Hurricanes induce slump in Florida consumer sentiment
After four consecutive months of increases, consumer sentiment among Floridians fell nine-tenths of a point in October, dropping to 77.4 from a revised figure of 78.3 in September. In contrast, national sentiment rose slightly for the third consecutive month. More from UF News.
Florida condo crisis: Experts tell of owners’ fears as costs keep mounting
A Broward County panel on Wednesday warned that senior citizens in particular are struggling with mounting condo assessments — and the problem could grow as costs rise and owners cannot sell their homes. Those who own condos are facing the prospect of more financial assessments: There’s a Jan. 1 state deadline to have buildings inspected and shape plans to fund any repairs. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Tampa airport CEO search down to two internal execs
The search for a new CEO for Tampa International Airport is down to two candidates after the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s board voted Wednesday on the finalists. The two men left standing to replace retiring CEO Joe Lopano are Michael Stephens, the airport’s general counsel and executive vice president, and John Tiliacos, its executive vice president of operations and customer service. More from the Business Observer.
Spirit to furlough another 330 pilots at the end of January as part of plan to cut costs by $80 million
Spirit Airlines is following through on a sweeping $80 million cost reduction plan, which includes the furlough of another 330 pilots by the end of January 2025, the pilots union and company confirmed Thursday. The move, first reported by Reuters, comes after the airline dropped 186 pilots from its roster in early September. The latest round of furloughs would be accompanied by the demotion of 120 other pilots. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
EverBank wanted Sterling Bank and Trust – not its parent company
EverBank Financial Corp. agreed Sept. 15 to buy Sterling Bank and Trust and its 25 California branches but wanted no part of the bank’s troubled parent company, according to a proxy statement filed by Sterling Bancorp Inc. Jacksonville-based EverBank agreed to pay $261 million to Michigan-based Sterling Bancorp to buy its bank subsidiary. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Tech Trends
Oakley the robot helping staff, residents at Oak Hammock at UF
Oakley has been serving the senior residents of Oak Hammock at the University of Florida for more than a year. During lunch time, Oakley runs food to and from the cafeÃ?, brings dirty dishes to the kitchen and delivers supplies to different areas of the campus. As a "butler," Oakley sometimes moves about the room offering residents snacks and refreshments. One important note: Oakley is a robot.
» More from the Gainesville Sun.
Research
Found in translation
Florida International University in 2020 took over a failing Florida life sciences recruit, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, recruited to St. Lucie County with $90 million in state and local incentives a dozen years earlier. Now called FIU’s Center for Translational Science, it’s making gradual progress at building out the research prowess that Torrey Pines didn’t deliver.
» Read more from Florida Trend.