Florida's economic, population growth expected to slow
A new report predicts Florida's explosive growth will slow in the next five years. The second quarter report by the nonprofit Florida Taxwatch and the Regional Economic Consulting Group says that due to smaller population growth (net migration has decreased from 868 new residents each day to 801), employers will have more trouble filling open positions. The study predicts annual population growth, right now at 1.4% compared to 2023, will start to shrink each year until 2029, when it'll be at 1.1%. More from the Center Square.
Tampa Bay restaurants, hotels brace for tourism impact after Hurricane Helene
Helene brought historic flooding to Tampa Bay’s coastlines, shuttering hotels and restaurants in the region’s most tourism-dependent nodes. The devastation in Helene’s wake has upended the hospitality industry, leaving scores without work, at least temporarily. It’s impossible to gauge to what extent tourism will rebound when those establishments reopen More from the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Odds drop for potential tropical system in Gulf, but Florida still likely to get torrential rains
The tropics remain active with a hurricane and a tropical storm in the Atlantic, but forecasters said concern is lessening about a potential system developing in the Gulf of Mexico. A weather disturbance is expected to move into the Gulf, but the odds dropped to 30% for tropical development because of “interaction with a frontal boundary.” Forecasters still warned that nothing is certain and residents along the U.S. Gulf Coast should watch the disturbance closely. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the Ocala Star Banner.
Jacksonville stocks rise as market hits record highs
As the stock market reached record highs in the third quarter, most of the public companies headquartered in the Jacksonville area rose with it. Of the 20 publicly traded companies, 16 ended the quarter higher, with 12 of them registering double-digit percentage gains. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
'True economic development': Amazon marks one year in Tallahassee, creates 2,300 jobs
This time last year, Amazon debuted its robotic fulfillment center in Tallahassee and made history with its investment of more than $200 million in a city eager to attract robust new private sector interest. Amazon's arrival came with an injection: More than 1,000 new jobs, the most ever by a single company. Also, a 630,000-square-foot fulfillment center roughly the size of 11 football fields on Mahan Drive and a delivery station off Capital Circle Northwest. More from the Tallahassee Democrat.
Sports Business
This is why Hard Rock Stadium will have to change its name for the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is 21 months away and among the many things on the Miami Host Committee’s to-do list is to devise a plan to cover up Hard Rock signage on Hard Rock Stadium during the tournament. FIFA, the world soccer governing body, prohibits corporate stadium names from companies that are not official FIFA sponsors, so existing stadium names will be covered during the World Cup and will not be mentioned in game broadcasts unless those companies sign separate sponsorship deals.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Entertainment
A fifth Disney park?
A major new deal between Walt Disney World and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District authorizes a maximum of five major theme parks — one more than Disney has in Orlando now. Its fourth theme park, Animal Kingdom, opened 26 years ago, joining the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Disney has not announced a fifth park, but industry insiders are predicting it will take that step in order to compete with Epic Universe, Universal Studios’ newest park, which opens next year.
» Read more from Florida Trend.