March 29, 2024

Friday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 1/14/2022

Florida ports denied federal funding

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced about $241 million in federal funds for ports across the country last week. Absent from the list of recipients? Florida ports. Not a single one of the state's 15 ports received money from the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. The federal funds are meant to ease supply chain issues. More from the Biz Journals.

Camping surges in popularity across U.S., including Florida

In the last several years, especially as the pandemic disrupted normal life, many travelers ditched the comforts of hotels and resorts, finding the joy of escaping crowds in a tent or RV. In the five-year stretch ending in 2020, data from Recreation.gov shows that camping reservations increased 68 percent across the nation on U.S. public lands. In that same time period, Florida saw a 15.6 percent climb in reservations with more than 45,000 total bookings in 2020 — and that’s just on public lands through Recreation.gov. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Brevard employers facing difficulty in filling wide range of job openings

Brevard County's unemployment rate had soared as high as 13.2% in April 2020, after many employers laid off staff as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it has since steadily decreased, dropping to 3.4% by November, the latest-available figure. "That's super-low. It is a job seeker's market," said Marci Murphy, president of CareerSource Brevard, a nonprofit, regional public/private partnership that operates the workforce development system within Brevard County. CareerSource Brevard works with both employers and job seekers. More from the Florida Today.

Tech talent gap creates challenges, opportunities in Tallahassee

Tallahassee is home to more than 60 technology-based companies. But, most people don't know it. Insiders say it's a common reality they've confronted and, in their respective ways, tried to upend with some success. Many feel more can be done. "I met with someone over the last few days, who said, 'Eddie, there isn't a technology sector in town,' " said Eddie Gonzalez Loumiet, president and CEO of Ruvos, a leading provider in the healthcare IT industry. More from the Tallahassee Democrat.

Cigar City Brewing parent sold to Monster Beverage for $330 million

The parent company of Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing, a foundational part of Tampa Bay’s craft beer landscape, has reached a deal to sell to Monster Beverage Corporation for $330 million in cash. The deal covers all brewery and seltzer companies operating as CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective — Cigar City, Colorado’s Oskar Blues Brewery, Texas’ Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Michigan’s Perrin Brewing Co. and Utah’s Squatters Brewery and Wasatch Brewery. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Business BeatBusiness Beat - Week of January 14th

Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

 

 

Profile
Fight club: Tech company leader roughs up the competition

floridaStan Liberatore, 36, is founder and CEO of Vsummits, a Tampa-based digital event management company, and president of IT services firm No Limit Technology Inc. Liberatore has also worked in industries such as staffing, finance and mortgage loan management, in addition to serving as board chair at Save the Kids Foundation, a nonprofit that raises awareness and funds for the fight against pediatric cancer.

» Read more from the Business Observer.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Florida Trend Video Pick

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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