Tourism officials optimistic despite omicron spread
Florida’s tourism industry exceeded expectations in the third quarter of 2021, drawing 32.6 million visitors, which was 2 million more than forecast earlier this year and 0.3 percent above the overall number of visitors in the third quarter of 2019 --- before the pandemic began. The 2021 third-quarter totals followed 31.7 million visitors in the second quarter, which was 2.2 percent below the second quarter of 2019. Visit Florida Chief Marketing Officer Staci Mellman on Wednesday said it’s too early to make projections on fourth-quarter numbers. More from the News Service of Florida.
Florida workforce to get a boost as Wawa and Walmart are set to hire thousands
The Florida job market has been recovering over the past few months from the initial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it's set to get more help as Wawa and Walmart are looking to hire more employees within the state. Wawa Inc. announced its first hiring campaign of the year, intending to hire 2,000 new associates across Florida. The campaign launched at the beginning of the year and will continue until the end of March to fill new customer service, supervisory and management positions. More from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
A year later, Florida still leads nation in Capitol riot arrests
They were as young as 20 and as old as 72. They were military veterans. They were business people. They were stay-at-home parents. They were former political candidates. They came from Tampa. They came from Orlando. They came from Miami. They number 76 total — the Floridians the government has arrested in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Port Canaveral CEO expects cruises to keep sailing, even with COVID-19 on ships
Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray says he remains confident that cruise lines are doing everything they can to keep COVID-19 in check as much as possible on their sailings. And Murray does not expect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take action that would halt cruising from Port Canaveral or other U.S. ports, despite rising case counts. More from Florida Today.
What’s the most overpriced housing market in Florida?
A new study released Wednesday by Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University researchers shows that although housing prices in the Miami metropolitan area continue to increase, it is far from the most overpriced part of Florida. Lakeland and Tampa areas have the most inflated home prices, according to Wednesday’s report. More from the Miami Herald.
End of an Era
Lil 500 Go Karts closes Saturday after nearly 54 years in business
A go-kart track that has entertained children and adults of all ages for nearly 54 years is shutting down for good . Lil 500 Go-Karts, off U.S. 17-92 and Atlantic Drive just north of Maitland, revealed it will close at 7 p.m. Saturday. The track opened on Feb. 1, 1968, arriving before Walt Disney World.
» More from the Orlando Sentinel and WFTV.
Business Profile
Symphonic
Symphonic, a Tampa-based music distribution company, has raised $37 million in series B financing. The company, on its website, says the investment “will enable us to accelerate new technology development, increase headcount of our worldwide teams across our existing and new markets and give us the opportunity to fulfill acquisitions across the music and technology sectors.”
» Read more from the Business Observer.