Florida holiday travel to hit record highs
A record 4.6 million Floridians are expected to travel during the Independence Day holiday, up 3% from last year, according to AAA. The increase aligns with national projections anticipating 72.2 million Americans will travel domestically from June 28 to July 6 — the most ever for the period. AAA expanded its forecast window to reflect flexible travel patterns better. More from Gulfshore Business and Lake Okeechobee News.
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» Flying or driving for Fourth of July in Florida? Here’s the best time to leave, what it’ll cost
Florida Trend Exclusive
‘A fancy IKEA package’
When Walt Disney World decided to replace all 365 cabins at its Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground in Orlando, it faced some immediate challenges. First, it wanted the busy and popular 54-year-old resort near the Magic Kingdom theme park to keep operating in full swing while its cabins were being replaced. Second, “we wanted to minimize the disruption to the environment,” says Todd Watzel, manager of programs with Disney’s facility-asset management team. [Source: Florida Trend]
Opinion: Florida employers, this is our new secret weapon for talent strategy building and recruitment
Florida needs to create 1.3 million new jobs by 2030 and many wonder where they’ll find the talent to fill these jobs. Florida’s employers face an all-too-familiar challenge: finding the right people, with the right skills, at the right time. Whether you’re running a large manufacturing plant in Melbourne or a tech startup in Tampa, everyone is feeling the strain of the talent crisis. But what if I told you that Florida now has a tool that gives businesses of all sizes a clearer view of the talent pipeline than ever before? [Source: Florida Trend]
Gov. DeSantis signs measure into law to relieve state's condo crisis
Condominium unit owners and their associations will have more time to pay new assessments for maintenance and repairs now that Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill designed to give them relief from ballooning fees. The spike in assessments came after new laws were passed in 2022 and 2023 requiring inspections and for associations to carry enough reserves to pay for needed maintenance and repairs. [Source: Tallahasse Democrat]
Some of Florida’s smallest airports are among the busiest
While most think of airports in terms of passenger counts, some of the busiest airports in Florida do not have any commercial flights. While the two busiest by number of operations — Miami International and Orlando International — are also the busiest passenger airports in the state, many of the top 10 by operations focus on private air travel. [Source: Business Observer]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Tampa heads the list of best places for foreign businesses in latest FT-Nikkei ranking
Tampa is the best US city for foreign multinationals to do business according to the third edition of rankings newly compiled by the Financial Times and Nikkei. It gained the top spot thanks to its strong performance across a range of indicators: a competitive business environment has been boosted by falling utility costs, while in terms of quality of life, the city has experienced a major reduction in crime.
› $4 million renovation planned for St. Petersburg’s Manhattan Casino
A landmark of Black history in St. Petersburg is one step closer to being revived. The City of St. Petersburg filed plans this month to begin work on a $4.8 million renovation of the Manhattan Casino. Commissioned in 1925 by the Black entrepreneur Elder Jordan, the building at 642 22nd St. S served as a hub for entertainment and culture within The Deuces, St. Petersburg’s historically Black business district. It hosted world-renowned performers like James Brown, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington before eventually closing in 1968.
› Navy plans expansion of Jacksonville test facility
The U.S. Navy plans to renovate and expand the B873 Test Cell Facility at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, according to records from the St. Johns River Water Management District. NAS Jacksonville applied to the SJWMD for the approval a minor modification to the project Friday. CEMS Engineering is listed as a consultant on the project.
› Miami's ARKHAUS acquires solar-electric yacht builder Arkup, forming The Ark Companies
What began as a floating social club off the coast of Miami has now evolved into a full-fledged tech hospitality ecosystem with global ambitions. Last Friday, ARKHAUS announced its official transition into The Ark Companies, an umbrella of three symbiotic startups: ARKHAUS, E-LIXR, and Arkup, working together to propel maritime innovation into a zero-emission future.
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› JaxPort CEO Eric Green receives five-year contract extension
With a unanimous vote on June 23, the Jacksonville Port Authority board granted JaxPort CEO Eric Green a five-year contract extension and a 15% raise in his base compensation. Green, JaxPort’s top administrator for the past eight years, will receive an annual base salary of $550,000 through 2032 under the extension.
› How a housing village rising at a Hialeah train station is changing a community
The intersection of the Metrorail and Tri-Rail lines has become the center of an ambitious plan to transform the area. Renters started moving into the first building earlier this year, following completion of Metro Parc on East 26th Street. Developers say they are aiming to rent about 75 percent of the apartments at below market rates, making use of Florida’s Live Local Act, which rewards companies with tax incentives if they set aside units for workforce housing.
› $12B Tampa packaging and can business makes leadership changes
Crown Holdings, a publicly traded packing product and aluminum beverage can manufacturer based in Tampa, has announced several leadership changes. Founded in 1892, Crown has 189 plants in 39 countries, according to its website. It had $11.8 billion in revenue in 2024, down slightly from $12.01 billion in 2023.
› Broward’s solid waste management plan seeks to more than double recycling
The hard part is done. Now for the very hard part. Broward officials spent years hammering out what they’ve called the Solid Waste Management and Recycling Draft Master Plan. It calls for rethinking the way the county’s 2 million residents separate and dispose of their trash, along with what happens to it once it’s hauled away in garbage and recycling trucks. Now that the plan is complete, the team of public officials who developed it have to sell it to 31 local governments and the public they serve.