March 29, 2024

Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 9/15/2021

Pandemic is delaying retirement and Southerners are the most impacted

The pandemic is forcing some Americans to delay retirement, and older adults living in the South have felt the burden most acutely, one study suggests. Nearly half of Baby Boomers in the South reported having to delay retirement to care for family members during the crisis, according to a recent study from CNO Financial Group, a health and life insurance company. Southern seniors put off retirement at a higher rate than older adults living in any other region. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Amazon continues hiring surge in Florida with 8,000 new positions

Amazon plans to hire roughly 8,000 new employees in Florida as it continues its explosive growth and bumps its average starting salary to $18 per hour. Its annual Career Day takes place Sept. 15 and provides free virtual one-on-one career coaching for all interested. Hundreds of jobs in several markets are part of the company's hiring surge, including 1,000 positions in South Florida, 800 in Orlando and over 100 in Tampa. More from the Tallahassee Democrat.

As Florida Medicaid rolls swell, managed care open enrollment begins

With Florida’s Medicaid enrollment reaching an all-time high, the state is opening a window to allow nearly 4 million people who rely on the safety net program to change which health plan they are enrolled in. State officials announced Friday the 60-day open enrollment period in the mandatory Medicaid managed care program begins Oct. 1 in Southeast Florida, where 1.2 million people in Medicaid Regions 9, 10 and 11 will be given the opportunity to either stay with their current health care plan or switch providers. More from Florida Politics.

Minority-owned businesses in Miami have a new business center with free resources

The federal government’s Minority Business Development Agency is giving nearly $5 million for a Miami-based MBDA Business Center that will be operated by M. Gill & Associates, a Miami consultant firm that has focused on empowering businesses run by people of color and women in South Florida for over 30 years. The center will offer a short course in business management, which will be taught by instructors from Miami Dade College and focuses on operational efficiencies, financial management and emerging technology like cryptocurrency, cyber security, best practices and social media marketing. More from the Miami Herald.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport traffic up over 2020 — but down from 2019

Passenger traffic at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport fell 9.7% in August when compared with 2019, though it was 63% higher than when compared with last year. In all 161,355 people travelled through the airport in August. August was the first time month-to-month passenger traffic fell when compared with 2019 since May, returning the airport to a pattern it's seen most of the year: big gains when comparing traffic side-by-side with the months when the pandemic was in full force and slight decreases when comparing with 2019. More from the Business Observer.

End of an Era
Dania Beach jai alai to shut down for good on Nov. 28

 Jai alai in Dania Beach won’t be around to celebrate its 70th birthday. Owners of The Casino @ Dania Beach confirmed in a statement Tuesday that the sport will not return in 2022 to the venue where it has been played since 1953. Owners of the landmark parimutuel, among the last survivors of a long and steady decline in jai alai’s popularity in Florida, recently told the sport’s players union that they plan to shut down the game for good after its current season ends Nov. 28.

» More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

 

Out of the Box
TikTok creators and Naples teen want your help to end Daylight Savings

floridaSeasons change, and so do billboards. The former “h” billboard has a new message: “End Daylight Savings with @partyshirt.” Last summer, the deceptively simple billboard over Alico Road hid a complicated albeit good-natured story. Naples teen and TikTok creator John Casterline paired up with LA-based music duo Party Shirt (comprising Australia native Xavier Di Petta and California native Nick Iavarone) to promote their single, “Dancing Tonight.”

» Read more from the Naples Daily News.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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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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