Florida employment figures stay robust after rough hurricane season

Florida’s unemployment rate held at 3.6 percent from October to November, according to numbers released last week by the state Department of Economic Opportunity. The estimated jobless mark, representing a 10-year low, indicates 369,000 Floridians were out of work in November from a workforce of 10.1 million, figures nearly identical to October. More from WFTV and the Gainesville Sun.

See also:
» Rick Scott touts low unemployment, but that doesn’t tell the whole story
» South Florida's unemployment continues decline, but job creation mixed in November

Quick poll:
» Top story impacting Florida business in 2017? (Selections include: Hurricane Irma, robust state economy, influx of citizens from Puerto Rico, and more.)

Dark, desperate life without power in Puerto Rico

Gov. Ricardo Rossello promised in mid October to restore 95 percent of electricity delivery by Dec. 15, but normality remains far off. Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority says its system is generating at 70 percent of normal, but it has no way of knowing how widely electricity is being distributed because the system that measures that isn’t working. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Businesses and research both benefiting from more Florida rocket launches

Overall, 19 rockets have taken off from Florida in 2017, including 13 carrying research or satellites for private industry or NASA. The growth in launches can be a boost for business, too. Businesses from countries around the world have launched satellites from Florida this year. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

'New normal' requires year-round hurricane preparedness mindset in Florida

If we’re entering a “new normal” with more frequent and more powerful hurricanes, then June 1 can no longer be the start of hurricane preparedness season. Getting ready for the next storm is now a year-round vocation. So say a diverse group of experts and advocates behind a renewed hurricane prep awareness program that’s off to a much earlier-than-normal start for next year. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Florida video game developers encounter funding woes

There have been few homegrown financial victories in Central Florida’s video game industry in recent years, despite the region being home to two of the most prestigious schools in the U.S. Video game companies, like other small businesses, must prove to investors that their games will have staying power. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Naples foodservice company names top IT exec [Business Observer]
Innovative Food Holdings, a specialty food company with a presence in the foodservice and consumer markets, named Michael Fabrico chief information officer.

› Southwest Florida International Airport scores more German nonstop flights [Fort Myers News-Press]
This fall, an airline went bust and halted more than two decades of nonstop air service between Fort Myers and Germany. In late spring, Southwest Florida International Airport again will host German nonstop flights – bigger than ever, and featuring service to three cities.

› Port Canaveral cargo business boosted by vehicles, lumber, road material [Florida Today]
Port Canaveral has reached a milestone in its vehicle import business, as it received its first shipment of vehicles from Asia last week. Meanwhile, Port Canaveral showed overall gains in its cargo operations in the fiscal 2017 budget year that ended Sept. 30.

› $25 million so far in Southwest Florida SBA hurricane-related loans [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
More than $25 million in low-interest disaster loans have been approved through the U.S. Small Business Administration for homeowners and businesses in Southwest Florida who suffered damage from Hurricane Irma. They are among the $1 billion in disaster loans authorized statewide for businesses and residents affected by Irma, which struck Florida on Sept. 10.

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› A Florida weekly’s quest to keep local news alive [Salon]
The Weekly Challenger, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary, has so far withstood the test of time, as papers like it across the country have shuttered.

› CSX names Foote president and CEO [Florida Times-Union]
Less than a week after Hunter Harrison’s death, CSX Corp. has named his replacement. James M. Foote is the railroad’s new president and chief executive officer.

› Biologists: Counts of Florida Grasshopper Sparrows Are Low [AP]
Biologists say surveys of endangered Florida grasshopper sparrows in the wild have been discouraging. 40 females and 74 males were counted last year. This year, however, only 22 females and 53 males were counted.

› Orlando airport's ballet puts peaceful spin on holiday rush [Orlando Sentinel]
In the middle of a normally bustling Orlando International Airport, the ballet dancers pirouetted to the music of the Nutcracker. The makeshift stage was set up near a Christmas tree in the atrium, not far from the security lines and the television screens flashing gate numbers.