March 28, 2024

Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 1/27/2022

Florida weekly jobless claims below 7,000

Florida continues to see unemployment claims roll in at a pace that has remained relatively stable since May and well below the crush of claims when businesses closed or scaled back early in the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 6,770 first-time unemployment claims were filed in Florida during the week that ended Jan. 22, down from a revised count of 8,593 in the week ending Jan. 15. The state’s average for the past four weeks is 7,441 claims, slightly higher than the weekly average of 7,276 since mid-May when state officials increased efforts to drive people back into the labor force. More from the News Service of Florida.

Galen College plans to open nursing school in Gainesville amid national staffing shortage

Galen College of Nursing, a private nursing college, announced Thursday plans to open campuses in Gainesville and Sarasota, bringing its footprint in Florida to four sites. Galen College is owned by Nashville-based HCA Healthcare, which also owns North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville and several associated clinics. More from the Gainesville Sun.

‘No-drama, matter-of-fact’ Orlando airport CEO Phil Brown retires

What does it take to run a mega airport that churns with a million travelers a week, a thousand flights a day and fuels Central Florida’s economy? You have to stomach the 24/7 grind, respect polarizing politics and grasp fiscal alchemy that renders airline and passenger fees into bricks and mortar, including the $3 billion terminal opening this year. That’s from Orlando’s retiring airport boss, Phil Brown, whose last day is Monday.  More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Responding to dark money controversy, NextEra did internal investigation into FPL

Recent revelations about Florida Power & Light’s involvement in a dark money scheme to siphon votes away from Senate Democratic candidates prompted its parent company to conduct an internal investigation, NextEra announced at an earnings call on Tuesday. NextEra Energy CEO James Robo responded to a question from a Bank of America Securities analyst and said the company had FPL CEO Eric Silagy turn over emails and text messages and concluded there was “no evidence...of illegality or wrongdoing on the part of FPL or any of its employees.” More from the Miami Herald.

After 20-month pandemic shutdown, Southwest Florida Event Center plans to reopen

The Southwest Florida Event Center in Bonita Springs, 20 months after shutting its doors due to the pandemic, has announced some show-must-go news: the facility is reopening. The owners of the facility, Jennifer and Richard Shanahan, announced the news in a Facebook post Jan. 26, ending it with “Let’s rock n’ roll!” The news reverses a May 6, 2020 statement, when the center, which has hosted acts from Melissa Etheridge to Amy Grant to Toad the Wet Sprocket, among dozens of others, had said it was permanently closing. More from the Business Observer.

Transportation
Tunnel vision: Seminole moves forward with plans to build underground for bicyclists and walkers

 The hundreds of bicyclists and walkers who use the popular Seminole Wekiva Trail daily may soon find it easier and safer to cross two of the busiest roads in Central Florida. Seminole County commissioners on Tuesday agreed to move forward with a plan to build a pair of tunnels about a mile apart in Altamonte Springs that would allow trail users to travel underneath State Road 436 at Laurel Street and State Road 434 at Orange Avenue.

» More from the Orlando Sentinel.

 

Profile
Meet the man who won a trip to space and gave it to a friend

floridaHe told his family and a few friends. He dropped hints to a couple of colleagues. So hardly anyone knew that the airline pilot could have — should have — been on board when SpaceX launched its first tourists into orbit last year. Meet Kyle Hippchen, the real winner of a first-of-its-kind sweepstakes, who gave his seat to his college roommate.

» Read more from the AP.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Structural technology keeps Skyway Bridge safe from mass destruction
Structural technology keeps Skyway Bridge safe from mass destruction

USF marine scientist Mark Luther, says dozens of concrete barriers protecting the bridge from collision is just the beginning of an ongoing effort to keep it safe.

 

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