Florida housing market takes December hit, rebound projected for 2024

December brought a cooldown in the housing market in Florida with the end of the year and the onset of winter, but analysts project 2024 will bring a notable rebound. The “Elliman Report” analyzed housing contract data for the largest home sale markets in Florida based upon data provided by real estate associations, brokers and other factors from the multiple listing systems. Still, high-priced housing did well in 2023. It was the one sector that saw few negatives. [Source: Florida Politics]

Business Beat - Week of January 5th

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

Following national trends, Florida is seeing a spike in COVID driven by JN.1 variant

For the fourth year in a row, the holidays have brought an increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations to Florida. This trend can be seen throughout the nation, with the new COVID variant JN.1 driving the surge. As of Dec. 22, the Centers for Disease Control reported that JN.1 — a descendent of the Omicron substrain BA.2.86, which hit the U.S. during the summer — made up 44.2% of all COVID cases in the country. [Source: Florida Today]

Dozens of local elected officials in Florida have quit. What now?

Dozens of local elected officials across Florida have abruptly left office in the last few weeks. Why? Because as of Jan. 1, they would have been required to disclose their finances in detail the way state and county officials, including the governor, have had to for years. A change to the Ethics Commission laws last year added city and municipal elected officials to the list of government employees who have to fill out something called Form 6, which requires personal finance disclosure to the dollar. [Source: Gainesville Sun]

Questions swirl around fantasy sports

As the Seminole Tribe offers online sports betting in Florida, a dispute over fantasy sports is heating up amid efforts by gambling regulators to rein in companies accused of operating potentially illegal betting games. The Florida Gaming Control Commission in September sent cease-and-desist letters to three fantasy sports operators, threatening legal action if the sites didn’t immediately stop. [Source: News Service of Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› South Florida sees bump in migrant landings. Is another seasonal surge coming? [Miami Herald]
Groups of desperate people fleeing Cuba have landed at least twice this week in the Florida Keys — the latest seasonal uptick of migrants willing to risk their lives in rickety vessels for a shot at freedom in the United States. But, for now at least, arrivals in December and the first days of January are down dramatically from the previous holiday season when so many people poured in.

› Sarasota-Bradenton ranks high among U.S. Growth Cities of 2023 [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The Sarasota-Bradenton market has once again cracked the top tier in a national ranking, this time taking the No. 4 spot for fast growth according to a list by U-Haul, one of the country's most well-known moving and storage companies. North Port ranked 13th on U-Haul's Growth Index.

› JAX Chamber announces 2024 Small Business Leaders of the Year [Jacksonville Daily Record]
The JAX Chamber has announced its 2024 Small Business Leaders of the Year. The leaders were selected by the Chamber Councils, the Beaches Division, NextUp JAX and Venture Services. One of the 11 business leaders will be named the overall 2024 Small Business Leader of the Year during a breakfast reception Feb. 14.

› Tampa FitOn Health CEO joins fitness group to ring Nasdaq opening bell [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa executive Ed Buckley, CEO of FitOn Health, was in New York City Thursday morning along with leaders of some of the nation’s top fitness and wellness companies to help ring Nasdaq’s opening bell, which marks the opening of the stock market. Nasdaq had fitness industry publication Athletech News founder and CEO Edward Hertman ring Thursday’s bell, a tradition spotlighting impactful companies and industries across the country.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Is ULA for sale? Reports swirl as crews prep for Monday's Vulcan inaugural launch from Cape [Florida Today]
United Launch Alliance may be purchased by Blue Origin or another potential suitor, the Wall Street Journal reported — and company officials are declining comment. Meanwhile, ULA crews continue preparing for Monday's historic maiden flight of the Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a pivotal landmark for the company.

› Save the date: Biggest events, festivals coming to Central Florida in 2024 [Click Orlando]
New year, new memories to make! The best part about living in Central Florida is the endless amount of happenings going on! Click Orlando has put together a month-by-month list of some of the biggest events and festivals coming to Central Florida this year. While this list is not all-encompassing, it has some of the biggest annual events on the docket.

› Judge rules against city of North Port in three-year-old public records lawsuit [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
A circuit court judge has ordered North Port to produce social media posts from former North Port City Commissioner Chris Hanks in a three-year-old public records battle. To date, the city of North Port has spent $9,524 in legal fees, rather than fulfill a public records request from resident Stephanie Gibson to see the contents of Hanks’ Facebook page, as well as his Facebook messages.

› Michelin Star-restaurant from Argentina opens 1st U.S. location in Miami [South Florids Business Journal]
Casa Vigil, a Michelin-starred winery restaurant from Argentina, has made its U.S. debut in Miami's Edgewater. Led by Chef Cesar Gonzalez Aznar, Casa Vigil Miami specializes in Mediterranean- and Argentinian-influenced offerings. The restaurant offers a five-course tasting menu with three wine pairings. An a la carte menu is also available.