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Tuesday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida unemployment rate is lowest among nation's most populated states
According to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida has a seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 2.8% and ranks 14th overall, sharing a spot with Kansas and Hawaii. Of the five largest states by population — California, Texas, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania — Florida has the lowest unemployment rate. At the same time, New York, Texas and California all sit above the national average of 3.8%. More from the Center Square.
Diana Nyad marks anniversary of epic Cuba-Florida swim, freeing rehabilitated sea turtle in the Keys
A decade after swimming the treacherous passage from Cuba to Key West, Diana Nyad returned Sunday to the beach where she completed her epic feat, joining in the release of a sea turtle rehabilitated at the Florida Keys’ Turtle Hospital. Nyad and her Cuba swim expedition leader Bonnie Stoll helped return “Rocky,” a 120-pound (54-kilogram) female green sea turtle, to the Atlantic Ocean at Key West’s Smathers Beach as they marked the anniversary with her former support team. More from the AP.
Southwest Florida saw driest rainy season in 26 years
Tampa Bay residents may have found themselves missing the summer showers this year. Recent rainfall data shows that Southwest Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, experienced the driest rainy season in 26 years. As a result, Tampa Bay Water, the regional utility, issued a water shortage warning Oct. 2 and urged residents to conserve water. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Palm Beach County’s upcoming land-swap vote: Three things to know
A final vote is expected Tuesday to decide if 1,000 new homes should rise in Palm Beach County, as part of a massive land-swap proposal involving an agricultural region known as the Agricultural Reserve. The contentious issue, which drawn debate over the county’s land-preservation efforts, is likely to draw many people to the county’s public meeting. “It could be a long, contentious meeting, so we encourage people to pack lunch — and maybe even dinner,” said Drew Martin, the conservation chair for the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group, which is opposing the plan. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Riding the bus will soon be free in Miami-Dade County. What to know about the changes
If you take the bus to commute around Miami-Dade, you’re in luck. You can soon ride for free. Miami-Dade’s Department of Transportation and Public Works confirmed Monday that fares will be suspended for both bus service and the Metrorail system from Nov. 13 through the rest of 2023. Fares for both are usually $2.25 per trip. More from the Miami Herald.
A cancer diagnosis is life changing. So is the AdventHealth Clinical Research Unit.
It seems like there’s no one who hasn’t been touched by cancer. Whether it’s a friend, relative, coworker, or whether the patient is you, the cancer care team you choose is critical. They should leave no stone unturned when it comes to your treatment. AdventHealth knows this, too. That’s why we opened the Clinical Research Unit (CRU) in Celebration, Florida — specializing in treating difficult-to-cure cancers. [Sponsored report]
Business Profile
A changing market changed a restaurateur's career
Ben Groshell thanks the 2008 recession for that career turn from owning one restaurant to several. Groshell, 56, opened his first restaurant, Marker 32, in 1992. It had opened as a white tablecloth fine-dining restaurant. Groshell, who had developed the upscale menu at Vicar’s Landing in the Ponte Vedra Beach retirement community, put his Culinary Institute of America training on display. Come 2008, the fine-dining market was dwindling.
» More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Environmental Trends
Sewage fuels brown tide
A Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute study added to the evidence that the root cause of the nitrogen pollution in the Indian River Lagoon responsible for algal blooms and brown tide — leading to seagrass, fish and manatee die offs — is homeowners’ septic systems, not lawn fertilizer.
» Read more from Florida Trend.
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