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Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
DeSantis says local governments face millions in fines for mandating COVID vaccines
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration will start issuing $5,000 fines to cities and counties that require their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, he said Monday. The governor’s comments came during a campaign-style rally of politicians and residents who blasted President Biden’s vaccine mandate order from last week. “Nobody should lose their job over this issue,” DeSantis said, calling vaccine mandates “very intrusive” and “illegal.” More from the Orlando Sentineland the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida Trend Exclusive
Boosted by eMerge Americas, Miami can finally boast of being a tech hub
Led by homegrown startups Reef Technology, Magic Leap and ShipMonk, South Florida attracted nearly $2.3 billion in venture capital last year. Japanese investor SoftBank recently launched a $100-million initiative to invest in Miami-based startups, having already established a $5-billion Latin American fund in Miami. Financial giant Blackstone Group announced that it would create 215 jobs at a new technology office in downtown Miami, and venture capitalists Peter Thiel and Keith Rabois, formerly of Silicon Valley, now call Miami home. [Source: Florida Trend]
Crushed by pandemic, conventions mount a cautious return
In pre-COVID times, business events - from small academic conferences to giant trade shows like CES - routinely attracted more than 1 billion participants each year. The pandemic brought those global gatherings to a sudden halt, emptying convention centers and shuttering hotels. More than a year later, in-person meetings are on the rebound. [Source: AP]
Plan calls for annual harvest of 200 goliath grouper
Three decades after being placed on a list prohibiting the harvest and possession of goliath grouper, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commission is considering a plan to allow a limited number of the fish to be harvested in state waters. The commission on Oct. 6 will consider a proposal to allow up to 200 fishing permits a year for goliath grouper. [Source: News Service of Florida]
See how much plumbers, HVAC technicians, and electricians are paid in Florida
Not all job markets are the same. While it should be fairly easy to find work in all 50 states, how much that work pays is different depending on the state. To find the states where home service workers are paid the most, ServiceTitan analyzed June 2020 data from Payscale. The average salary of a home service worker was calculated by averaging the pay of entry-, intermediate-, and senior-level workers in each state. [Source: WFLA]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Carnival CEO discusses cruise lines, the pandemic, politics
Carnival Corp., once a $21 billion company, saw revenue plunge to zero overnight last year when the pandemic shut down the cruise industry. It’s CEO Arnold Donald’s job to navigate uncharted waters for the cruise giant, which operates nine brands that span the globe. The company hopes to have the entire fleet of nearly 90 ships back sailing by next spring, but regulations aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 on board have meant slow going so far.
› Fort Myers retailer posts best earnings quarter since 2013
Women’s retailer Chico’s FAS, while focusing on its future as a digital-first company, turned back the clock a bit in its latest earnings call: it had its best quarter in eight years in the 13-week fiscal period that ended July 31. “These results show the incredible progress we continue to make in our turnaround strategy, despite pandemic challenges,” Chico’s FAS President and CEO Molly Langenstein says in the statement.
› Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport breaks annual passenger traffic record in August
Just nine months into the year, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport has shattered its annual passenger record. So far this year, the airport has seen 2.03 million passengers, more than the busiest year on record in 1990, when it had 2.01 million passengers. Airport President and CEO Rick Piccolo said in a press release the growth means more revenues and lower costs for airlines.
› Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s Four Seasons proposal headed to City Council
The Jacksonville City Council is expected to introduce legislation Sept. 14 for a nearly $114 million incentives deal with Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan for his plan to build a Four Seasons Hotel and Residences and an office building at the former Kids Kampus site along the Downtown riverfront.
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