March 29, 2024

Thursday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 4/21/2022

Following two month rise, Florida's unemployment claims down last week

First-time unemployment claims dipped in Florida last week after slowly rising over the past two months. The U.S. Department of Labor estimated Thursday that Florida had 5,446 initial claims last week, down from a revised count of 6,619 during the week that ended April 9. The Department of Labor report followed the state Department of Economic Opportunity last Friday reporting Florida’s unemployment rate dipped from 3.3 percent in February to 3.2 percent in March. More from the News Service of Florida.

Supply chain, staffing issues create long wait times for many services in Southwest Florida

Due to a mixture of supply chain issues, staffing shortages and Southwest Florida’s steadily increasing population, a lot of our industries are struggling to keep up with consumer demand. With warm temperatures in our forecast, people are going to want to make sure their air conditioning units are working, but you could be waiting up to four weeks to be seen by an A/C repair company right now. More from WINK News.

Orlando cybersecurity firm looks to add 200 workers with $125 million investment

An Orlando-based cybersecurity company that protects electric utilities and other critical industries has received a $125 million investment and plans to double its workforce. Fortress Information Security, founded in 2015, revealed the investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management this week. Co-founder Alex Santos told the Orlando Sentinel the money will help double the company’s staff of 200 employees, but the workforce is not required to be in Central Florida. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Containerized cargo continues hot streak at SeaPort Manatee

The surge in containerized cargo at SeaPort Manatee has continued as the first six months of the fiscal year come to a close. The port’s containerized cargo tonnage is up 32.2%, compared to the half of fiscal 2021, which ends March 31. During these last few months, the company handled 660,847 short tons of containerized cargo, marking a new all-time high. More from the Business Observer.

CSX employee seeks seat on company board

A CSX Corp. employee filed a proxy statement seeking election to the company’s board and attempting to oust Vice Chairman Paul Hilal. Hilal, founder of hedge fund Mantle Ridge, successfully pushed a top management overhaul of the Jacksonville-based railroad company in 2017. Chris Larson, who said in his proxy he is an employee and conductor for CSX Transportation, wants to replace Hilal on the 11-member board. More from the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Event
Florida Puerto Rican Parade & Festival returns to downtown Orlando

 The annual Florida Puerto Rican Parade & Festival is returning to downtown Orlando. The festival is being held Saturday along Orange Avenue after the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers in 2021 to shift the event from its typical April date to sometime later. The theme this year is “Education...Pathway to the Future.” Education professionals who “constantly strive to educate and develop opportunities for the community, specifically our youth,” will be highlighted during the event.

» More from Click Orlando.

 

Business Profile
Boatzon

floridaEntrepreneurs Bryan Lenett of Hallandale Beach and Michael Muchnick of Aventura founded TreatMD, a telemedicine company later acquired by GlobalMed. Both boaters, they launched Boatzon last year as a one-stop online platform for boat buyers — with boats, finance, insurance and warranty offerings.

» Read more from Florida Trend.

Tags: Daily Pulse, Afternoon Pulse

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Florida Trend Video Pick

Facial recognition cameras in Florida city spark privacy concerns
Facial recognition cameras in Florida city spark privacy concerns

New security cameras in downtown Lakeland are raising concerns about privacy. The Lakeland Downtown Development Authority has begun installing 13 new security cameras on streets, sidewalks, and alleyways, and there are mixed feelings about them.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

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