Florida's private-sector job count falls by 20 percent in September over year

Florida added 16,200 private-sector jobs in September, but that was a 20 percent decrease from the 20,328 added a year ago, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday. The decline was unsurprising since last month was when Hurricane Irma swept through Florida. See the report from ADP, here. Also read more at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

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Steve Spurrier is a ‘Florida Icon'

The Miami Beach-native and former coach of the Florida Gators shares stories and opens up about his personal philosophy in this one-on-one interview. Spurrier said, "They put my name on the stadium here at Florida. That was the biggest honor I’ve ever received in my life, and I’ve been fortunate to receive a bunch of them."
» Read the full interview here.

Visit Florida keeps tourism goal after Hurricane Irma

Florida's top tourism marketer remains focused on attracting 120 million visitors this year, even after Hurricane Irma closed the Florida Keys for nearly a month and as recovery continues along both coasts. [Source: WJXT]

How Puerto Rican evacuees will transform Florida and your business

Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico and left millions seeking a new place to call home. Now the effects are about to significantly impact Florida and be felt throughout other states across America. [Source: Orlando Business Journal]

Frustrations boil over in D.C. as Gov. Rick Scott meets with Florida representatives

Frustrations bubbled up during a hurricane recovery meeting between Gov. Rick Scott and Florida House members Wednesday morning, with the governor pleading for federal funding for the state’s battered citrus industry and House members expressing a litany of concerns. More from the Tampa Bay Times and McClatchy.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› FEMA to hire Floridians to aid in disaster recovery process [WTXL]
FEMA is hiring local residents to assist in the disaster recovery effort following Hurricane Irma. They say that those hired will join the recovery team already in place, which is made up of voluntary agencies and community organizations.

› Senators sound skeptical of new state jobs fund [Florida Politics]
Lawmakers asked lots of questions but didn’t get the answers they wanted Wednesday as a Senate panel tried to get a handle on the state’s new $85 million jobs fund.

› FSU economist: Why Tampa should be a front-runner for Amazon’s HQ2 [Forbes]
The Tampa metro area meets Amazon’s basic requirements—an international airport and a population over 1 million—but its greatest advantage is being in Florida.

› Lowe's seeks to hire 200 in Tampa Bay for Irma recovery [Tampa Bay Times]
Lowe's Home Improvement is hiring more than 200 employees across Tampa Bay on Thursday and Friday. The company said its employment push is part of a plan to hire more than 3,000 employees statewide "to help communities recover from Hurricane Irma."

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› Kaká says he will not renew Orlando City contract [Orlando Sentinel]
Soccer legend Kaká announced he will not renew his contract with Orlando City Wednesday. He said his first cycle is over, but he didn’t completely close the door on possibly returning to the club in some role.
» See also: Commentary: Underappreciated Kaká turned Orlando into an international soccer destination

› Average credit card debt in Jacksonville will take 71 days of working to pay off [Florida Times-Union]
The average Jacksonville resident has to work more than two months to pay off his or her credit card debt, according to a new study. The report by Smart Asset said that the average credit card balance in Jacksonville is $6,087.

› Rep. Frank White ready to join GOP race for Florida attorney general [Tampa Bay Times]
A third candidate is poised to enter the Republican primary to succeed Pam Bondi as state attorney general in 2018. Frank White, a first-term state House member from Pensacola, told the Times/Herald he’ll make a final decision in a few days.

› Visit Orlando discloses it spent $76,500 on Fox 35 advertising [Orlando Sentinel]
Under pressure from Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran to be more transparent , Visit Orlando revealed Tuesday it spent $76,500 in tax money on advertising with Fox 35 this year.