Florida jobless claims remain low

First-time unemployment claims in Florida continued a downward trend, with fewer claims recorded last week than during any non-holiday shortened week since Hurricane Ian hit the state in September. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday released a report that estimated 5,034 claims were filed in Florida during the week that ended Feb. 25, down from a revised count of 5,353 during the week that ended Feb. 18. Florida has averaged 5,677 claims over the past four weeks. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Business Beat - Week of March 3rd

Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

Which books are allowed? Varied interpretations of Florida law lead to confusion at schools

School districts in Florida are taking wildly varying approaches to a Republican-backed law for “curriculum transparency” signed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The law, HB 1467, requires districts to catalog every book on their shelves and put a formal review process in place for complaints. “Every district is interpreting it all differently,” said Jen Cousins, cofounder of the Florida Freedom to Read project, a nonprofit that opposes censorship in public schools. “That’s where all the problems are coming in.” [Source: Gainesville Sun]

Audit: Florida made Medicaid payments for patients also enrolled in other states

A recent report from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General showed that Florida had made Medicaid payments on behalf of thousands of residents who were also enrolled in Medicaid programs in other states. Managed care organizations in Florida are paid by the state for services they make available to eligible Medicaid enrollees, an expense that is paid monthly by the state at a fixed rate. [Source: The Center Square]

Pot initiative tops 420,000 signatures

Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow recreational use of marijuana have submitted more than 420,000 valid petition signatures to the state, nearly half the total needed to get on the 2024 ballot. The Florida Division of Elections had received 420,072 valid signatures from the political committee Smart & Safe Florida as of Wednesday, according to the division’s website. The committee would need to submit at least 891,589 signatures to get on the ballot. [Source: News Service of Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› UF campus in West Palm Beach: Is it back on? Jeff Greene says he's willing to compromise [Gainesville Sun]
A once-kumbaya plan to bring a bustling University of Florida campus to West Palm Beach looked kaput Tuesday when the state’s flagship school groused about “regrettable divisions” in the community that almost certainly stem from a fuss over naming rights. But the self-made Palm Beach billionaire at the center of the fray said he still wants to bring a campus to downtown, is meeting with new UF President Ben Sasse this month and is willing to compromise to get a deal done.

› The murder count in Miami is trending. Probably not in the direction you think [Miami Herald]
In the first two months of this year there have been just four homicides in the city of Miami — a historically low and probably unsustainable pace but also part of a long and often overlooked trend. Miami may never shake its deadly Cocaine Cowboys reputation in some quarters but — at least judging by the murder count — the city is far less dangerous than it was decades ago.

› Rents stay high, but Orlando apartments get bigger, study says [Orlando Sentinel]
Rents in Orlando aren’t coming down, according to the latest report, but another new study shows apartment renters are getting more space for their buck. The median asking rent in metro Orlando was $2,109 per month in January, down less than a percent from December and up 4% year-over-year, according to Rent.com. That includes rents from Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. But renters may be happy to learn they live in some of the biggest apartments in the country, collectively speaking.

› Port Tampa Bay is seeing an increase in both cargo trade and cruise passengers [WUSF]
The COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted multiple industries across the country. With worldwide shutdowns, the nation's ports saw noticeable declines in cargo, while cruise lines saw their guest population virtually disappear. But the recovery continues at both the state and local level. While cargo traffic at Florida’s 16 seaports is slightly ahead of pre-pandemic numbers, Port Tampa Bay commissioners say that they have not only surpassed pre-pandemic trade numbers, but they're looking at even great expansion.

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› Service at failing level on major Miami Beach roadways [Miami Today]
Along with resolutions to try to mitigate Miami Beach traffic congestion, city officials are urging Miami-Dade County to expedite review of traffic light synchronization along major corridors including Collins Avenue, the MacArthur Causeway and Alton Road that now operate at a failing level of service. That failing grade, said Jose Gonzalez, city transportation and mobility director, takes into account traffic speed, volume of cars and density in a highway.

› Orlando makes it tougher than most metro areas to park the car and walk, study says [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando ranks as almost the worst metro area in the nation for walking, a report says. The region already is deemed especially dangerous for pedestrians. But the report, Foot Traffic Ahead, finds that Central Florida also makes it harder than dozens of other metro areas to park the car and walk a reasonable distance for work, groceries, lunch out, a haircut and much of living life.

› Tampa tourism agency makes most of Rays’ stay in Orlando [Business Observer]
The Tampa Bay Rays’ traditional spring training home, Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, is still out of commission because of damage from Hurricane Ian, so the team has been forced to get creative with how and where it prepares for the 2023 Major League Baseball season, which officially gets underway on March 30.

› Rising mortgage rates hit Fidelity earnings [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Fidelity National Financial Inc.’s earnings dropped in 2022 as rising mortgage rates slowed demand for its main business of title insurance. In the Jacksonville-based company’s year-end conference call Feb. 23, CEO Mike Nolan said Fidelity was still able to maintain a strong profit margin in the title business in part by reducing expenses, including cutting jobs in its field offices.