Summer tourism decline in Florida: Local businesses feel the impact
Tourism experts note that while the number of visitors to Florida appears to be steady, there has been a noticeable difference in the types of tourists arriving. Traditionally, summer in Florida has been a bustling period with a peak in tourist numbers, but the lack of an influx during this critical period has raised questions about the state’s current tourism dynamics. [Source: Travel and Tour World]
Hurricane survivors turn to nonprofits for help. They’re struggling, too.
Nearly a year after the worst hurricane season in a century, many nonprofits across the Tampa Bay area are still struggling alongside the community members they serve. In St. Petersburg alone, more than 80 groups reported $31 million in storm-related damages. Some lost office equipment from rising floodwaters. Others lost perishable food meant to be distributed to at-need communities when the storms knocked out the power grid. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
How self-driving cars are changing car accident claims in Florida
Self-driving cars are becoming more common on Florida roads, creating new challenges in car accident claims. These vehicles rely on complex technology like cameras and sensors, shifting the focus of liability from human drivers to software, manufacturers, or service providers. As a result, who is responsible in an accident involving a self-driving car is often more complicated than traditional claims. [Source: AZ Big Media]
There are two Atlantic systems besides Erin. Will either affect Florida?
Hurricane Erin’s not the only severe weather business happening in the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center’s also watching two disturbances. A tropical wave near the Cabo Verdie Islands has the potential to develop into a problem for Florida, but any such problems likely remain over a week away. [Source: Florida Keys News]
Universal says Epic Universe’s economic impact is … well, epic
Universal’s Epic Universe is expected to generate a $2 billion impact in its first year open in Florida, the company said. Epic Universe’s construction created 65,000 jobs. The first year Epic is open will add another 17,500 jobs in operations. Epic Universe’s three new hotels add another 2,000 hotel rooms, which is projected to generate $13 million more in tax revenue for Orange County via the county’s 6% hotel tax, otherwise known as the tourist development tax. [Source: Florida Politics]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› 'Super inflated': Skyrocketing Tallahassee housing prices worry Chamber conference crowd
The meat of this year's Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Conference came from the workshops and bombshell stats dropped throughout the first full day. The Tallahassee housing crunch, including the skyrocketing cost to buy a home, left many in shock and wondering what could be done to help their neighbors' achieve the American Dream of home ownership in Florida's capital city.
› Education, health jobs grow in Southwest Florida
The Cape Coral–Fort Myers metro area’s education and health services sector added 2,000 jobs over the year in July, while the Naples–Marco Island area added 900 jobs, according to data from the Florida Department of Commerce. The Cape Coral–Fort Myers private sector employment rose by 1,600 jobs, or 0.6%, and Naples–Marco Island’s employment increased by 1,200 jobs, or 0.8%.
› Apopka bought Camp Wewa to save it. Can the city afford to run it?
In August 2021 the leaders of Apopka voted to buy the much-loved 100-year-old Camp Wewa to save it from being razed by a developer for another residential subdivision. But since paying $4.72 million to YMCA of Central Florida for the 70-acre idyllic playground in northwest Orange County, the city has spent $3.62 million on camp improvements and operations while generating less than a million dollars in revenue over a four-year period. Now City Council members find themselves debating the future of the facility.
› Florida awards 8,700 law enforcement bonuses
Florida awarded more than 8,700 recruitment bonuses to new law enforcement officers through its Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program, Governor Ron DeSantis announced. The $5,000 after-tax bonuses, distributed since the program’s 2022 launch, have totaled more than $58 million, with 1,900 officers relocating from 49 states and two territories.
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› ‘Get by on so little.’ Survey details artists’ financial struggles in Miami-Dade
Artists for Artists: Miami, a nonprofit advocating for local artists, launched the survey in October following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $32 million veto of arts funding from the state budget. From Oct. 1 through Jan. 31, the team disseminated the questionnaire through social media call-outs, local art events and contacting the county’s Department of Cultural Affairs. Nine months later, they got 443 responses, leaving many “shocked and surprised by how artists continue to get by on so little,” said said Misael Soto, an artist and self-described “chief instigator” behind the census.
› Northeast Florida unemployment rate unchanged at 4.2% in July
Jacksonville’s unemployment rate remained at a post-coronavirus pandemic high in July with continued slow job growth, the Florida Department of Commerce reported Aug. 15. The jobless rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties was 4.2% last month, unchanged from June. The June and July rates were the highest for Northeast Florida since it was 4.3% in August 2021.
› Seminole banks on new door-to-door service being better than Lynx
When Seminole County launches its new on-demand microtransit service this fall, riders will pay higher fares — more than double in some cases — for a trip in a minivan than they do for a Lynx bus ride, county documents show. Despite the higher costs, county officials are banking that riders will want to spend more to avoid walking to a bus stop and waiting outside for a Lynx bus that will take them to limited places. The new Scout door-to-door service will pick riders up at their homes or offices and take them nearly anywhere in the county.
› Suncoast Waterkeeper to offer free water testing for 'forever chemicals' in North Port
Suncoast Waterkeeper is launching a free water testing program in the city, designed to raise awareness about the presence of “forever chemicals” in water. Those chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS for short, are artificial compounds used in everyday products ranging from non-stick cookware and water-resistant clothing to fast-food packaging. Those substances don’t break up in the environment and can accumulate in the human body over time.