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Wednesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Senate passes Rubio’s bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, end clock switching
The U.S. Senate unanimously and surprisingly passed Sen. Marco Rubio’s bill to end the twice-a-year ritual of springing forward or falling back by an hour after 2023. “Just this past weekend, we all went through that biannual ritual of changing the clock back and forth, and the disruption that comes with it. And one has to ask themselves after a while, ‘Why do we keep doing it? Why are we doing this?’” Rubio said in a speech on the Senate floor. [Source: Politico]
US producer prices climbed 10% in February from a year ago
The Labor Department said Tuesday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — rose 0.8% from January. The increases were in line with economists' forecasts. Wholesale energy prices were up 33.8% over the past year and food prices 13.7%. The report did not include price changes after Feb. 15, missing a spike in energy prices when Russia invaded Ukraine nine days later. [Source: U.S. News & World Report]
Do small businesses in Florida feel the impact of Amazon? Yes, but it's complicated.
Does Amazon help or hurt small businesses? That’s a tricky question. More than 137,000 small to medium-sized businesses in Florida sell products on Amazon, according to the world’s largest e-commerce retailer. Its statewide impact on small businesses runs the gamut depending on the industry and location. In Tallahassee, where a five-story, 635,000 square-foot fulfillment center is under construction, Amazon pledges to generate roughly 1,000 full-time jobs for the capital city. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
New Florida charter school blends classic education with AI and VR
Starting in August, some 1,500 Florida students will wake up, get dressed, don virtual reality headsets and transform into computerized avatars — representations of themselves that enable them to exist in virtual worlds. They’ll then report — online — to Optima Classical Academy, a newly created statewide charter school for grades 3-8 that exists only in cyberspace. Their teachers, also in the form of avatars, will greet them in one of 100 different environments — some as ordinary as a lecture hall, others as unworldly as outer space or as mood-setting as a “throne room” perfect for a reading of Macbeth. [Source: Florida Trend]
Orlando home prices rose again in February, signaling a strong start to spring
The median home price hit $345,000, according to the February report from the Orlando Regional Realtor Association. That’s $10,000 above what it was in January, $5,000 above the record set in December, and $65,000 above what it was in February 2021. Sales also rose slightly from January to 3,198, the most the region has had in a February in at least 11 years. Homes spent an average of 30 days on the market, a two-day decrease from January. Less than 1% of sales were of distressed properties (short sales and bank-owned houses). [Source: Miami Standard]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida Blue Foundation makes $3.8 million investment in mental well-being for children, families and seniors throughout state
The Florida Blue Foundation, the philanthropic foundation for the state’s Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, announced a $3.8 million investment to enhance mental health for Florida’s children, families, and seniors.
› The U.S. Economic Development Administration's support helps Florida relocation company move in a new direction
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 220,000 Americans moved to Florida in 2021, making it the nation’s top destination for domestic migration. With support from the Economic Development Administration, a Florida-based company is helping many Americans move to the Sunshine State.
› Central Florida businesses dealing with inflation
Central Florida businesses are struggling to keep up with the economic pressure of new COVID lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine.
› HCA Healthcare hospital buys Lake County land
HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital — formerly Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford — bought 3.01 acres at 16831 U.S. Highway 441 in Eustis for $3.06 million, according to recently updated Lake County records.
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