Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Tuesday's Daily Pulse

Hurricane Dorian still won’t move or turn north as four potential tropical systems emerge

The tropics early Tuesday appear a shell game of convection. A total of five areas are being monitored across the Atlantic, with most headed in different directions. The now-category 3 Hurricane Dorian continued to pummel the Bahamas with hyper-destructive force after creeping up on the islands Sunday and making landfall as one of the most powerful hurricanes on modern record. As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center reported Dorian had sustained winds of 120 mph with gusts over 150 mph and remained stationery over Grand Bahama Island. More from the Tampa Bay Times, the Miami Herald, and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

See also:
» 5 common myths, misconceptions about hurricanes
» Rain threat from Dorian revives concerns about mosquito-borne illness
» Hurricane Dorian: What you need to know on Tuesday
» Brevard businesses brace for Hurricane Dorian's impact on Labor Day profits
» Stunning footage of Hurricane Dorian from above, inside and below the storm

Florida has 10 million-plus workers: Here’s a snapshot of who they are

Florida’s workforce is becoming increasingly diverse, older and better educated, according to a new Labor Day-related report from Florida International University. With more than 10 million workers and a 3.3 percent unemployment rate as of July, Florida’s workforce has largely recovered from the impact of the Great Recession that reached its peak in the state about a decade ago. [Source: Florida Phoenix]

In honor of Labor Day, 6 jobs you’ll only find in Florida

In the 1980s, Florida’s tourism slogan was, “The Rules Are Different Here.” The jobs are different here, too. Sure, plenty of people in Florida work at convenience stores, grocery stores, insurance offices, restaurants, construction sites and a lot of other places that you find throughout the country. But some Florida jobs could exist nowhere other than the Sunshine State. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida businesses could see workers’ comp rates decline for third straight year

Florida’s workers’ compensation rates will decline for the third consecutive year in 2020 if the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) follows a national insurance rating bureau’s recommendation. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has filed its annual proposal with the OIR that calls for an average 5.4 percent rate decrease for state employers, effective Jan. 1. [Source: The Center Square]

As Florida’s cities are building to fight rising seas, small towns may struggle to defend themselves

Some think the question of how to pay for the defenses needed to ward off rising seas could become a serious crisis for small towns and cities up and down America’s coasts. Florida is by far the most expensive state to protect, with more than $75 billion in climate costs identified, nearly double the next most expensive state — Louisiana. [Source: WTOP]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› How Crescent Heights developer Russell Galbut plans to remake South Florida
When Miamians and tourists drive eastbound on the MacArthur Causeway, past Star, Palm and Hibiscus islands, past the cruise ships with passengers waving as they exit the port, the first building that’ll catch their eye will be a veritable skyscraper.

› Florida is running out of 850 area code phone numbers
There aren't enough 850 area code phone numbers to go around. That's according to the Florida Public Service Commission. The Florida PSC says the 850 area code will be likely exhausted in early 2022. Proposals to provide new telephone numbers in north Florida will be talked about next Friday, September 6th, in Tallahassee. The public is invited to attend the workshop and comment of the 850 area code relief plan.

› Manatee sales tax now a major source of infrastructure funding
A large segment of Manatee County’s voters — 74,999 to be precise — did not want to pay it. Yet those naysayers became outnumbered by 98,740 voters (56.8%) who cast ballots in favor of a half-cent local sales tax in the November 2016 election. For nearly three years, the Manatee County Commission has been collecting — and absolutely counting on — that revenue to pay for projects that otherwise might not get funded in the foreseeable future.

› Call center to lay off more than 200 workers in Sunrise
Alorica, a Sunrise-based call center, notified the state that it plans to lay off 216 workers. The company said it would be closing its office at 14100 NW 4th St. between Oct. 31 and Dec. 31. The workers include 180 customer service representatives, as well as managers, administrative and recruiting assistants, trainers and other workers.

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› Mighty Mites Hard at Work in Florida Strawberries
Florida Grower magazine hosted a tour of farms in Central Florida late last year. One of the stops was at JayMar Produce — a strawberry operation near Plant City. JayMar’s Production Manager, Dwight Rainwater, showed tour attendees how various technologies and products are being deployed on the farm.

› Lee County hires senior-level executive in agricultural role
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences recently hired a Bermuda native to run the Lee County Extension Services office. David Outerbridge, who comes to Lee County after working as a soil conservation planner for Manatee County, describes his new job as the Extension Services director, in a statement, as fostering natural phenomena that feed humans, “both figuratively and spiritually.”

› How Broward’s oldest city could become a top destination to live, work and play
Dania Beach, Broward’s oldest city, is seeing new life as a South Florida attraction — envisioning a sweeping downtown makeover project that could bring hundreds of new apartments next to many planned new stores, parks and work spaces.

› Authorities shut down illegal charter boats in Florida
Authorities have shut down more than 30 illegal charter boats, mostly in the Florida Panhandle. The Northwest Florida Daily News reports that most of the vessels were based in Destin. Two others were in Panama City and another in Orange Beach, Alabama.