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Thursday's Afternoon Update
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida homes sales fall nearly 40%
Existing single-family homes sales in Florida again fell in November, this time dropping 38.2% over the same time period last year. Condominium and town house sales didn’t fare any better, falling 38.9% in November compared with last year. The data, released by Florida Realtors on Wednesday, Dec. 21, is further proof that the housing market, which just a year ago was so active that thousands of potential buyers were left unable to even compete for a shot at buying a house, is cratering as interest rates continue rise. More from the Business Observer.
Manatee feeding begins on Florida’s east coast
Wildlife officials have begun to feed manatees on Florida’s east coast, at a location near a Florida Power & Light power plant in Titusville. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Joint Unified Command expert panel updated media members regarding plans for its winter response on Wednesday. More from WFLA.
Citizens CEO Gilway to retire as insurance industry struggles
A week after Florida lawmakers made changes in the insurance system that he described as “historic,” Citizens Property Insurance Corp. President and CEO Barry Gilway said Thursday he will retire. His announcement came a week after state Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier said he is resigning effective Dec. 28. That will lead to transitions at two of the most important parts of the struggling Florida insurance industry and as property owners grapple with soaring premiums and dropped policies. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Miami-Dade housing prices rose again as affordability crisis continues in South Florida
As many South Florida residents face a housing affordability crisis, local home prices continued to rise last month. Prices for single-family homes and condos in Miami-Dade County and Broward County increased between 9% and 14% in November compared to the same month in 2021, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Miami Association of Realtors. More from the Miami Herald.
He went from Google to a Tampa startup. Will more tech workers follow?
When Tampa Bay leaders talk about luring tech talent here, the type of person they’re picturing is Kan Kotecha. Kotecha is a former vice president of corporate engineering at Google; before that he was head of investment product technology at Morgan Stanley. This summer, looking for a change at a smaller company, he became chief technology officer at Tampa startup Gale Healthcare, which aims to tackle the health care worker shortage by acting as sort of an Uber for nurses looking to pick up shifts. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Business Profile
Two generations of family offer a taste of Asia at St. Petersburg grocer
In 1995, Minh Bui watched his parents fashion a new life in America. That year, they bought a storefront with neon orange awning to call their own. They named it Dong-A Oriental Market — or Asian market. It took hard work to get here, his parents like to say. Yes, the son adds, but also a miracle. Here he is, almost 30 years later, carried by the tides of hard work or a miracle, or both, standing behind the market’s register.
» More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Entertainment
‘Miami’s Version of Magic’: A Glitzy Christmas Theme Park
Fake snow blows on a gravel lot to greet visitors at one of South Florida’s most enduring Christmas traditions. Past a tunnel of blinding colored lights, dioramas celebrate the holiday with a subtropical twist: Santa on a Jet Ski. Santa on a fishing boat. Surfing Santa. Food vendors hawk Brazilian picanha steak and dulce de leche churros. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” blares over loudspeakers in Spanish. A 100-foot artificial tree lights up in sync to reggaeton and Latin trap tunes. This is Santa’s Enchanted Forest, Miami’s interpretation of an American Christmas.
» Read more from the New York Times.
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