Jobless claims down after initial Ian increase

Unemployment claims in Florida decreased last week after a jump following Hurricane Ian, though resort workers and self-employed people show signs of continuing to feel the brunt of the Category 4 storm. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday released a report that said an estimated 7,505 first-time unemployment claims were filed in Florida during the week that ended Oct. 29, down from a revised count of 9,337 during the week that ended Oct. 22. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Business Beat - Week of November 4th

Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.

'A very big market': Would legalizing recreational cannabis benefit Florida's commercial real estate?

The commercial real estate market in Florida could be missing out on investment opportunities as long as recreational marijuana stays illegal. Medical marijuana was legalized in 2019, expanding options for patients as more cannabis companies leased space across Florida. With a state population of 22 million, according to the U.S. Census, there could be potential retail and medical office investment and other business opportunities if recreational use were to be legalized. [Source: Daily Business Review]

Nine things Florida’s election could say about its future

To hear the candidates for governor tell it, Tuesday’s election is about a fight for Florida’s soul. There’s plenty on the line this Election Day, even beyond the high-profile governor’s race. Voters will decide who represents their interests on county commissions and school boards. They’ll choose whether to retain the state’s top justices, whether to pay additional taxes to support transportation, whether to eliminate a group that can revise Florida’s Constitution and more. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Possible tropical disturbance could affect Florida's weather next week

Forecasters continue to monitor an area of interest near the Bahamas and northeast Caribbean, which could affect Florida's weather early next week. The latest weather models show there is a 30% chance that a tropical disturbance could form in the next five days. Both the GFS and European models have a weak center of low pressure near South Florida on either Tuesday or Wednesday. [Source: WPTV]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Deadline looms for Little Manatee River protections [Tampa Bay Times]
An effort to add federal environmental safeguards to the Little Manatee River faces a looming deadline in Washington, D.C. “I’ll tell you, you think the sausage-making here at the county level is a process. It is a slow grind at the federal level,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, introduced the Little Manatee Wild and Scenic River Act in 2020 and the full House approved the measure in September on a voice vote. The proposed legislation, however, now sits in the U.S. Senate where it faces an end-of-the-year deadline for action before the 117th Congress retires.

› NASA and Boeing delay Starliner crewed flight again [Orlando Sentinel]
The first astronauts to fly on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner won’t climb on board for a planned trip to the International Space Station until at least April 2023. The Crew Flight Test (CFT) schedule falls nearly 3 1/2 years since the original uncrewed flight of Starliner that failed to rendezvous with the ISS. A retry of that uncrewed flight, that also faced delays, finally made the docking this past May, and there was optimism the followup flight with humans could come before the end of the year. Those plans, though, had already been pushed into February, and have now been delayed further.

› End of an era for 1st District Court of Appeal [Jacksonville Daily Record]
An era of Florida legal history that began in 1957 came to an end Nov. 2 when the 1st District Court of Appeal traveled to Jacksonville from its headquarters in Tallahassee to hear oral arguments at the Duval County Courthouse. It was the 1st DCA’s final visit before Jan. 1 after which 4th Circuit cases on appeal will be before the 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach. The court heard oral arguments in two cases, then convened a ceremonial session to mark the transition.

› Miami-Dade commission OKs project that critics say threatens Everglades restoration [Miami Herald]
Developers secured enough votes Tuesday to expand Miami-Dade County’s Urban Development Boundary to turn farmland into a new commercial complex near Homestead, setting up a potential veto by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. The 8-4 vote came after Commissioner Raquel Regalado dropped her opposition to the South Dade Logistics and Technology District, a proposed 380-acre mix of warehouses, call centers and other commercial uses.

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› Fort Myers resort lays off 195, total hospitality layoffs in SWFL now top 1,000 [Business Observer]
Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina in Fort Myers is laying off 195 employees after damage caused by Hurricane Ian forced it to close for at least a year. These layoffs bring the total number of hotel workers to lose their jobs because of the storm to 1,024 according to a state database, with The Ritz-Carlton, Naples cutting 591 employees and South Seas Island Resort 238.

› New Jacksonville museum shows feature armor, avant-garde [Florida Times-Union]
Two new shows opening at Jacksonville museums take very different views on what's considered art. At the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, "The Age of Armor: Treasures from the Higgins Armory Collection at the Worcester Art Museum" features swords, spears, crossbow winders, chainmail and full-sized suits of armor. At the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, "Don't Blame it on ZEN: The Way of John Cage & Friends!" explores the influence of composer/philosopher/artist/poet Cage.

› Orange County receives $24M in Tourist Development Tax collections for September [Click Orlando]
Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax collections in September topped August’s record-setting report by $1 million and soared quite high past last year’s numbers, according to a news release Thursday from Comptroller Phil Diamond. Collections received in September totaled $24,444,200, Diamond said, higher than September 2021′s collections by $17.4 million and the highest for the month on record. The county’s highest-ever monthly TDT collections were over $38.5 million, made in March 2022.

› Tampa’s Masonite to acquire North Carolina door parts maker for $375M [Tampa Bay Times]
Door manufacturer Masonite, one of Tampa Bay’s largest public companies, is expanding. The company on Thursday announced it had reached a deal to purchase Endura Products, a Greensboro, N.C., maker of door parts and components, for approximately $375 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approval. In a statement, Masonite president and CEO Howard Heckes called the merger “a natural fit.”