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Wednesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida Chamber: State has ‘recovered' 950,000 of 1.3 million jobs lost last year
Florida has recovered more than 950,000 jobs since the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the nation’s economy last spring with mandatory business shutdowns that inflicted sudden but enduring damage on the Sunshine State’s $90 billion tourist/hospitality industry. According to Florida Chamber of Commerce Chief Economist Dr. Jerry Parrish, the state has come a long way since the mass furloughs and layoffs of April 2020, which temporarily cost as many as 1.3 million Floridians their jobs. More from the Center Square.
Disney reaches vaccination agreement with unionized employees
Disney reached an agreement with unions representing its workers requiring all on-site employees to be fully vaccinated by late October, excluding specific exemptions. Under an agreement signed Monday, on-site employees will have to be fully vaccinated — at least two weeks out from completing the course of their COVID-19 shot — and provide proof of their vaccination by Oct. 22. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Homebuilders say JEA boost in sewer and water fees will have 'damaging effect' on prices
Builders can expect higher JEA rates this year for the one-time fees they pay as their share of the cost for expanding water and sewage plants so JEA can keep up with growth. The JEA board conducted a rate hearing Tuesday and heard a request from the Northeast Florida Builders Association for softening the proposed increases so it won't have such a big impact on the cost of building houses at the lower end of home sale prices. More from the Florida Times-Union.
It’s not just condos. Miami’s office rents are going up, up and away, too
Miami-Dade County recorded one of the highest increases in office rent prices in the country over the last year, according to a new report. The average asking rent rose by 5.8% in Miami from June 2020 to June 2021, the third-highest growth rate in the nation, according to CommercialEdge, a division of the Santa Barbara-based tech company Yardi Systems. Only three other U.S. metros had higher increases during that time period — Los Angeles at 8.1%, and the Bay Area and Tampa, which tied at 6.2%. More from the Miam Herald.
State to give Sarasota County $3.5 million for red tide management
Sarasota County is set to receive $3.5 million in funding from the state of Florida that the county will use as reimbursement for its red tide cleanup. The County Commission voted Tuesday to execute a grant agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for red tide management. “As we know, decomposing fish and all that other stuff really impacts water quality,” said District 2 Commissioner Christian Ziegler. “It’s important to get that stuff off our beach once it hits our beach or even in our waterways.” More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Florida History
Jacksonville's ol' No. 1504 leaves the station en route to restoration
Atlantic Coast Line No. 1504 is on the move again, three decades after the century-old locomotive became a static part of the Prime Osborn Convention Center's parking lot. But while the 80-foot-long engine and tender are rolling again, steam won't power its pistons for quite a while as it leaves the city it called home for most of its life.
» More from the Florida Times-Union.
Business Profile
In the business of death, ‘urnings’ are way up for Sarasota company
There is a reason Andrea Bogard LeBlanc smiles a lot. The business of death is good. Fun, too. Some of her employees even wear shirts that read: “Choose cremation. You’ve urned it.” Of course, this is not to say it’s all squirting lapels and animal balloons at Bogati Urn Company in Sarasota, one of the largest businesses of its kind in the United States. It is a wholesale vehicle for funeral homes across the nation and offers urns and memorial jewelry for both human and pet remains.
» Read more from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
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