Florida jobless claims remain at pre-pandemic pace

Angry at a ratings agency that raised the possibility of downgrading 17 Florida property insurers, state leaders could be poised to look for an alternative. The Joint Legislative Budget Commission next week is expected to consider a proposal to spend $1.5 million to hire a consultant that would look at options for property insurers to get adequate financial ratings. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Cruise ships becoming home for adventurous retirees and millennial remote workers

A growing number of cruisers are indefinitely wandering the seas, from one cruise to the next. More retirees have come aboard, calling cruise ships their homes. And they are being joined by younger “digital nomads” taking advantage of remote work via Wi-Fi. From the millennials untethered to an office to retirees, these cruisers are quick to point out their lifestyle choices come with daily maid service, plenty of swimming pools and daily meals prepared for and served to them — all for less than the price of a South Florida condominium or a home in a retirement community. [Source: Miami Herald]

Florida TaxWatch: Remote work, ‘Great Resignation’ and other changes in state’s workforce

Florida TaxWatch recently released its Florida Workforce Update, a commentary on the shifts in Florida’s workforce since the COVID-19 pandemic. It outlines the status of remote work, women in the labor force, and the “Great Resignation,” a term coined in May 2021 to describe unusually high quit rates, or the number of employees leaving a job by their own volition as a percentage of total employment. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

Earl finally forms but no threat to Florida

After five full days as Invest 91L and nearly nine days after rolling off the coast of Africa, the disturbance tracking through the tropical Atlantic all week finally gathered enough organization to become Tropical Storm Earl late Friday night, the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and second named storm to form in just over 24 hours. [Source: WPLG]

Florida National Guard could help at short-staffed prisons

As the state continues to struggle with a shortage of correctional officers, a legislative panel this week will consider a plan that would activate Florida National Guard members to help at prisons, according to a document published Friday. The Joint Legislative Budget Commission is slated for Sept. 9 to take up a proposal to free up $31.25 million that, at least in part, would be used to cover the costs of activating National Guard members. [Source: WINK News]

Sylvester breaks ground on Transformational Cancer Research Building to accelerate new cures

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth-University of Miami Health System and the only cancer center in South Florida to be ranked by U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 Best Hospitals for Cancer, continues to be at the forefront of cancer care and research. In June, they celebrated the groundbreaking of the 244,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center-Transformational Cancer Research Building (TCRB). [Sponsored report]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida Fish and Wildlife wants your feedback on new protections for imperiled gopher tortoise [WUSF]
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is seeking public comment on draft revisions to protections for the gopher tortoise. The revisions come as demand has surged for relocation sites for gopher tortoises displaced by development. The tortoises are listed in Florida as threatened. The revisions include new fees encouraging that tortoises be moved to sites with the most protections. But Elise Bennett of the Center for Biological Diversity says it’s not enough.

› Miami-Dade aims to turn ‘wasted space’ into vibrant neighborhood via $10B downtown plan [Miami Herald]
This is the vision: At the western end of downtown Miami, a dense, walkable, transit-centered and family-friendly high-rise district would bloom over eight city blocks. Rents for thousands of apartments would fall within reach of the average Miamian. Children would walk to neighborhood schools, check out books at a new public library and explore Miami’s colorful history at an alluring new museum. Neighbors could gather at a new park, dine and shop nearby, or work out at an up-to-date wellness center.

› Universal puts ‘pedal to the metal’ on Epic Universe project [Orlando Sentinel]
On International Drive near Sand Lake Road in Orlando, more than a dozen cranes tower behind souvenir T-shirt shops, forming a backdrop to The Wheel at ICON Park. The cranes are the most visible sign of progress seen from the tourist district on Universal Orlando’s third theme park, Epic Universe. Driving farther down Sand Lake Road or onto Universal Boulevard, passersby can see concrete structures scattered throughout the site, along with steel frames for eventual buildings.

› St. Pete coffee company gears up for new era of franchise operations [Business Observer]
Kahwa Coffee Roasters, St. Petersburg’s homegrown answer to Starbucks, has at long last taken steps to franchise its brand. Founded in 2006, Kahwa has 15 corporate-owned locations, and awareness of its brand has grown statewise thanks to wholesale partnerships with the likes of Publix, Mercedes Benz, Bayfront Hospital, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

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› Pinellas schools, education foundation partner with Tom Brady’s company [Business Observer]
Tom Brady’s fitness company, TB12 Inc., and nonprofit TB12 Foundation have agreed to partner with Pinellas County Schools and the Pinellas Education Foundation on a curriculum redesign that will emphasize increased health and wellness for students. According to a news release, TB12’s certified body coaches will develop a pilot curriculum that will be instituted at six middle schools and four high schools in the fall semester.

› JEA’s plan for Plant Vogtle savings [Jacksonville Daily Record]
In August, JEA leadership received something rare in its costly saga to start drawing power from the long-delayed expansion of Georgia nuclear Plant Vogtle — good news. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave plant co-owner Georgia Power affiliate Southern Nuclear the go-ahead to load fuel into Unit 3, which has been under construction since 2013. During JEA’s annual board of directors retreat Aug. 10, officials noted the development as a positive sign after years of setbacks.

› Costco in early stages of opening a second warehouse store in Sarasota County [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Costco is in the beginning stages of opening its second Sarasota County location. The wholesale, buy-in-bulk retail chain has submitted preliminary plans with North Port to bring a 157,000-square-foot warehouse and a 240-square-foot fuel kiosk to the southeast corner of U.S. 41 and Mezzo Drive near Wellen Park, according to documents on file with the city.

› Leaders put big ambitions for Central Florida passenger rail growth on paper [Orlando Sentinel]
What do Central Florida voters and federal bureaucrats have in common? Both are being asked to get on board with a complex and possibly historic plan to expand railway transportation across Central Florida. Details are in a “white paper” written by the Florida Department of Transportation and local stakeholders backing proposals to extend commuter rail to Orlando’s airport, bring both commuter and high-speed rail to the region’s convention and tourism district and push high-speed rail service on to Tampa.