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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Why Florida's bees are starving
Florida's beekeepers are still feeling the impacts of Hurricane Ian now more than two months later. According to Greater Good Charities, the storm decimated at least 100,000 hives, and beekeepers said hives are continuing to dwindle because queen bees rattled by the storm aren't laying as many eggs as usual. "It's been pretty desperate because more hives are still dying out," Joe Studier with Studier Apiaries said. "The bees didn't really know how to react. They were like the people. It was just devastating to them." More from WTVT and CNN.
Universal Orlando Foundation gives $1 million to Orlando charities
Thanks to Universal Orlando Foundation grants totaling over $1 million, 30 charitable organizations across Central Florida are making plans to do even more for the community this holiday season and beyond. On Thursday, the foundation awarded a total of $1,035,000 in varying amounts to local organizations advocating for homeless populations, underserved students, LGBTQ+ youth, seriously ill children and others. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Tampa independent book publisher sees big opportunities in industry
Tampa entrepreneur Vid Lamonte Buggs is growing a book publishing business, even as the industry continues to move rapidly away from paper-printed books. Buss has to conpete against both industry giants like Amazon and Penguin Random House while also battling industry shifts to ebooks and audiobooks. He plans to buy a printer business in Fort Lauderdale in 2023. More from the Business Observer.
Northeast Florida single-family monthly home sales fall 26.7% in November
Considered a traditional seasonal slowdown, a dampening of volatility and a storm reaction, the number of single-family housing sales that closed in November fell 26.7% from October and 43.9% from the previous year in Northeast Florida. The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors said there were 1,367 closings in November in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties. That compares with 1,866 closings in October 2022 and 2,435 in November 2021. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Palm Beach County set to close 2022 with near record low unemployment
Palm Beach County's labor market is set to close out 2022 with an unemployment rate well under 3%, and close to a record set last April, defying the more restrained forecasts from a year ago. "We've been really encouraged with what we've seen through the year here. Frankly, it's better than many of us thought so that's a good thing," said Tom Veenstra, vice president of administration at CareerSource Palm Beach County. More from the Palm Beach Post.
Event
AKC dog show in Orlando this weekend: Competitors prepare to test their canine’s abilities
Owners and dogs of all shapes and sizes are gearing up for the AKC National Championship in Orlando, which provides myriad tests of canine agility, obedience and conformation to breed standards. The showcase features more than 9,000 dogs from 50 states and 22 countries across all events Dec. 16-18 at Orange County Convention Center. One particular event designed to showcase a dog’s speed kicks off early as the AKC Fast Cat Invitational starts with time trials on Dec. 13.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Rising Executives
Growth Management: LaShawn Bates
LaShawn Bates took over in May as market director for North and Central Florida for commercial real estate firm JLL. Her task, she says, is straightforward: “My goal is to double the revenue every four to five years and continue to make JLL a great place to work.” JLL does commercial real estate brokerage, property management and construction services. Bates’ market, stretching from Fort Myers to the Tampa Bay region,
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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