DeSantis, lawmakers could be in for unpredictable legislative session
Just a few months ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s Republican legislators were on friendly terms heading into his final two years in office. Or so it seemed, until a bitter fight over immigration this year exposed simmering tensions. The next 60 days will tell. This year’s legislative session, which begins Tuesday, is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in years. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Business Beat - Week of February 28th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Surging for-sale inventory turns Florida into a buyer’s market
Florida was one of the hottest destinations during the pandemic, but the state’s housing market might be coming down to earth. According to a report from Redfin, for-sale inventory at the end of January in Florida was up 22.7% year over year. At 172,209 homes, it’s the highest reading of any month dating to when Redfin started keeping records in 2012. [Source: Housing Wire]
How Jackson Health saved $160 million without cutting a single job
Jackson Health System, one of Florida’s largest public healthcare providers, has slashed $160 million in operating expenses without any layoffs, a remarkable feat amid the industry’s staffing challenges. The cost-saving measures were identified with the help of consulting firm McKinsey & Co., which worked with the hospital system to pinpoint inefficiencies and implement strategic cost reductions. [Source: Miami Today]
Florida bill proposes employer-run comp alternative
The proposal would allow businesses to create their own programs to compensate workers for occupational injuries as an alternative to participating in the state’s workers compensation system. H.B. 1069 would allow employers to continue providing benefits for occupational injuries under work comp or elect to become “a qualified compensation alternative employer,” and would have to create a written plan, demonstrate financial ability to pay benefits, which include medical coverage, indemnity and death benefits. [Source: Business Insurance]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Four ways Miami malls are reinventing the shopping experience
Miami malls are pioneering a new era of "retailtainment" to reinvigorate shopping. Some of the changes blend traditional retail with entertainment. Investments in attractions like Elev8 Fun at Miami International Mall, featuring go-karts, arcades and bowling lanes, reflect the shift toward experiential spaces over mere commerce. Renovations at The Falls and Esplanade at Aventura incorporate dining, fitness centers and retailers such as The LEGO Store and luxury salons.
› Westgate Resorts to triple in size, add Canada and Mexico locations in timeshare company acquisition
Westgate Resorts is set to triple its number of locations and expand internationally to Canada and Mexico with an agreement announced Thursday to purchase the sales and marketing rights to VI Resorts, a timeshare company based in Washington state. The acquisition will grow Westgate Resorts’ portfolio from 22 to 66 locations and marks the largest geographic expansion in the company’s 40-year history.
› How JEA electric rate increase affects customers differently
JEA is set to raise electric rates for the fourth and fifth time since 2021 as the utility continues to absorb the ultra-expensive cost of purchasing electricity from the Plant Vogtle nuclear plant. Among other changes, the rate increases will put in place a new two-tiered approach that will charge residential customers a higher rate for electricity used above 1,000 kilowatt hours in a month.
› Valspar extends sponsorship of Pinellas PGA tour event until 2030
Valspar, the paint brand owned by Sherwin-Williams Co., will continue as the title sponsor of the Pinellas County PGA golf tournament for five more years. The company and the event’s organizers, Copperhead Charities and The PGA tour, announced an extension of the sponsorship this week. Financial terms were not disclosed.
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› Health insurance agency laying off 196, closing Sunrise headquarters
Enhance Health LLC, an insurance agency that two years ago said it planned to hire 800 workers in Broward County, now plans to lay off 196 workers and close its Sunrise headquarters. The company was one of several accused last year of defrauding Obamacare enrollees — accusations it has denied. The closure and layoffs, effective on April 22, were announced in a notice dated Feb. 21 and posted Monday by the Florida Department of Commerce’s Division of Workforce Services.
› CSX continues headquarters renovations in Jacksonville
The city issued permits Feb. 24 for CSX Corp. to renovate the second floor of its Downtown headquarters at 500 Water St. at a combined project cost of almost $2.37 million. LAY Construction of Jacksonville is the contractor. The transportation company said in an email that CSX is “modernizing our second floor as part of an overall renovation project that includes updates to our main floor atrium, which began in 2023.”
› Tampa tech firm lands six-month gig with Comcast NBCUniversal
Tampa-based Satisfi Labs was recently announced as one of ten companies to join Comcast NBCUniversal’s SportsTech program. It is one of two Florida companies to earn a spot, alongside Transmit, a monetization platform based out of Miami. Launching in Atlanta this week, the goal of the six month program is to accelerate research and development of different firms with sports-specific focuses, such as athlete performance and fan engagement, through testing and collaboration with partners of the program.
› Escambia commissioners pump brakes on affordable housing project
After being ranked No. 1 by Escambia County staff in the grant qualification process, Escambia County Commissioners are now putting the brakes on a proposal to turn the former Henty T. McMillan school into an affordable housing center for the homeless.