March 28, 2024

Friday's Daily Pulse

What you need to know about Florida today

| 7/23/2021

Florida unemployment rate continues upward climb

Florida’s unemployment rate again ticked upward as employers scramble to fill openings amid a surge in spending as people emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced the state’s unemployment rate for June stood at 5%, up 0.1 percentage point from the mark in May. “We’re continuing to add jobs into our economy. So, that means businesses are responding to the market. More people are exchanging in the marketplace,” said Adrienne Johnston, the state agency’s chief economist. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Business BeatBusiness Beat - Week of July 23rd

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

500,000 U.S. hotel jobs won’t return this year, lodging group says

Even as tourists return to fill Orlando theme parks, a new report says nearly 500,000 hotel jobs lost in the United States during the pandemic will not return this year. The American Hotel and Lodging Association released their midyear report with two key findings: One in five of the lodging jobs lost nationwide would not come back by next January, and revenues will be off by $44 billion nationwide from their highs in 2019. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Florida not sharing which nursing homes have COVID-19 as overall cases rise

Across Florida, coronavirus case numbers are rising and nursing home staff vaccinations are lagging as the delta variant spreads. Florida’s overall case numbers more than doubled last week, and the state accounted for one in five COVID-19 cases nationally. Six Florida nursing home residents died of COVID-19 in the week ending July 4, according to the most recently available federal data. But when an outbreak strikes, it can be hard to get up-to-date information. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

America has a hiring problem. The company hoping to solve it is being built in Miami

Miami — and the rest of the U.S — has a worker shortage problem. With tens of thousands of local jobs going unfilled — and with just as many looking for work — both employers and would-be employees would benefit from a technology that can close the hiring gap. A new digital platform aiming to put traditional staffing agencies out of business is being built in Miami — with the backing of two of the largest venture capital groups in tech. [Source: Miami Herald]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Orlando company, Falcon’s Beyond Global, developing parks with Katmandu theme at hotels  
An Orlando company’s concept mixes home-grown mystical beasts, theme parks and the prime real estate of an international hotelier. Falcon’s Beyond Global is developing attractions to accompany key properties of Spain-based Melia Hotels International, using mythical characters invented by Katmandu Group. The projects underway are with resorts in the Dominican Republic and the island of Tenerife, Spain.

› Ringling College names new director for Sarasota Art Museum
Virginia Shearer, a one-time education director at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art who spent the last 16 years at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, has been named the new executive director of the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College. The museum was cited this week by Time magazine as a reason Sarasota was included on its list of the world’s 100 greatest places for 2021.

› World of Beer planning Jacksonville return with two locations
World of Beer wants to return to Jacksonville, but with a new franchise owner and in two new locations. And it’s World of Beer Bar & Kitchen now, with more than 300 beers available at any time, and a restaurant menu with steaks, tacos, burgers and more. The franchisee group hopes to open in the second quarter of 2022 at Butler Boulevard and Interstate 95 and in Jacksonville Beach, where it also will have a rooftop patio.

› Clearwater’s MarineMax posts soaring revenues following acquisitions
Clearwater’s MarineMax, the world’s largest boat and yacht company, posted record revenues for its third fiscal quarter on Thursday, boosting sales 34 percent from what was already a booming 2020. The $666.3 million in revenues — up from $498.3 million during the same quarter last year — was accompanied by an even bigger leap in net income. Quarterly income rose 70 percent from $34.9 million to $59.6 million.

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