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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
December consumer sentiment breaks downward trend, rises in spite of shutdown
After four months of consecutive declines, consumer sentiment among Floridians rose to 98.1 in December, up 3.1 points from November’s revised figure of 95. Similarly, consumer sentiment at the national level increased in December. More from UF News.
Synovus completes Florida bank acquisition
Synovus Financial Corp. announced Wednesday that it has completed the acquisition of FCB Financial Holdings Inc., owner of Florida Community Bank, National Association. Effective Jan. 1, Florida Community Bank merged into Synovus Bank. Transition of FCB systems, customers, branches, and branding to Synovus is expected during the second quarter of 2019. Read the full announcement here.
Miami-Dade jobs shoot skyward, led by construction
Late 2018 Miami-Dade jobs data shot skyward in virtually every category, as unemployment fell to its lowest level since at least 2007, the labor force grew but those at work increased even faster, and construction gains put thousands more back to work over the past year. More from Miami Today.
Cocaine making a deadly comeback in Florida, according to drug officials
It was a popular drug in the 80s, but cocaine is making a comeback with a deadly twist. Cocaine is killing more people in Florida than any other drug. The reason? It's being laced with fentanyl. More from the WPTV.
Ocala takes stock of historic properties
Over the next 10 weeks, a team of historic property surveyors will travel around east Ocala, observing historic structures and filling out a one-page, double-sided form for each property. They will survey 250 properties in total; 50 of which will be updates to previous surveys of the properties. More from the Ocala Star-Banner.
Entertainment
Theme-park festivals are in flux
It’s been a growing trend for years, but 2019 may well be the year that theme parks go “all in” on festivals and special events. A major sign was SeaWorld Orlando’s decision to have out-of-the-ordinary experiences every weekend of the year. That maneuver steals away the Forever Festival crown away from Epcot, which has a long dry spell, fest-wise, during the busy summer season.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida 500
Heiko Dobrikow
Heiko Dobrikow says, “The tourism industry is the No.1 industry for the state of Florida, and I love the fact anybody can work themselves up from an hourly position to an executive position in just a few years."
» Read more from Florida 500.
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