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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Fourth of July travel volume in Florida will approach record, alongside national trends
Travel during Independence Day weekend is projected to be the second-highest on record, nearing pre-pandemic highs, as almost 2.6 million Floridians plan to take a trip. The number of Florida travelers is up 36% from the 2020 Independence Day weekend, according to an update from AAA-The Auto Club Group in Tampa. "Travel is back this summer," Debbie Haas, vice president for travel for AAA, said in a release. More from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Unemployment continues to drop in St. Johns County, now second in Florida
St. Johns County's unemployment rate continued to decline from April to May, yet tourism industry employers are still looking for workers. The county's unemployment rate went from 3.4% to 3.2% in that time frame, placing St. Johns County behind Monroe County, which has the state's lowest unemployment rate with 3.1%, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. More from the St. Augustine Record.
On Pinellas beaches, business owners watch as Red Tide conditions evolve
Dozens of business owners up and down the beach cities along Gulf Boulevard do not know how the Red Tide bloom will spread, how strong it will get or how long it will last. It’s currently only a slight inconvenience for many who predict the tourism boom will continue, even with dead fish washing up on shores throughout Pinellas. The prospect of a prolonged spread, however, threatens to deflate a burgeoning season for those in the marine tourism business whose product depends on the water, many of whom struggled during the heart of the pandemic. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Major Mexico investment firm to open in Miami
Banorte Securities International (BSI), an investment management and brokerage service company based in Houston, announced it will open offices in the Brickell financial district to attend to its clients from Mexico and the Latin American region in South Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Mexican financial institution Grupo Financiero Banorte, one of the largest financial institutions in Mexico. More from Miami Today.
Seminole raises impact fees to help cover costs of future growth
Seminole commissioners on Tuesday unanimously agreed to sharply raise impact fees — in some cases by more than seven times — to help pay for new roads, trails, library materials and fire stations as the county expects more than 100,000 new residents over the next two decades. Supporters of the increase pointed out that Seminole’s impact fees for roads, libraries and fire and rescue services had not been raised since the mid-1990s. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Out of the Box
USA TODAY's inaugural NFT has a Space Coast tie
The USA TODAY NETWORK will be auctioning its inaugural non-fungible token (NFT) inspired by the first newspaper delivered to space in 1971. Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, transported a special edition of TODAY, now FLORIDA TODAY and part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, to the moon and back. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Shepard’s visit, select stories from that edition are being republished and visual journalist Pat Shannahan assembled more than 300 photographs, graphics, illustrations and front pages from five decades of space coverage to re-create the cover as an interactive mosaic.
» More from Florida Today.
Business Profile
This Miami ice cream shop is ranked the best in Florida
Sunday, June 20, marked the official first day of summer, which means one thing — it’s officially ice cream season. And in the Sunshine State, we know a thing or two about good ice cream. However, out of the numerous delicious ice cream parlors along the west and east coast of the state, only one ranks supreme. According to Food & Wine’s latest summer 2021 round-up of “The Best Ice Cream in Every State,” Dasher & Crank has landed the state’s no. 1 spot.
» Read more from WPLG.
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