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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida jobless claims up as 2022 starts
First-time unemployment claims in Florida doubled during the first week of 2022 from the holiday-shortened final week of 2021. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 9,705 initial unemployment claims were filed during the week that ended Jan. 8, up from a revised count of 4,299 for the week ending Jan. 1. The agency initially projected 4,046 claims were filed during the final week of 2021. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Business Beat - Week of January 14th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida investors are buying up European soccer teams
European soccer ownership is today just as likely to be thrashed out at a Miami Beach steakhouse as in the plush restaurants of London, Milan or Paris. Florida’s sunshine and business-friendly policies have been drawing financiers and entrepreneurs, including a group pouring money into the world’s favorite sport. [Source: Bloomberg]
Surge of manatee deaths is feared with coming cold front
Authorities who are bracing for a wave of dead manatees and are attempting to feed those starving in Brevard County’s Indian River said Thursday that unseasonably warm weather so far has lessened the pace of the die-off. But authorities are worried that a cold front in the coming week will force manatees to seek warm-water refuge at a Florida Power & Light Co. power plant in St. John, a community just south of Titusville along the Indian River, where there is nearly no food of any sort. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Lottery ticket sales beat expectations
Florida Lottery ticket sales were $314 million above projections in the first half of the current fiscal year, but state economists anticipate a “pandemic-related” surge in sales to ease. A panel known as the Revenue Estimating Conference bumped up projected ticket sales from $8.41 billion to $8.95 billion for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, which ends June 30, according to a report posted this week. [Source: News Service of Florida]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› IKEA buys land damaged by hurricane in Florida to plant forests
Ingka Group, the owner of most IKEA furniture stores worldwide, has bought more land in the United States as part of a long-term commitment to responsible forest management, it said on Thursday. Ingka Group will plant seedlings of mainly longleaf pine on the 1,321 hectares (3,264 acres) of land in Florida.
› Palm Beach County gets $14 million to help boost businesses
Palm Beach County businesses are getting much needed relief from Washington. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a $14 million loan guarantee for Palm Beach County on Thursday. The loan guarantee will offer financing to companies to help expand or establish businesses in Palm Beach County.
› Fincantieri Marine announces $39 million Commodores Point facility
Chesapeake, Virginia-based Fincantieri Marine Systems North America is bringing more than 300 jobs to Jacksonville as it sets up a $39 million marine repair operation at Commodores Point Downtown. Fincantieri said in a news release that it will expand its marine repair operations on the East Coast, a move it expected “to bring hundreds of jobs to Jacksonville, Fla.” as it provides commercial and government vessels “a much needed marine repair capacity.”
› SpaceX launches more than 100 satellites from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX launched its second mission of the year, and first from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday. The company was able to land the first-stage booster on land at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1. The booster has previously been used on nine other missions including the Crew Demo-2 launch. It’s the 102nd successful first booster recovery.
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