Florida jobless claims increase

First-time unemployment claims in Florida last week came in at the highest number since the end of July, but the overall pace hasn’t changed much since the start of the year. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 6,535 unemployment applications were filed last week in Florida. That was up from a revised count of 5,418 during the week that ended Sept. 30 and the most for a single week since 6,659 were filed during the week that ended July 29. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Business Beat - Week of October 13th

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

Got hops? Florida growers hope to help float local craft beer industry

The quest to grow hops commercially in Florida is aging like a fine wine (pun intended). For the better part of a decade now, University of Florida scientists have been trialing different varieties, production strategies, harvesting techniques, and more. The efforts to match the once burgeoning — and still growing strong — craft beer scene in the Sunshine State are paying off. [Source: Growing Produce]

Florida domestic violence shelters face financial crisis, advocates warn

Several of the 41 state-certified domestic violence shelters in Florida are struggling financially, forcing them to cut back on the number of victims they can serve and putting off much-needed maintenance and repairs. While some urban centers like the ones in Orlando, Miami and Naples are doing better because of stronger private local support, the ones in more rural areas are having a harder time raising local money and rely more heavily on public funding. Others have also managed to get by on COVID-19 funds that are due to run out. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Branson's Virgin wins lawsuit against Florida's Brightline over rebranding

A British judge ruled in favor of Richard Branson’s Virgin group on Thursday in its lawsuit against Brightline, the U.S. train company that terminated a licensing agreement and claimed the Virgin brand was no longer one of “high repute.” Judge Mark Pelling ruled in favor of Virgin Enterprises, which had sued Florida passenger train operator Brightline Holdings for breaching an agreement to rebrand as Virgin Trains USA. Brightline said it was disappointed with the ruling and planned to appeal. MOre from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and NBC Miami.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida law targeting drag shows can't be enforced for now, appellate court says [WMFE]
A ruling prohibiting the enforcement of a new Florida law targeting drag shows will stay in place for the time being, according to a federal appeals court decision. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a lower court's granting of a preliminary injunction stopping the law from being enforced until a trial is held in Orlando, Florida to determine its constitutionality.

› After inflation's boom, here's how Orlando ranks among U.S., Florida markets for affordability [Orlando Business Journal]
Inflation has soared over the past two years, and Orlando has felt the effects, with Central Florida emerging as one of the pricier metros in the U.S. Orlando ranked as the 70th most affordable among the nation's 100 largest metros, placing it in the bottom-third.

› New specialty hospital, medical offices and townhomes for Pasco get first nod [Tampa Bay Times]
A new specialty hospital for Pasco County is in the works as part of a new development east of Interstate 75 that will also include medical offices, retail and a variety of multifamily residences. The Wildcat-Bailes development is one of several that is located in a special planning zone called “connected cities” that has been moving through the review process in recent months.

› Airline food workers at Miami airport stage protest to demand higher wages [Miami Herald]
Dozens of LSG Sky Chefs union workers who prepare in-flight food and catering for airlines serving Miami International Airport held a protest on Wednesday, trying to rally public support for a wage boost to at least $20 an hour. The demonstration came as the Miami metropolitan area continues to have the highest cost of living increase among big cities in the United States.

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› New College of Florida dropout rate spikes, retention rate falls amid DeSantis' transition [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
New College of Florida lost more than twice the normal number of students it usually does between fall semesters this year, according to a report sent from the college's provost Wednesday. The college also had "by far" the lowest retention rate of first-year students in the college's history, at 64.9%, Interim Provost Brad Thiessen wrote.

› Multiple Broward sheriff’s employees facing indictments over pandemic loan fraud [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Multiple employees at the Broward Sheriff’s Office, including sworn deputies, are under indictment on charges of falsifying paperwork to collect money under the Paycheck Protection Program, the federal program meant to help keep small businesses alive during the COVID pandemic. Seven deputies of the Sheriff’s Office were making their first appearance in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday morning, and scores more expected to be charged.

› South Florida-based company develops ‘physical therapy’ for your hearing [WPLG]
You’re familiar with physical therapy for bones, muscles and other spots. But what about physical therapy for your hearing? Chris Ellis takes his hearing seriously. He’s the CEO of hearing therapy company, AudioCardio, after all. But the company’s inception and Ellis’ desire to build a successful business can be traced back to something even more personal -- his experience taking care of his grandfather.

› Contract agreement: Brevard Public School teachers set to get nearly 10% pay raise [Florida Today]
Brevard Public Schools and the local teacher union came to a contract tentative agreement Wednesday that includes nearly a 10% pay increase. It still must be ratified by Brevard Federation of Teachers and approved by the school board. Russell Bruhn, spokesperson for the district, said most teachers will see a pay increase this year of 9.9%: 2.5% of this increase will come from a salary increase, while the rest will come from millage, which was voted on by taxpayers during the 2022 election.