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Friday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Jobless claims down as hiring issues remain
First-time unemployment claims in Florida decreased last week, while the Florida Chamber of Commerce says hiring has become more difficult during the past six months. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday reported that an estimated 5,939 initial unemployment applications were filed in Florida during the week that ended July 2, down from a revised count of 6,318 during the week that ended June 25. Florida has seen an average of 6,448 new claims over the past four weeks. More from the News Service of Florida.
Forecasters hold outlook for 2022 hurricane season steady
Forecasters at Colorado State University on Thursday held steady the number of hurricanes they expect to appear in the Atlantic during 2022. In an update to their closely watched outlook, Colorado State meteorologists said they continue to forecast 10 hurricanes, of which five are expected to be major. More from Reuters and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Meet the Tampa women building a business pipeline from Israel to Florida
Connecting Israeli startups to customers and investors in Florida is what the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator is all about. Founded in 2016, the group’s singular (and statewide) focus sets it apart from other local accelerators like Tampa Bay Wave, Embarc Collective or the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. While it works with and alongside those groups, its goal is helping Israeli companies find a foothold in Florida, particularly in the developing tech ecosystems in Tampa Bay, Miami and Orlando. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida emergency management accused of stiffing contractor for COVID test kits
Florida’s Division of Emergency Management stiffed a private contractor for some $4.4 million in COVID-19 test kits during the state’s first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, a new lawsuit claims. The suit, announced Thursday, says the state agreed to order some 600,000 test kits in March 2020 — a time when public health officials were still scrambling to respond to the potentially deadly virus. Despite emails from the state that appear to confirm the purchase, though, the Division of Emergency Management ultimately accepted and paid for only a third of the tests. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Spirit Airlines postpones final decision on Frontier merger until July 15
For the third time, Broward County’s Spirit Airlines has delayed a final decision on whether to go ahead with a planned merger with rival discount carrier Frontier Airlines, as company directors keep negotiating with Frontier and hostile bidder JetBlue Airways. On Thursday night, less than 24 hours before Spirit’s shareholders were supposed to vote Friday on the proposed combination with Frontier, Spirit said it postponed the special meeting of shareholders to vote on the deal until July 15. More from the Miami Herald.
Business Beat - Week of July 8th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Out of the Box
Meet 'Booey,' the restaurant robot hired to deliver meals at Blue Bamboo Canton Bistro in Jacksonville
He's never late. Doesn't complain. Nimbly navigates a crowded dining room while carrying stacked, full trays of food. And he brings a smile to the faces of little children and grownups alike. The newest employee at Blue Bamboo Canton Bistro in Mandarin also gets a charge out of serving guests. A compact state-of-the-art robot, "Booey" is programmed to "run" food from the kitchen to a designated table in the dining room where a human colleague then serves it to the guests.
» Read more from the Florida Times-Union.
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