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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
October consumer sentiment tumbles signaling a continued slow economic recovery
Consumer sentiment among Floridians dropped for a third consecutive month in October to 71.3, down 3.6 points from a revised figure of 74.9 in September and down 5 points from the pandemic low recorded in April 2020. All five components that make up the index declined. Floridians’ opinions about their personal finances now compared with a year ago decreased one point from 71.4 to 70.4. Similarly, opinions as to whether this is a good time to buy a major household item like an appliance plummeted 6.5 points from 69.1 to 62.6. More from UF News.
Winter Park firm to lay off more than half of its corporate HQ staff
Winter Park-based Holiday Retirement plans to lay off 77 workers at its corporate headquarters at 631 W. Morse Blvd., according to a Nov. 1 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter to the state of Florida. The layoffs will occur from Dec. 31 to June 30 and are expected to be permanent. More from the Orlando Business Journal.
FIS world headquarters on track for June 2022 completion on downtown Jacksonville Northbank
Global financial technology giant FIS is on schedule to complete construction next year of its new world headquarters on the edge of downtown Jacksonville in the historic Brooklyn neighborhood. The estimated $145 million project includes a 12-story office building and adjacent eight-level parking garage at 347 and 323 Riverside Ave. It's on the Northbank of the St. Johns River. More from the Florida Times-Union.
Florida leaders fight back against robocalls
Florida leaders are fed up with robocalls. According to the Robocall Index, so far in 2021, robocalls have increased by 450 million. Attorney General Ashley Moody is working with attorneys general from across the country to fight back against illegal robocalls. In a consumer alert to Floridians, Attorney General Moody said, “The pandemic changed the way we work, learn and socialize–further popularizing the tools we use to communicate remotely, including cell phones. With this rise in cellphone use, it is no surprise that we are seeing an increase in the number of robocalls targeting Floridians." More from WWSB.
Tampa ranked number one city in livability for military veterans
As National Veterans and Military Families Month kicks off, the City of Tampa has landed at the top of a new list of the best places for veterans to live and work in America. On Monday, the personal-finance website WalletHub released the results of a study that ranked the 100 largest cities in the nation in terms of livability for veterans and their families. More from Bay News 9.
Profile
Chef Kenny Gilbert
Starting a restaurant during a pandemic sounds ill-advised, but it worked out for Jacksonville's Chef Kenny Gilbert. Recently, chef Gilbert celebrated a year in business with Silkies Chicken & Champagne Bar near downtown Jacksonville. It’s an upscale casual concept that features his signature fried chicken, biscuits, and champagne cocktails.
» More from the Florida Times-Unon.
Out of the Box
Coming to Water Street Tampa: A grocery store made entirely of felt
The Vinik Family Foundation brought Tampa Bay an arena full of small plastic balls in 2016 (The Beach Tampa) and artworks made out of Legos in 2017 (The Art of the Brick), immersive arts experiences that were free to the public. On Jan. 20, 2022, the Vinik Family Foundation in partnership with Art Production Fund are presenting a grocery store made completely out of felt artworks by British artist Lucy Sparrow at Water Street Tampa.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.
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