCF.
› Commissioner Nikki Fried proclaims ‘Malnutrition Awareness Week' in Florida [WWSB]
Agriculture Commissioner, Nikki Fried issued a cabinet proclamation recognizing Oct. 5 to Oct. 9 as Malnutrition Awareness Week in Florida.
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