March 29, 2024

Friday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 3/5/2021

Florida jobless claims below 16,000 last week

Marking a pandemic low, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated 15,903 first-time unemployment claims were filed last week in Florida. The estimate for the week that ended Feb. 27 was down 2,727 from a revised count of 18,630 for the week ending Feb. 20. The number for the week ending Feb. 20 had initially been projected at 16,100 claims. Over the past four weeks, the state has averaged 19,452 claims, down from 50,442 the previous four weeks. More from the News Service of Florida and the Miami Herald.

See also:
» New unemployment claims inch back up to 745,000

Business Beat

Florida Trend Business Beat - Week of March 5th

Check out the top news-to-know with Florida Trend's brand new, headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

Florida Icon Yann Weymouth shares his secrets to successful architecture

I love how international Florida is. When you walk down a Miami or a St. Pete street, you hear different languages, just like you do in London or Paris or Hong Kong. I love that.

You look at a butterfly. You look at a leaf. You look at a pebble. All of those things are beautiful to us, and the beauty has evolved from how they work, what are they doing, without any waste.

The feeling you have when you’re walking through a forest or walking down the beach — buildings can do that, too.

» Read the full Florida Icon profile here.

Florida business groups wade into wetlands permitting fight

The Florida Chamber of Commerce and a major developers’ group are seeking to intervene in a high-stakes lawsuit over a move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority to the state for projects that affect wetlands. Attorneys for the Florida Chamber and the Association of Florida Community Developers filed documents Friday in federal district court in Washington, as they seek to help defend the EPA’s decision. The organizations said the motion to intervene in the case is unopposed, though the court had not signed off on their participation as of Wednesday afternoon, according to an online docket. [Source: Florida Trend]

Florida ranked as 8th 'Least Safe State During COVID-19,' study finds. Here's why

Florida has ranked among the least safe states during the coronavirus pandemic, a WalletHub study published Wednesday found. The state ranked 44th in the analysis that included all 50 states and the District of Colombia that compared five metrics: COVID-19 transmission, Positive testing, Hospitalizations, Death, and The percent of the eligible population getting vaccinated [Source: TCPalm]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Hillsborough wants a “large-scale” film studio to lure blockbusters
Area film, television and commercial production leaders say Hillsborough County has almost everything needed to become a national hub for their industry — diverse locales, qualified crew and warm weather. But they say Hillsborough is hurt by the lack of a major film studio in the county. There is a now push for one to be created through a public-private partnership. Last year, the county film commission funded a study on the matter.

› Back to work at 82: COVID-19 inspires Coral Springs retiree to help family business
Steve Gordon is 82 and has been retired for a dozen years, but the Coral Springs resident hasn’t lost his zeal for working. While many businesses were forced to lay off people during the pandemic, Gordon’s family business that sells and installs playground equipment in backyards actually saw a boom during 2020, which has continued into this year.

› Monster Jam roars into Jacksonville this weekend
Earplugs will be optional for fans attending this weekend's pair of Monster Jam events at TIAA Bank Field. Face masks won't. On the field, Monster Jam will be pretty much like Monster Jam has always been — very big, very loud trucks jumping off dirt ramps, doing donuts and, of course, crushing anything that gets in their way.

› Could a call center inside Homestead prison help female inmates get back on track?
Brooke Shaffer walked into prison as a former social worker and walked out as a marketer. The Arizona company that helped Shaffer shift careers while serving time is now setting up shop at Homestead Correctional Institution. Televerde, a Phoenix-based company that puts incarcerated women to work as sales, marketing and customer service representatives for corporate clients, is hiring inside the Homestead facility.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

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Florida Trend Video Pick

Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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