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Florida lawmakers to consider weakening century-old child labor laws
A proposed Republican bill to loosen child labor laws in Florida is part of a national trend aimed at repealing or weakening workplace protections for young people that have been in place for more than 100 years. The bill could worsen graduation rates and hurt lower-income families, experts said, and could also be a way to replace some immigrant labor as Florida and other GOP-led states continue to crack down on undocumented workers. “Are we willing to return to a world where we accept that children of the poorest families are working more than full-time jobs under hazardous conditions?” said Jennifer Sherer, director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network at the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Business Beat - Week of October 6th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida sues White House over funding tied to new state labor law
Florida sued the Biden administration on Wednesday, accusing it of threatening to withhold more than $800 million of funding for transportation infrastructure because of a new state law that some public sector unions have viewed as anti-labor. Signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on May 9, Senate Bill 256 prevents unions representing transportation workers, teachers and other public sector employees from having dues deducted from paychecks, and would instead have employees pay dues to their unions. [Source: Reuters]
State approves private insurers to take 153,000 more homeowner policies from Citizens
Amid a push to move policyholders into the private market, regulators have approved proposals by six private insurers to take as many 153,000 policies from the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state’s property insurer of last resort. Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky signed six orders giving the go-ahead to the private insurers to make offers to Citizens customers and assume their homeowner insurance policies from Citizens on Dec. 19. [Source: Miami Herald]
Florida wants to speed up the removal of abandoned, derelict boats
Wildlife officials want to speed up the process of removing abandoned and storm-damaged boats from state waters, while complimenting residents for efforts to secure vessels ahead of Hurricane Idalia. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials on Wednesday outlined plans to ask for $7 million from the Legislature for a derelict-vessel removal program. Also, the commission will ask lawmakers to approve speeding a notice period for owners to take care of damaged and abandoned boats. [Source: News Service of Florida]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Ten Pinellas County businesses embark on Florida's first and only tourism business incubator
Amplify Clearwater wants to welcome even more innovative small businesses to town. "I think about all the kind of nontraditional parts of tourism, from sports tourism to medical tourism, ecotourism," said Amanda Payne, CEO of Amplify Clearwater. They're launching the state's first tourism small business incubator.
› Southwest Florida construction booms as focus shifts to medical services
Southwest Florida is in the midst of a population boom, and with more people comes the need for more services, especially medical services. Gulfshore Business editor David Dorsey explains why medical offices are the next big construction “boom” for Southwest Florida.
› What will happen to the last Piccadilly in Florida? Changes for beloved gathering spot
How big was Piccadilly Cafeteria? Bigger than the chain’s hunk of coconut cream pie. Ask your grandmother. Piccadilly opened in Baton Rouge in 1932 with one cafeteria and swelled to more than 270 dotting Gulf Coast states when the company gobbled up competitor Morrison’s Cafeterias in 1998. The merger ended in bankruptcy, leaving 41 locations by 2003. That number is now down to 30, with only 1 in Florida.
› Financial office leasing in South Florida tapers over past three years
Over the past three years, South Florida earned a reputation as a mecca for financial firms fleeing New York, Chicago and San Francisco. The likes of Thoma Bravo, Apollo Capital Management, Founders Fund and, of course, Citadel, leased offices across the tri-county region. Developers and brokers were abuzz over the activity, leading to a collective chorus boasting about the market’s good fortune and resilience to woes plaguing office buildings in the rest of the U.S.
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