Amazon needs workers in Florida and is increasing perks to attract potential employees

If you’re thinking about a Florida job at Amazon, where pay now averages $18 an hour or more and — in some places — Amazon offers sign-on bonuses as high as $5,000. The company also pre-pays 95% of tuition and fees to earn certificates and associate degrees in high-demand occupations, such as aircraft mechanics, computer-aided design, machine tool technologies, medical laboratory science, dental hygiene, solar technician and nursing. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida Today.

State takes aim at redistricting ruling

The state asked an appeals court Wednesday to reinstate a stay on a circuit judge’s ruling that blocked a congressional redistricting plan pushed through the Legislature by Gov. Ron DeSantis. An emergency motion filed at the 1st District Court of Appeal argued that Leon County Circuit Judge Layne Smith erred last week when he issued a temporary injunction against the plan — and when he lifted a stay on the ruling Monday. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Co-owner of Boston Celtics gives $2 million to save Florida manatees

The co-owner of the Boston Celtics made a recent $2 million donation toward helping the Florida manatee recover from its record die off last year in one of the largest gifts ever for the nonprofits working to save Florida's iconic marine animal. Fox Rock Foundation — a family charity overseen by philanthropists Karen and Rob Hale — has announced the foundation will give $1 million gifts to the nonprofits Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida and to Save the Manatee Club. More from Florida Today and Florida Trend.

Manatee County’s Feld Entertainment to bring back Ringling circus in a new way

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, the circus is back. Manatee County-based Feld Entertainment announced Wednesday that it plans to bring back the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in a new way. In videos released revealing the look of the new show, there were no animals or clowns and no three rings. The iconic piece of Americana closed down in 2017, a victim of shrinking audiences who had lost their appetite for animals as entertainers. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

South Florida inflation dips, still outpaces nation

Inflation in South Florida moderated slightly in the 12 months ended in April but remained far more than a percentage point above the average price rise for the nation as a whole. Inflation in this area as measured by the Consumer Price Index dropped from an annual 9.8% in March to 9.6% in April, according to figures the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released last week. At the same time, the national annual inflation rate dipped from 8.5% in March to 8.3% in April. [Source: Miami Today]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Tree farm or warehouses: Which is better for Biscayne Bay? [Miami Herald]
It might seem like an easy question. What’s better for the environment, a tree farm or a crop of warehouses? But with a massive development and an unprecedented expansion of Miami-Dade’s urban development boundary on the line, that question has developers and environmentalists going toe-to-toe, each armed with dozens of pages of studies and research backing their preferred outcomes.

› Minneapolis firm picked to build citrus research center at Lakeland university [Business Observer]
A Minnesota-based real estate service company is going to lead the way in building a new facility to study Florida citrus. Ryan Cos. — which is based in Minneapolis, a city that gets, on average, 52 inches of snow each year — has been picked to build the Citrus Innovation Center at Florida Polytechnic University. It will head the development, design and construction of the 28,000-square-foot center.

› Superstar Parade ending at Universal Orlando [Click Orlando]
It’s the final weeks for Universal Orlando’s Super Parade. The theme park announced Wednesday on its website the popular parade will come to an end on June 8 to make way for new entertainment experiences. The parade, which debuted back in 2012, features a number of floats and characters from popular films including “Despicable Me,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Dora the Explorer” and “The Secret Life of Pets.”

› The St. Pete Pier has been recognized by the Urban Land Institute [Tampa Bay Times]
The St. Pete Pier has been a popular place for residents and tourists alike since it opened in 2020. And now it’s getting national recognition from the Urban Land Institute as a finalist for its 2022 Americas Awards for Excellence. The list of 21 finalists for the real estate-focused award consists of 19 U.S. developments that were evaluated across an array of factors including design, amenities, economic impact, community engagement, and sustainability.

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› Repairs on Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier damaged in Hurricanes Matthew, Irma nearly complete [Florida Times-Union]
After it sustained damage nearly six years ago, the Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier will reopen to the public with its repairs this summer. The repaired and replaced sections of the pier got closer to being completed as cranes last month removed the working pier that was built along side of the main pier for its construction. Hurricane Matthew initially destroyed a portion of the 1,300-foot-long pier in October 2016, and a year later, Hurricane Irma did even more damage.

› Brevard city leaders visit Brightline station with hopes of adding Space Coast station [Florida Today]
Brevard County leaders are hoping Brightline passenger train service currently being expanded won't just pass through the area, but eventually will stop on the Space Coast. Government officials from Cape Canaveral, Cocoa and Cocoa Beach went down to South Florida on Monday to ride one of the trains and see for themselves the train system that eventually will connect Miami to Orlando and then Tampa, skirting Brevard along its way.

› Pinellas changes hurricane evacuation zones for 93,000 residents [Tampa Bay Times]
About 93,000 people in Pinellas County have a new hurricane evacuation zone. Roughly 34,000 properties have shifted to higher-risk zones, according to the county, while 13,600 are in lower-risk zones. The changes touch many areas. A county map shows hot spots for people moving to higher risk zones include Tarpon Springs, Oldsmar and Gulfport.

› Thai Farm Kitchen brings culinary tradition to Orlando [Click Orlando]
Traditional cuisine is very important to Jess and Elizabeth Calvo, the owners of Thai Farm Kitchen. The couple is offering a menu of traditional Thai cuisine which they said is hard to come by, even in Thailand. “Elizabeth, my wife, she the chef and she inherited (these) very old traditional (recipes) from her ancestors — her great grandmother, from her grandmother and from her mother as well, " Jess Calvo said.