Florida jobless claims below 16,000 last week

Marking a pandemic low, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated 15,903 first-time unemployment claims were filed last week in Florida. The estimate for the week that ended Feb. 27 was down 2,727 from a revised count of 18,630 for the week ending Feb. 20. The number for the week ending Feb. 20 had initially been projected at 16,100 claims. Over the past four weeks, the state has averaged 19,452 claims, down from 50,442 the previous four weeks. More from the News Service of Florida and the Miami Herald.

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» New unemployment claims inch back up to 745,000

Florida Trend Business Beat - Week of March 5th

Check out the top news-to-know with Florida Trend's brand new, headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

Florida Icon Yann Weymouth shares his secrets to successful architecture

I love how international Florida is. When you walk down a Miami or a St. Pete street, you hear different languages, just like you do in London or Paris or Hong Kong. I love that.

You look at a butterfly. You look at a leaf. You look at a pebble. All of those things are beautiful to us, and the beauty has evolved from how they work, what are they doing, without any waste.

The feeling you have when you’re walking through a forest or walking down the beach — buildings can do that, too.

» Read the full Florida Icon profile here.

Florida business groups wade into wetlands permitting fight

The Florida Chamber of Commerce and a major developers’ group are seeking to intervene in a high-stakes lawsuit over a move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority to the state for projects that affect wetlands. Attorneys for the Florida Chamber and the Association of Florida Community Developers filed documents Friday in federal district court in Washington, as they seek to help defend the EPA’s decision. The organizations said the motion to intervene in the case is unopposed, though the court had not signed off on their participation as of Wednesday afternoon, according to an online docket. [Source: Florida Trend]

Florida ranked as 8th 'Least Safe State During COVID-19,' study finds. Here's why

Florida has ranked among the least safe states during the coronavirus pandemic, a WalletHub study published Wednesday found. The state ranked 44th in the analysis that included all 50 states and the District of Colombia that compared five metrics: COVID-19 transmission, Positive testing, Hospitalizations, Death, and The percent of the eligible population getting vaccinated [Source: TCPalm]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Hillsborough wants a “large-scale” film studio to lure blockbusters [Tampa Bay Times]
Area film, television and commercial production leaders say Hillsborough County has almost everything needed to become a national hub for their industry — diverse locales, qualified crew and warm weather. But they say Hillsborough is hurt by the lack of a major film studio in the county. There is a now push for one to be created through a public-private partnership. Last year, the county film commission funded a study on the matter.

› Back to work at 82: COVID-19 inspires Coral Springs retiree to help family business [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Steve Gordon is 82 and has been retired for a dozen years, but the Coral Springs resident hasn’t lost his zeal for working. While many businesses were forced to lay off people during the pandemic, Gordon’s family business that sells and installs playground equipment in backyards actually saw a boom during 2020, which has continued into this year.

› Monster Jam roars into Jacksonville this weekend [Florida Times Union]
Earplugs will be optional for fans attending this weekend's pair of Monster Jam events at TIAA Bank Field. Face masks won't. On the field, Monster Jam will be pretty much like Monster Jam has always been — very big, very loud trucks jumping off dirt ramps, doing donuts and, of course, crushing anything that gets in their way.

› Could a call center inside Homestead prison help female inmates get back on track? [Miami Herald]
Brooke Shaffer walked into prison as a former social worker and walked out as a marketer. The Arizona company that helped Shaffer shift careers while serving time is now setting up shop at Homestead Correctional Institution. Televerde, a Phoenix-based company that puts incarcerated women to work as sales, marketing and customer service representatives for corporate clients, is hiring inside the Homestead facility.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› SLAM Radio, the nation’s first student-run Sirius XM station, is in Little Havana [Source]
Nestled in the heart of Little Havana, just a few blocks from Marlins Park, is one of the most unique radio stations in America. SLAM Radio is the first and only satellite radio station in the nation run by high school students. Broadcasting on Sirius XM-Channel 145, SLAM is on air 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and features content produced and presented by 80 to 100 local high school students.

› Super Nintendo World won't open in Florida until 2025 [CNET]
It seems Super Nintendo World won't be coming to Orlando, Florida, for another four years. The opening of Universal's Epic Universe, which will house the Nintendo park, was pushed from 2023 to early 2025 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings told the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday.

› As Amazon adds centers all across South Florida, here’s the latest site set to open [South Florida Sun-Sentiniel]
Another big Amazon center is poised to open in South Florida, the latest in an ever-growing list of facilities the e-commerce giant is adding to offer speedier delivery service to thousands of people. The delivery station will be opening at an existing 269,000-square-foot warehouse in Pembroke Park at 3375 SW 24th St. It’s under renovation now within the town’s industrial park district.

› TopSecret Resort adult-lifestyle condo-hotel launches in Orlando [Orlndo Sentinel]
The new owners of a former APM Inn & Suites hotel in Orlando have a secret to share. A company led by real estate developer Michael Spielvogel has launched a new adult-lifestyle, members-only boutique condo-hotel at 3155 S. John Young Parkway called TopSecret Resort of Orlando, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.