Jobless claims tick up in Florida

Unemployment claims in Florida increased slightly last week but remained similar to levels before the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 6,671 first-time unemployment claims were filed during the week that ended Oct. 16, up from a revised count of 6,215 for the week ending Oct. 9. The department initially estimated 5,535 claims were filed during the Oct. 9 week. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Business Beat - Week of October 22nd

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‘Tone down the rhetoric’: Florida elections officials tell politicians to chill out

Florida’s elections supervisors have a message for elected officials: “Tone down the rhetoric.” In a plea to officials at “all levels of government,” the group representing the state’s Republican and Democratic county elections officials are asking them to denounce “false claims” surrounding last year’s election. The memo was considered extraordinary for the Florida Supervisors of Elections, the organization representing the officials overseeing elections in the state’s 67 counties. Despite Florida’s turbulent history with elections, supervisors have largely stayed out of the limelight, even while Florida legislators were passing a contentious voting reform bill this year. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Get ready for a warm and dry winter, Florida

NOAA released the 2021 Winter Outlook which keeps Florida warmer and drier from December 2021 through February 2022. The climate signals point to the strongest warming potential targeting Florida and the southeast. This year the confidence is higher for us to see below-normal rain chances around 40-50%. It is the second winter in a row for La Niña to develop. [Source: WJXT]

Exemption backed for names of lottery winners

A proposal to avoid the “nightmare” some people experience after winning big in the state lottery started to move forward Wednesday in the Florida House. The Government Operations Subcommittee voted 14-1 --- with Rep. Tom Fabricio, R-Miramar, opposed --- to approve a measure (HB 159) that would create a public-records exemption for the names of people who win lottery prizes of $250,000 or more. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Steering to the top

From the time she was just five years old, Riley Rowe knew her passions lay in agriculture. She wanted to be part of the industry; more precisely, she wanted to lead it. Raised in a family of cattle ranchers, she spent her childhood participating in youth-development groups focused on the industry. Before beginning elementary school, she was already a part of the Southeastern Youth Fair, the nation’s oldest and largest fair of its kind. Then, in 2020, she became the Florida FFA Association’s first president from Marion County, leading approximately 30,000 middle and high school members from more than 300 chapters. [Sponsored report]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› ‘We are a county of small businesses.’ Miami-Dade launches vaccine initiative for workers [Miami Herald]
Miami-Dade County has partnered with the Health Foundation of South Florida and more than 20 chambers of commerce to launch a new initiative to encourage vaccinations among small businesses. The voluntary pledge program, “We Did It,” is calling on businesses to help keep their workers and customers safe and reignite South Florida’s economy by encouraging employee vaccinations.

› Bank of America plans $150 million renovation in Jacksonville [Jacksonville Daily Record]
In a sign of market commitment, Bank of America intends to invest an estimated $150 million in renovating and updating its Jacksonville Operations Center at 9000 Southside Blvd. in The Avenues area. The North Carolina-based financial services organization will renovate and update the 800,000 square feet of space it leases among five buildings. The company confirmed it will add a parking garage, but that is not part of the $150 million.

› Tampa International Airport breaks ground on $25 million hangar, office [Tampa Bay Times]
A Fort Lauderdale aviation company broke ground Thursday on a new $25 million hangar and office complex at Tampa International Airport, a sign of the increased demand for private jet travel in Florida. Fort Lauderdale’s Sheltair Aviation plans to open four enclosed hangars up to 33,269 square feet in size, each with their own office spaces sized up to 14,247 square feet. In all, the project will add around 110,000 square feet of space to the company’s existing Tampa operations when it opens in 2022.

› Over $60 million dollars may come to Big Bend to create new jobs, improve economy [WTXL]
More than $60 million in economic growth could be headed to the Big Bend and will target technology and job growth in the community. The Apalachee Regional Planning Council is currently in Phase One to get these federal dollars that could seriously change the game in the Big Bend.

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› Sarasota Bradenton airport adds Avelo Airlines, bringing a new flight destination to SRQ [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport added another airline and nonstop flight to its roster on Thursday as Avelo Airlines joined what airport president Rick Piccolo called the “fastest-growing airport in the world.” Avelo Airlines will begin service at the airport on Jan. 13 with three flights per week to New Haven, Conn, said Bud Hafer with Avelo airport relations.

› Osceola’s Reunion Resort sees a trio of $5 million-plus home sales [Orlando Sentinel]
In Reunion Resort, where luxury vacation homes keep getting bigger and more opulent, investors are paying top dollar for the megamansions. In the past five months, three gigantic vacation homes have sold for well over $5 million, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

› Jaguars president on development: ‘We’re in a very good place’ [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping says the team and the city’s alignment on Downtown development “speaks volumes for the future.” “I don’t think you can overstate how significant of a step it is,” Lamping said Oct. 13 after a City Council vote to support Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s vision. Since August, Council approved $174 million in incentives and financial backing to assist Khan’s $441 million vision for a Four Seasons Hotel and Residences-anchored development along the Downtown riverfront and a team training facility near TIAA Bank Field.

› A Miami developer wants to buy out, knock down sister towers of collapsed Champlain South [Miami Herald]
Four months after the catastrophic collapse of Champlain Towers South, powerhouse developer Related Group is exploring a takeover of its two sister buildings — potentially setting up a messy fight between the developer and unit owners. Related has made offers to unit owners at both Champlain Towers North and Champlain Towers East, according to documents obtained by the Miami Herald and sources familiar with the conversations.