Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Monday's Afternoon Update

Work search requirement waiver expires for unemployment claims

The requirement for unemployed Floridians to prove they’re searching for work is back in effect, as of now, after Gov. Ron Desantis’ waiver for that requirement expired on Saturday night. Right now, tens of thousands of Floridians are still missing all of their payments and many other people are experiencing a variety of issues with the CONNECT system.  For now, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) is asking all unemployed Floridians to begin proving that they’re looking for jobs every week. More from WPBF and AS USA.

Florida gas prices fall to lowest price point in nearly seven weeks

Florida gas prices have fallen to their lowest point in nearly seven weeks. AAA said the average price for a gallon of gas in Florida is $2.79. That’s 12 cents less than late March, when the state’s gas prices were the highest this year.  AAA reported high fuel demand and improved refinery operations are helping push gas prices lower. “Gasoline demand remains strong, but what has helped push gas prices lower is improved refinery operations,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA - The Auto Club Group.  More from WFTV

How has COVID-19 changed the workplace in Sarasota?

As the vaccine gets more widely distributed, many Sarasota companies seem to want to go back to regular work environments – but with some tweaks. According to a survey released in December 2020 from the Pew Research Center, 20% of the American workforce worked from home before COVID, compared to 71% when the survey was released. More than half – 54% – of those same people said they would want to work from home after the pandemic ends. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

SpaceX Crew-1 Dragon slated to splash down off Florida on Wednesday

The crowd will thin out this week on board the International Space Station as the four passengers of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience will head back to Earth for a targeted splash down off the coast of Florida on Wednesday. The Crew-1 quartet docked with the ISS back in November, making it the first operational mission of NASA’s commercial crew partner SpaceX.  More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Chlorine shortage could make it harder to keep South Florida’s pools sanitized this summer

As temperatures have risen across South Florida in recent weeks, so has our desire to escape the heat by dipping into the refreshing clear water in our backyard swimming pools. But keeping that pool clean and inviting this summer could become more challenging than ever, as market forces have converged to reduce chlorine supplies and drive up prices. And that’s not something anyone in pool-centric South Florida wants to contemplate at the beginning of a long sticky summer. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Entertainment Business
How Tampa high school senior Aidan Bissett got signed to Capitol Records

 For the past six months, none of Aidan Bissett’s teachers or classmates at Jesuit High School were aware that he had just scored a huge record label deal. As Bissett, 18, was wrapping up his senior year of high school, he was also sending snippets of indie pop songs recorded in his bedroom to Capitol Records, the same company that put out records by Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles.

» More from the Tampa Bay Times.

 

Out of the Box
After 20 years, a secret classic car museum in Sunrise is open to the public

 Dear car lovers, turn on your engines. A candy land of vintage American vehicles — kept all but secret since 2001 — welcomes your arrival.  The family-owned Dauer Museum of Classic Cars on the western edge of Sunrise quietly opened to the public last year just before the shutdown.

» Read more from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.