Florida unemployed face weaker safety net

States provide varying degrees of financial support for laid-off workers, and some provide less than others. Florida is among a number of states that have cut back on unemployment assistance, paying lower benefits, for less time, to a smaller fraction of laid-off workers than a decade ago. Other states that have followed a similar path include North Carolina, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Arkansas and Idaho. [Source: Marketplace]

Florida smokers puff on largest tax increase

At nearly 300%, Florida has increased its excise taxes on a pack of smokes more than any other state over the past decade. Through 2017, the tax equated to what’s now a $1.34 levy per pack. During that same time, 2006-2017, the inflow of smuggled cigarettes in Florida is 15.2%, according to a new Tax Foundation study that analyzes the relationship between cigarette taxes and smuggling. [Source: Business Observer]

100,000 files document big trouble at Florida’s key domestic violence agency

In a stunning rebuke to one of the state’s longest serving social services agencies, a Florida House committee subpoenaed its executives Thursday and the governor launched an investigation after learning that the agency’s CEO received more than $7.5 million in compensation from state and federal funds over the past three years. [Source: Times/Herald]

Timeshare relief company with ties to Florida accused of widespread fraud

The timeshare wars rage on. The latest salvo comes courtesy of Washington state’s attorney general, who filed a lawsuit last week accusing the industry’s biggest timeshare exit company of widespread fraud. The “exit” companies — many of which do a steady business in Florida — claim to help free consumers from unwanted timeshares. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

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The CDC sent novel coronavirus testing kits to Florida. They might not work

Florida health officials received testing kits for novel coronavirus earlier this week but can’t use them yet because it’s unclear whether the tests are working. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday morning said issues with the tests the agency has developed for the respiratory illness spreading rapidly through China surfaced after they were sent out to state labs. [Source: Miami Herald]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Environmentalists praise plan to spend hotel taxes on ailing springs and lakes. But the tourism industry is fighting it. [Orlando Sentinel]
Central Florida environmentalists are praising a new plan in Tallahassee to let counties spend hotel taxes cleaning up polluted springs, lakes and lagoons -- an idea they say could be especially helpful in tourism-dominated Orange County, which is struggling to find enough money to save water bodies like the Wekiva River and Lake Apopka.

› Naples Art unveils Art Business Entrepreneur Program [Florida Weekly]
For more than 65 years, Naples Art has understood that artists are essential members of society, contributing to the creative economy, revitalizing neighborhoods and providing a crucial role in social, civic and business innovation. As a visual arts leader, Naples Art looks to ensure that artists have the opportunity and skill sets needed to support themselves through the creation of their art. As part of its 2020 season, Naples Art is unveiling its Art Business Entrepreneur program.

› More office space is in the pipeline for Wynwood. But when will tenants flood in? [Miami Herald]
Office space development in Wynwood keeps growing, but some South Florida brokers are struggling to find tenants to fill the new inventory. The ongoing construction is to blame for the lull in office leasing activity in Wynwood, Danet Linares, vice chairman of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, said Thursday at a CREW luncheon.

› Former Moffitt Cancer Center director sues over forced resignation [Tampa Bay Times]
Thomas Sellers, a vice president and director at Moffitt until his resignation late last year, says in the lawsuit that he was not part of the now-contentious “Thousand Talents” program, an initiative designed to recruit experts from the U.S. and elsewhere to collaborate with researchers in China.

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› Miami Herald parent company McClatchy files for bankruptcy to shed debt [AP]
The publisher of the Miami Herald and dozens of other newspapers across the country has filed for bankruptcy protection. The newspaper industry has been devastated by changing technology that has sent the vast majority of people online in search of news. While McClatchy and others have pushed digital operations aggressively, advertising dollars have continued to flow toward internet giants like Facebook and Google.

› Infant deaths increase as flu season peaks across Florida [WJXT]
Two infants in Florida have died from the flu in recent weeks, according to the latest weekly report from the Florida Department of Health. The report for January 26-February 1 shows an increase in flu activity statewide, with 35 outbreaks. In Northeast Florida, activity remains mild to moderate in most counties.

› Want a dip in a daring sky pool? Look at what’s coming to Miami Worldcenter [Miami Herald]
Miami’s newest sky pool boasts views of the 45th floor — and beyond. A glass atrium stretching seven stories tall will shelter a palm-lined garden, seating areas and bar. An infinity-edge pool will sit in the open, cantilevered over the edge of the Legacy Hotel & Residences at Miami Worldcenter.

› Anna Maria seeks tenant for iconic City Pier restaurant [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The most iconic structure on Manatee County’s most famous stretch of land needs an occupant. The city of Anna Maria Florida has issued a request for proposals seeking a tenant to operate the City Pier Restaurant and Bait Shop located on the end of the City Pier at Pine Avenue in Anna Maria. The pier should be ready for sightseeing and fishing by the end of the March with a restaurant potentially operating there by the end of the year.