Jobs are back in Florida, but pay lags and poverty is still up

Almost a decade since the Great Recession ended, Florida’s economic recovery remains uneven, data shows. Gov. Scott can point to an abundance of new jobs — although research shows almost half are considered low-wage, paying $10 or less an hour. Close to half of Florida’s 67 counties still have not returned to the employment levels they had before the recession, which began in 2007 and officially ceased in June 2009. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Gainesville Sun.

See also:
» FIU research: The State of Working Florida - 2017

Popeyes chicken fast-food chain reportedly moves HQ from Atlanta to Miami

The Popeyes chain of fast-food chicken restaurants has moved its U.S. headquarters from Atlanta to Miami, according to a public filing and media reports. In its most recent quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 1, the company’s parent, Restaurant Brands International of Canada, alluded to the move while discussing relocation and consolidation costs. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the AJC.

Space Florida proposes launch, landing pads at KSC

An experimental space plane and other small rockets could blast off from a new pad at Kennedy Space Center, and boosters could begin landing at the spaceport, under state proposals now under review by NASA. [Source: Florida Today]

Florida students get boost from Bright Futures changes

Florida “medallion scholars” will be among the biggest beneficiaries this academic year of the state’s efforts to expand financial aid for university and state college students. As students enroll for their fall classes this month, the projected 46,000 medallion scholars will have their Bright Futures scholarships increased to cover 75 percent of tuition and fees. [Source: WINK News]

Earlier:
» More information about SB 4, the Florida Excellence in Higher Education Act of 2018

Florida’s U.S. Senate race just got slimed

Bill Nelson and Rick Scott on Friday sharply escalated the political fight over the Lake Okeechobee toxic algae crisis. Scott's campaign launched a TV ad accusing the Democratic senator of having failed to act, and Nelson blamed the Republican governor for a war on environmental regulations. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Related:
» Sen. Bill Nelson's letter: The algae in our waters
» Gov. Scott: Expedited water project will help reduce harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› In post-recession era, cities in Tampa Bay are keeping a lid on payroll costs [Tampa Bay Times]
There's no template guiding who gets paid what among city governments in the Tampa Bay region. In fact, the man who runs the smallest of the region's Big Three cities makes a lot more than the man who runs the biggest. And two of them supervise payrolls that actually have shrunk in the past 10 years while one is paying out a couple of million dollars more.

› Some Tallahassee businesses struggle during summer months [The FAMUAN]
As the summer is winding down Tallahassee is revving back up for students coming in the fall. During the first few months of summer, Tallahassee was a ghost town. In a city that is home to three colleges – TCC, FSU and FAMU – it is safe to say that Tallahassee is predominately a college town.

› Orange County commissioner to combat mosquitoes by bringing in bats [AP]
Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla says she is working with the Florida Bat Conservancy to install bat houses across her district. Bats are touted as an environmentally-friendly way to fight mosquitoes, which are related to illnesses such as Zika and West Nile.

› A $400 million Silicon Valley fund is bringing a major program to Miami [Miami Herald]
When $400 million Silicon Valley investment fund 500 Startups arrived in Miami this spring to establish its new East Coast office, the move was hailed as another step in Miami’s ongoing transformation into a 21st-century economy.

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› Florida Tech Students in Beijing for Sino-U.S. Space Policy Research Center Study Program [Space Coast Daily]
Four Florida Tech students and Andy Aldrin, associate professor and director of the Aldrin Space Institute, are attending the inaugural Sino-U.S. Space Policy Research Center summer study program starting in Beijing.

› Should Miami Beach officials get a raise? Voters will decide in August [Miami Herald]
Miami Beach’s elected officials haven’t gotten a raise in more than 50 years. Commissioner salaries were set at $6,000 in 1966 and haven’t changed, although elected officials do get other perks including pensions, a car allowance and a monthly stipend for expenses.

› Midtown Tampa plans, including first office building, coming into sharper focus [Tampa Bay Times]
More key pieces of the $500 million Midtown Tampa mixed-use development near West Shore are beginning to come into view. The real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield said Thursday it had been hired by the developer, the New York City-based Bromley Companies, to handle leasing for the 750,000 square feet of office space planned at Midtown Tampa.

› SeaWorld Orlando brewing up new craft beer festival [Orlando Sentinel]
SeaWorld Orlando visitors won’t have to wait too long for more beer fun following the park’s free beer promotion. The new SeaWorld Craft Beer Festival will pour more than 100 beers on draft on weekends from Nov. 3-11.