Florida's labor force has decreased since the pandemic

Florida’s unemployment rate is dropping, but there are still some job openings that cannot be filled. Florida’s unemployment rate dropped from its pandemic high of 14.2% in May 2020, to 4.7% in March, 2021. That current rate falls below the national average of 6%. There are some different reasons the unemployment rate is dropping, but some jobs are struggling to be filled. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, hundreds of thousands of people left the labor force entirely since the pandemic. More from First Coast News.

Jacksonville, Puerto Rico port leaders to sign ‘Memorandum of Understanding’

The leaders of the Jacksonville and Puerto Rico port authorities will sign a “Memorandum of Understanding to affirm the vital maritime partnership between the two organizations,” JaxPort announced April 20. Maritime trade between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico was established in the 1950s. JaxPort said Jacksonville now is the No. 1 U.S. port for trade with the island, handling nearly 90% of all sea trade between Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Miami-Dade may force all stores to accept cash

Stores in Miami-Dade today can choose how they’re paid, whether it’s by cash, credit, debit, digital transfers of funds of any combination of those forms of payment or others. Many have gone cashless as part of a growing shift in recent years that accelerated with Covid-19. A new item moving through County Hall aims to reverse that trend. Commissioners last week gave a first OK to a resolution by René Garcia that, if approved May 4, would direct Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s administration to look at prohibiting retail businesses here from refusing cash payments for goods and services. More from Miami Today.

Florida regulators scale back Citizens rate hikes

Regulators have scaled back rate increases sought by Citizens Property Insurance Corp., dealing a blow to leaders of the state-backed insurer who argue it needs to charge more for coverage. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation released details Tuesday of rate increases that will take effect Aug. 1, including decisions that reduced amounts sought by Citizens. As an example, Citizens requested an average 6.2 percent increase for homeowners’ multi-peril policies — the most common type of policies — but regulators approved a 3.2 percent increase. More from CBS Miami.

Will the Piney Point spill affect tourism this summer?

After the wastewater leak, which led to evacuations and a state of emergency, some feared busy tourist spots could be impacted. But local leaders said Manatee County’s popular destinations have seen little impact from the spill, which mainly affected the area around Port Manatee, far from the county’s most popular beaches. So far, the spill hasn’t led to a decline in visitors either, officials said. More from the Tampa Bay Times.