Small business application on the rise in Tallahassee, up 81% since 2015

In 2020, the Office of Economic Vitality said there were over 7,000 applications, which is up 81% since 2015. This data proves to OEV officials Leon County's local economy is rebounding from the pandemic. Director Cristina Paredes said businesses kept going because of three simple words: Love your local. She said it started as a small business initiative 4 years ago, but turned into the phrase love your local because of the pandemic. More from WXTL.

Thinking outside the box pays off for some entrepreneurs at a Florida university

Students enrolled in the School of Entrepreneurship at Florida Gulf Coast University are getting a jump start on their dream jobs. Whether it's an invention or just a concept, FGCU will help you develop your business model, get in contact with a manufacturer, and build your brand. At FGCU you can find a TikTok influencer from Southwest Ranches, an inventor from Vero Beach and a psychology major from Fort Lauderdale, who are all thinking outside the box. More from WPBF.

DeSantis to ask Legislature for a $1 billion gas tax cut next year

“Even if you start making more money, if the prices are going up faster than your wages or your salary you’re actually losing money in this inflationary economy,” DeSantis said Monday in a Daytona Beach Buc-ee’s gas station, flanked by GOP lawmakers and Buc-ee’s CEO Arch Aplin. “So that’s a cost that really gets imposed on a lot of people that are working hard.” Details on the proposal, including which gas taxes and whether the cuts would be permanent or only for one year, were not immediately available. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

New Florida laws could put companies in difficult position if federal vaccine mandates hold

Companies with either 100 or more employees could soon face stiff federal penalties if they don't follow rules issued by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration that require employees to be vaccinated or test regularly. Health care employers such as hospitals who are covered by a more strict mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are in the same boat. At the same time, those same employers will now be subject to penalties by Florida officials for violating the new state statutes that bar vaccine or test mandates by employers unless they provide specific exemptions, some of which are not allowed in the federal rules. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Tampa’s Channel Club apartment tower sells for $136 million

A major residential high-rise on downtown Tampa’s skyline has sold for an eye-popping price. The Channel Club apartments at 1115 E Twiggs St. in the Channel District sold for $136 million on Nov. 16 to Arlington, Va. multifamily real estate investor and developer Snell Properties. That’s not a record for a downtown Tampa residential complex in 2021; the Anchor Riverwalk apartments near the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts sold in August for $157 million. More from the Tampa Bay Times.