Florida election 2022: how to go vote, what’s on your ballot

If you haven’t voted yet, Tuesday is it. Election Day will decide Florida’s next governor, its next U.S. senator, more than two dozen congressional races and so much more. Voters planning to vote in person on Election Day must cast their ballot at their designated precinct by 7 p.m. If you’re planning to vote by mail, it’s too late to have a ballot delivered to your supervisor of elections via the postal service. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Hurricane watch issued for Florida east coast as Subtropical Storm Nicole projected to transform and grow

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for Florida’s east coast from the Brevard-Volusia county line south to Hallandale Beach as Subtropical Storm Nicole formed Monday morning in the Atlantic Ocean with a projected path predicted to bring it toward the state by Wednesday night as hurricane. While classified now as subtropical with a massive wind field with 40 mph winds out as far as 275 miles, the forecast predicts it will transition to a tropical system with a more defined eye with higher wind speeds around the eye at the center of its circulation. More from the  Orlando Sentinel and the Miami Herald.

Florida Trend Exclusive
Black and Hispanic women running for office are shaking up Florida's political landscape

Florida’s trendlines are important as the nation’s third-largest state by population and one of its most ethnically diverse, especially among younger generations. Political experts look to Florida as a harbinger of the nation’s more multiethnic, multiracial future. Nearly half of women candidates running for major state or federal office in Florida are women of color. [Source: Florida Trend]

Florida Bar survey examines wages, profitability, and hourly rates

Net income for the typical Florida lawyer rose by $25,000 over the past four years to an average of $125,000, according to The Florida Bar’s 2022 Economics and Law Office Management Survey. Florida lawyers in private practice also reported spending an average 50 hours each week in the office and billing for 27 of those hours. Thirty-five percent of respondents report that their profitability increased over the past two years, and 37% expect to see an increase in business in the next two years. [Source: Florida Bar]

Florida workers’ comp agency sets workshop for rules on exempt officers

The Florida Division of Workers Compensation will hold a workshop Nov. 16 on proposed changes to rules that govern when and how corporate officers can exempt themselves from workers’ compensation coverage. Current rules mandate that only those businesses organized under state law requirements will qualify as corporations that can issue certificates allowing officers to exempt themselves from comp requirements. [Source: Insurance Journal]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Downtown Orlando hotels see 2022 business spike [Orlando Business Journal]
Downtown Orlando's hotels are riding the same wave that is driving the region beyond the ongoing affects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Metrics such as hotel room occupancy and average daily room rates are on the rise across the region, with the downtown sector pulling its weight with double-digit growth year-to-date.

› Operation BBQ Relief delivers over 860K meals in Florida after hurricane [WDAF]
After 37 days in southwest Florida, Operation BBQ Relief is returning home having reached an incredible milestone. When Hurricane Ian hit Florida, organizations from across the country made their way down to help those impacted by the storm. Operation BBQ Relief provided 865,403 meals to Floridians in those 37 days. Those meals also helped the organization surpass 10 million meals provided in its history.

› University of Tampa announces major Morsani family gift for honors college [Tampa Bay Times]
The University of Tampa on Monday announced a donation from local philanthropists Frank and Carol Morsani, calling it one of the largest gifts in school history. The funds will be used to benefit the honors college, the school said. A spokesperson said the private university’s policy is to not disclose gift amounts.

› Political campaign-sign recycling project grows from Volusia to Seminole, Orange counties [Daytona Beach News Journal]
Here's a thought as Tuesday's midterm election reaches its frenzied conclusion: The next time you drive past a patch of political yard signs, in a matter of weeks, many of them will be reduced to a recyclable resin. A sign reuse project that started in Volusia County in 2018 has now expanded to Seminole and Orange counties, and this year will involve an Orlando-based company that claims to clean and transform signs into material that can then be used to make new signs — or food containers, carpet, auto parts, anything made of polypropylene (plastic No. 5).

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› Tampa Bay Lightning CEO tapped as grand marshal of classic-car festival [Business Observer]
Classic-car enthusiasts will want to mark Dec. 3 on their calendars — that’s the date of the third-annual Gasparilla Concours d’Elegance, an event that celebrates a century’s worth of automotive excellence. Held at TPC Tampa Bay Golf Course in Lutz, Gasparilla Concours d’Elegance, which also includes a fashion show on Dec. 2 and a tour of historic Tampa Bay on Dec. 4 — has become a fan favorite of car enthusiasts from near and far, including Tampa Bay Lightning CEO Steve Griggs, who’s been named grand marshal of the 2022 event.

› Wish list: Here’s where people want future Florida Brightline train stations [Orlando Business Journal]
Orlando Business Journal readers selected a variety of cities as where they would want Brightline to consider for future expansion. The Miami-based intercity rail system is nearing completion on its 170-mile expansion from West Palm Beach, which would connect the system's south Florida stations to Orlando International Airport.

› Volunteers in Medicine marks 20th anniversary [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Volunteers in Medicine recently began a yearlong celebration of its 20th anniversary. Founded by Dottie Dorion and Dr. Jim Burt, its mission is to provide health care to working uninsured patients in need. It serves those who would find a medical bill a budget buster. Over two decades it has provided primary care, specialty care and education for more than 76,500 patients.

› Clearwater auto loan company to lay off 137 after defaulting on credit [Tampa Bay Times]
Clearwater subprime auto loan company Nicholas Financial will close 34 of its 36 branches and lay off 137 employees after defaulting on its credit and undergoing a major financial restructuring. The company disclosed the changes in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Nov. 3 and 4.