May 6, 2024
News Service of Florida
Florida jobless claims up slightly
New unemployment claims increased last week in Florida but remain similar to pre-pandemic levels.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated that 6,494 first-time unemployment claims were filed in...
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Published on 8/26/2021
Judge weighs decision to halt unemployment money
A Leon County circuit judge Wednesday waded into a lawsuit about whether Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration violated state law when it cut off federal unemployment money in June for tens...
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Published on 8/26/2021
Legal battle over protest law could offer grammar lesson
Parsing sentences might be a lost art, but attorneys in a court battle over a controversial Florida law that targets violent protests might want to brush up on their grammar...
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Published on 8/25/2021
Groups line up behind electric rate increase to expand solar power
Two more organizations have signed on to a proposed settlement that would lead to Florida Power & Light raising base electric rates and expanding solar energy.
Vote Solar and The...
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Published on 8/25/2021
'Hitting the accelerator': Florida tourism leaders eye resurgence amid COVID-19 pandemic
Tourism leaders are focusing on the resurgence this year in the number of people visiting Florida, as the state continues grappling with a spike in COVID-19 cases.
In a brief...
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Published on 8/24/2021
New jobless claims stay at pre-pandemic level
Florida continues to see pre-pandemic levels of unemployment claims, with an estimated 4,092 first-time applications for benefits submitted last week.
The estimate for the week that ended Aug. 14 was...
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Published on 8/19/2021
Florida sports betting deal facing second court challenge
Upping the ante in the courts, two pari-mutuel facilities have filed a second federal lawsuit challenging a 30-year gambling agreement reached by Gov. Ron DeSantis that gives the Seminole Tribe...
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Published on 8/19/2021
Florida tax revenues get $2.6 billion boost
Florida lawmakers will have an additional $2.6 billion to play with in general-revenue taxes, along with nearly $6 billion in unspent federal coronavirus stimulus money, as they begin to piece...
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Published on 8/18/2021
Feds to continue picking up COVID-19 tab
In a boost for Florida and other states, the Biden administration on Tuesday issued a memorandum extending through the end of the year a move by the federal government to...
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Published on 8/17/2021
E-commerce company challenges state pot restriction
E-commerce company Leafly has carved out a niche as one of the nation’s leading shopping sites for all things cannabis.
Leafly and similar websites allow visitors to peruse the stock...
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Published on 8/17/2021
Tab for DeSantis, dignitary security nearly $4.85 million
Florida taxpayers spent nearly $4.85 million during the past fiscal year to protect Gov. Ron DeSantis, his family, the governor’s mansion and various visiting dignitaries, according to a state report...
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Published on 8/17/2021
AARP: Florida nursing homes lead nation in worker COVID infections
A report released Thursday by AARP shows that Florida had the nation’s highest percentage of nursing homes reporting new COVID-19 infections among staff members during a four-week period in June and July....
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Published on 8/16/2021
Florida sees tourism rebound in second quarter
Florida attracted 31.7 million visitors in the second quarter of this year, as the state continued to expand tourism-marketing efforts and COVID-19 vaccinations became readily available.
The total was a...
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Published on 8/16/2021
Florida's jobless claims at pre-pandemic level
Gov. Ron DeSantis says he anticipates “pretty good” July unemployment numbers, as a federal report Thursday showed that first-time jobless claims last week in Florida were at a level not...
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Published on 8/12/2021
Citizens Insurance Tops 661,000 Policies
Continuing to add thousands of customers a week, the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. had more than 661,000 policies at the end of July, according to newly posted data on...
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Published on 8/12/2021
DeSantis objects to vaccine mandates for hospital workers
Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t want Florida businesses to require customers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to get served or enter establishments, so he swayed lawmakers this spring to pass...
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Published on 8/9/2021
Florida's Medicaid enrollment projected to top 5 million
By June 2022, more than 5 million Florida residents are expected to be enrolled in Medicaid — the state and federal health program that serves as a safety net for...
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Published on 8/9/2021
Florida jobless claims drop to pandemic low
First-time unemployment claims in Florida last week dropped to a new one-week low during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimated 6,289 first-time applications were filed in the...
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Published on 8/5/2021
Drones, money pitched to bolster red tide efforts
Drones could be used to monitor red tide, and money should be set aside to offset local costs of removing fish killed by toxic algae blooms, state wildlife officials said...
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Published on 8/4/2021
Florida may drop Ben & Jerry's investments for not selling ice cream in West Bank, Gaza
State investment in the parent company of the Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream chain could be blocked later this year after Ben & Jerry’s announced plans to stop selling its products...
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Published on 8/3/2021
Floridians keep dumping telephone landlines, survey finds
Floridians continue to disconnect telephone landlines and go wireless, with the COVID-19 pandemic giving an extra push to the shift.
While some rural areas lag in technology, more wireless devices...
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Published on 8/3/2021
Proposal Calls for $25 Million for Parkland Victims, Families
Florida lawmakers next year are expected to consider a proposal that would clear the way for the Broward County School Board to pay $25 million in compensation in the 2018...
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Published on 8/2/2021
Fried: Agriculture Department will release daily COVID numbers
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried plans to have her department release daily reports on COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations because the Florida Department of Health - under her political foe, Gov....
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Published on 8/2/2021
State, cruise line fight over site of 'passport' challenge
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and the state are battling about which court should hear a challenge to the state’s ban on so-called “vaccine passports,” with the cruise operator fighting an...
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Published on 8/2/2021
Florida weekly unemployment claims top 9,000
Florida has seen slightly higher first-time unemployment claims during the past two weeks, but the numbers remain well below levels earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Labor...
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Published on 7/29/2021
Business Beat - Week of May 3rd
