Hurricane Debby damage expected to be 'manageable' for insurers
Hurricane Debby is expected to be a "very manageable event" for the insurance industry, but many homeowners in drenched inland areas could face cleaning up without flood insurance, according to an analysis by the global reinsurance broker Gallagher Re. The analysis, which looked at the effects of the storm in Florida and other states, said insured losses for the private insurance market and the National Flood Insurance Program likely will total $1 billion to $2 billion. More from the News Service of Florida.
Citizens Property Insurance starts plans for move out of downtown Jacksonville
Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which is one of downtown Jacksonville's biggest employers, is considering a move to the Southside suburbs. Citizens moved more than 1,000 employees into EverBank Center in 2015 in a major win for bringing more activity into downtown. The organization's time in the downtown office tower could end in 2026. More from the Florida Times-Union.
St. Petersburg loses 5-year legal battle over worker hiring ordinances
The City Council, city attorneys and Mayor Ken Welch’s administration are trying to figure out what they can do to employ more apprentices and disadvantaged workers in city construction projects following a dual legal blow. Not only did a new state law negate the city’s rules on the books requiring contractors to employ a certain percentage of apprentices and disadvantaged workers and pay them a “responsible wage,” but the city just lost a five-year court battle after it was sued over the same ordinances. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority approves general manager's $332K contract
A handful of residents spoke out this week at the GRU Authority meeting against the proposed contract for General Manager Ed Bielarski, but in the end did little to slow its eventual unanimous approval. Included in the contract, which was removed from Wednesday's consent agenda at the urging of residents, is a salary of $332,000 — a $23,000 increase over previous General Manager Tony Cunningham's salary of $309,000. More from the Gainesville Sun.
Blue Origin tests out New Glenn rocket recovery crane at Port Canaveral
With the first launch of Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket still in the works before the end of the year, Jeff Bezos’ company got to work testing out its recovery operations with the huge crane parked at Port Canaveral on Thursday. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Business Beat - Week of August 9th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video news brief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
Florida History
Miami tourists once flocked to this area. See what ‘Motel Row’ looked like back then
The motels were far from luxurious. But they were whimsical and led right to the beach. Motel Row, in what is now Sunny Isles Beach, gave families an affordable place to stay. During the day, kids frolicked by the pool. At night, parents crowded into the lobby theater to catch a comedian or a band.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.