Florida retailers expect high holiday shopping sales

Tis the season for holiday shopping, and this year is expected to be particularly kind to retailers. The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) says that in spite of the impacts of Hurricane Irma on Florida, there should still be a 3-3.5% increase in sales over 2016, thanks to high consumer confidence, robust housing, a 10-yr low unemployment rate and 100+ million tourists coming to the state. See the news release from FRF here. Also read more at the Tampa Bay Times, the Palm Beach Post, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Florida Trend Exclusive
Pearls of wisdom: A look at oyster bars in Florida

Today, the humble oyster is enjoying the same kind of favor Florida diners bestow on farm-raised beef and vegetables. In addition to locally harvested oysters raked up from bays in the state’s northwest, shellfish arrive in Florida from waters as far away as New England and the wild Pacific Northwest. Read Florida Trend's dining column in full, here.

Space firms focus on potential workforce shortage

The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast found last year that 61.9 percent of all engineers in Brevard were 45 or older, meaning a majority could retire in the next decade or two — and slow innovation. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Date set in Florida-Georgia water wars case

The U.S. Supreme Court has set a Jan. 8 date to hear arguments in Georgia’s ongoing water rights dispute with Florida, in what could be a final round of arguments in an increasingly expensive legal fight that has raged for decades. More from AJC and WABE.

Reality, risk, and rising seas

From tourism to transport, the economy of Florida is anchored in its coastal communities. Today's reality is that the state has to make plans to protect coastal infrastructure and properties from rising seas. The issues are complex and include balancing the rights of property owners with protection of public resources like beaches and estuaries. Florida Sea Grant is at the leading edge of actionable research to help officials and residents make the right decisions for their coastal community. Full story here. [Sponsored report]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Miami has the most people who work for themselves — but they’re not making that much [Miami Herald]
A new report from George Mason University in Washington shows that Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area leads the nation both in growth and in numbers of non-employer firms per capita.

› The Penny Hoarder expands in Pinellas County, expects to create 165 new jobs [Tampa Bay Newspapers]
Kyle Taylor, CEO of The Penny Hoarder announced during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 14 that the company has selected Pinellas County for a major expansion. The St. Petersburg-headquartered company expects to hire 165 new employees by 2020.

› 10 things Florida's Space Coast will do to boost tourism [Florida Today]
A change that took effect this month in how Brevard County's Tourist Development Tax will be allocated means that more money will be available to promote the Space Coast to tourists,

› State seeks end to satellite TV tax fight [CBS 12]
Attorney General Pam Bondi's office has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a challenge to the constitutionality of a state law that sets different tax rates for satellite and cable-television services.

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› Miami’s ‘master of selfies’ mounts a pro-Trump congressional bid [Miami Herald]
Mayra Joli, a Brickell-based immigration attorney and five-time beauty queen who dabbles as a pundit on Spanish-language television, is running without a party affiliation for retiring Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s Miami-based seat.

› Tourists flock to South Florida hotels in October, brush off lingering effects of Hurricane Irma [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
South Florida’s hotels were fuller in October and enjoyed higher room rates than a year ago, a reversal of fortune that could help offset the erosion of tourist traffic caused by Hurricane Irma-related cancellations and refunds.

› Rayonier Advanced Materials completes $870 million acquisition [Florida Times-Union]
Rayonier Advanced Materials has completed its acquisition of a Canadian company, effectively doubling its size. The company had announced its plan in May to acquire Tembec for $807 million.

› Before their budget got whacked, Visit Florida execs ran up hefty travel bills [Times/Herald]
Gov. Rick Scott’s tourism chiefs at Visit Florida spent a lot of public money taking trips to exotic places to promote the state as a top worldwide destination.