State expects employment push to start paying off
With weekly unemployment claims rolling in at pre-pandemic numbers, state leaders say they remain optimistic about seeing results from a summer push to get people back into the labor force. The U.S. Department of Labor issued a report Thursday that estimated 6,502 new jobless claims were filed in Florida during the week that ended Sept. 25, down from a revised count of 9,316 for the week ending Sept. 18. The initial projection for the week ending Sept. 18 was 6,845. Since mid-May, the state has averaged 7,946 new claims a week. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Business Beat - Week of October 1st
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida will be short nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035, report says
Florida didn’t have enough nurses before the COVID-19 pandemic. It doesn’t have enough nurses today. In a decade and a half, the shortage could be catastrophic. That’s the main takeaway from a report commissioned by the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida on the nursing shortage in the Sunshine State. With too few nurses entering the profession and so many leaving in droves, the state is projected to be short 59,100 nurses by 2035, the report says. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
New attractions, makeovers and a license plate: 10 things to know as Disney World hits 5-0
Fifty years after a most memorable mouse set up house in Florida, and amid endless innovation and renovation, one thing remains constant at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom: a steady stream of new ideas and experiences. Whether you're a diehard Disney fan of decades or are a newbie to the House of the Mouse, here's just a small sampling of things to know and share as the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World kicks into high gear. [Source: Florida Today]
USPS changes could mean slower mail in Florida
The U.S. Postal Service is implementing new service standards. The changes include cuts to post office hours and longer delivery times for certain mail. According to a USPS spokeswoman, most first-class and periodicals will be unaffected and a single-piece of first-class mail traveling local will continue to be two days. However, there might be increased transit times for cross-country and other long-distance deliveries. [Source: Click Orlando]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Red tide levels grow in Sarasota and Manatee counties
After dissipating near the end of August, the red tide that has killed marine life and closed beaches is back again. For nearly 11 months, red tide has lingered off the coast of Southwest Florida, and samples from Monday show that levels are increasing in Sarasota and Manatee counties as winds continue to push the bloom around local waters.
› Restaurants got millions in pandemic help. Look up the beneficiaries in Alachua County here
More than $13.5 million in federal COVID aid went to 77 Gainesville-area restaurants that applied for federal grants from the short-lived Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Meet Eat Play LLC, which runs The Social at Midtown and a second location in Newberry, received the largest financial boost at more than $1.3 million.
› FWC after viral video: Don't use trash can to catch a gator
If you see an alligator in Florida, please, don't use a garbage can to catch it. So says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. In a viral video posted Tuesday, 26-year-old Eugene Bozzi of Mount Dora approached an alligator on his driveway with an open trash container, scooped it up and closed the lid. Bozzi then released the gator minutes later in a nearby pond.
› Kforce moving company headquarters out of Ybor City next year
Several months after selling its Ybor City campus, Kforce Inc. has signed a lease to move its headquarters. The publicly traded staffing company is staying in Tampa and moving to the recently opened, and still partially under construction, $500 million Midtown Tampa development. The company signed a 10-year lease to move into the fifth floor of Midtown West, one of four office buildings planned for the development, according to a statement. The lease goes into effect October 2022.
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› Dunedin customers asked to conserve water after fire damages plant
City water customers are being asked to cut down on their water use indefinitely after a fire damaged the Dunedin Water Plant. Officials say the fire stemmed from an electrical issue around 4 a.m. Thursday. Firefighters from Dunedin, Clearwater, Palm Harbor and Safety Harbor responded to the scene off County Road 1 and extinguished the fire in less than 30 minutes.
› Branson proclaims cruises safe, set to launch Virgin Voyages from Miami
As Richard Branson prepares to launch his Virgin Voyages cruises next week, the billionaire founder and the company CEO are insisting that the ship’s controlled environment makes it safer than the grocery store, plane or hotel. “Everyone’s vaccinated — all the crew, all the staff, all the guests,” Branson said about safety protocols in an interview Tuesday with the Miami Herald. “I don’t think that [Covid restrictions] will need to last for too long.”
› The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is this weekend. Here's who's playing and what you need to know.
If there is one thing consistent about the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, it's change. Over 40 years, it's been in Mayport, at Metropolitan Park and in the downtown streets. It's been in the spring and it's been in the fall. It's been free and it's been ticketed. It's been run by a radio station and it's been run by the city. Some years, it didn't happen at all.
› Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO to step down amid cancer treatment
Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO Frank Dame announced on Thursday he will step down Nov. 5 in order to focus on his ongoing treatment for cancer. Dame, 74, was diagnosed in January 2020 with myelodysplasia syndromes, a group of rare blood disorders, and has been undergoing chemotherapy. He said he is now pursuing a bone marrow transplant, a process that will require more of his energy.