Fewer in Florida seek unemployment assistance — but the nation adds 900,000 new filers

There may be a break in the rising trend of severe coronavirus cases, new data show — but the economic toll of the pandemic shows no sign of abating. Florida saw nearly 26,599 new applications for unemployment assistance for the week ending Jan. 16, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. That was down from the the 30,583 seen the week before. The state’s count of continuing claims, or among those who’ve filed for unemployment for at least two weeks, fell slightly, from 174,544 to 169,837. More from the News Service of Florida and the Miami Herald.

Florida limits coronavirus vaccines to permanent, seasonal residents

Citing scarce supply, Florida is limiting availability of coronavirus vaccines to state residents, reversing a previous policy of not restricting doses based where a person lives. The decision, which came Thursday afternoon in a public health advisory from Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, follows reports of out-of-state and foreign visitors coming to Florida to get shots because of its policy of offering doses to people 65 and older. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.

Pandemics won't shut down Florida businesses again, state senator says

Businesses will remain open for the economic well-being of the state even as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, the head of a Senate select committee on the pandemic said Thursday. And if similar pandemics occur in the future, the state intends to have guidelines that would keep businesses from again facing closures, said Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, who chairs the Select Committee on Pandemic Preparedness and Response. [Source: News Service of Florida]

SpaceX set for unique Friday launch from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX teams at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are set for the company's next launch on Friday, a unique mission that will hug the Florida coast as it flies a southern trajectory. If everything goes as planned, a previously flown Falcon 9 will vault off Launch Complex 40 at 9:24 a.m. and turn southeast, placing its mission on a sun-synchronous – or nearly polar – trajectory. Friday's launch window will remain open for about an hour. [Source: Florida Today]

Florida could become the next business hub as employers look to flee San Francisco and New York City

One in four business owners are considering moving their operations to a cheaper location, according to a poll of 150 C-Suite executives released Tuesday. Remote work has diminished the importance of living in expensive hubs like San Francisco and New York City. In West Monroe's Quarterly Executive Poll, business owners cited high cost of living and taxes as their primary reasons for relocating their businesses. [Source: Business Insider]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers announces IPO [WJCT]
The Jacksonville-based parent company of the Winn-Dixie and Harveys grocery chains on Thursday announced an initial public stock offering (IPO) that could raise up to $163.7 million. Southeastern Grocers, which also operates Fresco Y Mas and BI-LO supermarkets in other markets, said in a news release that 8.9 million shares of its common stock will be sold at an anticipated initial public offering price between $14 and $16 per share.

› Worth the gamble? World Poker Tour will draw hundreds to Hard Rock this weekend as COVID odds rise [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Hundreds of poker players from across the country and beyond have gathered inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood for the World Poker Tour’s 2021 Lucky Hearts Open, as Florida’s record-setting COVID odds continue to rise. With $1 million in guaranteed prize money on the table for the main event Jan. 22-26, this is the first major tournament at the Hard Rock in a year and the first live event for the World Poker Tour since COVID lockdowns began in March.

› Florida transportation department says it will extend SunRail to DeLand [Orlando Sentinel]
Despite pushback, Florida’s transportation agency intends to complete SunRail’s unfinished stretch from DeBary to DeLand in Volusia County. The Department of Transportation disclosed its decision this month in a gathering of local-government transportation staffers, presenting options projected to cost $14 million, $42 million and $75 million for the Volusia gap.

› Judge shoots down proposal for jai alai gambling in Edgewater. But the case isn’t over [Miami Herald]
A controversial proposal to bring jai alai gambling to Edgewater has been shot down in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Judge Michael Hanzmann ruled on Wednesday that the push by West Flagler Associates, the owners of Magic City Casino, to bring gambling to Edgewater in downtown Miami was, at its core, a “land use issue” that overruled any other permissions the company had been granted to pursue its pari-mutuel facilities.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Everglades restoration boss from the Keys named to top wildlife and national parks role [Miami Herald]
Shannon Estenoz, a fifth-generation Key West native known as a fierce and pragmatic Everglades restoration advocate, will lead the Department of Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. Estenoz, who oversaw Everglades restoration at the department under President Barack Obama’s administration, was named principal deputy assistant secretary.

› Timing right as Dream Finders Homes IPO hits market [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Dream Finders Homes Inc.’s stock begins trading on Jan. 21 and the timing couldn’t be better. The Jacksonville-based homebuilder’s initial public offering of 9.6 million Class A shares was priced at $13 each late Jan. 20, clearing the way for trading to begin on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

› Orlando home prices soar nearly 10% in 2020 as inventory drops to 15-year low [Orlando Sentinel]
Available homes for sale in metro Orlando dropped to their lowest levels in 15 years last year, while median home prices rose almost 10% against 2019, according to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association. For sellers, the booming market means less wait time and higher prices.

› CoAdvantage buys Alabama's SourcePointe [Business Observer]
Tampa-based CoAdvantage Corp. has announced that it has acquired Birmingham, Ala.-based SourcePointe, which provides outsourced human resources services. The purchase will give the strategic human resources firm to small- and mid-sized companies an entry into markets in Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi. It will also accelerate CoAdvantage’s growth and strengthen its position throughout the U.S.