Monday's Afternoon Update
How could mass layoffs at Amazon impact Florida?
E-commerce giant Amazon announced last week they are planning to lay off thousands of employees. The Seattle-based company also said more job cuts are expected early next year. In the last 12 years, Amazon has invested $18 billion across the state and created more than 59,000 jobs, building distribution centers across Florida. More from WPTV.
Florida gas prices fall ahead of Thanksgiving road trips
Florida gas prices are falling as millions prepare to hit the road for Thanksgiving. AAA forecasts 2.9 million Floridians will travel for the holiday weekend. Nearly 2.7 million, or 91%, will drive. Pump prices already dropped 10 cents per gallon last week. On Sunday, Florida gas prices averaged $3.46 per gallon More from WQCS.
Brevard tourism agency tells potential visitors 'coast is clear' after Hurricanes Ian, Nicole
The Space Coast Office of Tourism has kicked off a special marketing campaign to assure potential visitors that Brevard County has avoided the brunt of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole — and the county is fully open for tourism. The campaign — with the theme "Our Coast Is Clear" — is being added to the Office of Tourism's digital advertising mix for at least the next two weeks, according to the agency's executive director, Peter Cranis. More from Florida Today.
IKO pursuing 700,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Clay County
IKO Industries, a 71-year-old Toronto-based maker of roofing, waterproofing and insulation products for the residential and commercial markets, is working toward construction of an almost 700,000-square-foot manufacturing complex in Clay County. A conceptual site plan for IKO South shows a 306,476-square-foot ISO (insulation) board manufacturing facility and office, a 265,381-square-foot shingles manufacturing facility, a 102,805-square-foot ice and water manufacturing facility and a 21,184-square-foot processing building next to a granule unloading area. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Student, class action lawsuit against USF over COVID fees heads to Florida Supreme Court
Should students be refunded fees that they (or their parents) paid for on-campus services during COVID-19? That question is currently working its way through Florida’s court system, with a focus on a USF student. The lawsuit has also spurred a second question, one loaded with more legalese but just as crucial: Can universities and colleges in Florida successfully use sovereign immunity, a legal principle that in some instances protects government entities from being sued, to win COVID-19 fee lawsuits? More from the Business Observer.
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Arts Business
Miami Art Week can be overwhelming. Here’s an insider’s guide to what you want to see
Art enthusiasts, tax refugees and luxury brands now know Miami as the center of universal sizzle. But back in the day — the early part of the 21st century, say — Miami’s reputation was more cultural dud than dope. Art Basel and the accompanying flurry of fairs, pop-up exhibitions (remember the carnival complete with Ferris wheel before midtown was Midtown?) became a magnet for locals and out-of-towners alike, who soon began scooping up real estate.
» More from the Miami Herald.
Out of the Box
New in downtown Tampa’s Winter Village: curling
The downtown Tampa Winter Village has added a new “street curling” attraction that is free to play any time the holiday district is open in Curtis Hixon Park. They will even have a new curling league that is signing up teams now. But unlike the Olympic curling matches where players furiously sweep to clear the path for a granite stone as it glides across the ice, this is more like shuffleboard.
» Read more from the Tampa Bay Times.