| 2/1/2021 More people moving to Florida during the pandemic Florida is second only to Texas when it comes to the top destinations to relocate. Pew Chartible Trusts reports 241,000 people moved to the sunshine state in the last decade alone, and those numbers are only increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent buyer Susan Jones who moved from California to get more house for a better bargain. “The open concept, the high ceilings, the sunroom, obviously the view is spectacular with the Marsh here. It’s a forever view.” [Source: WJXT] Some apartment landlords in line to get federal relief Congress tweaked a provision in the 2017 tax law as part of the latest COVID-19 relief package last month that will give some apartment owners tax relief. Multifamily rental properties especially older communities catering to lower- and middle-income residents have been strained as a result of pandemic-induced layoffs or wage cuts. Under the new law, apartment landlords who either purchased or developed their properties prior to Jan. 1. 2018 will no longer be subject to depreciation of 40 years, as was contained in the 2017 law, which resulted in higher taxes. [Source: Business Observer]
Friday s Daily Pulse | 2/26/2021 Florida jobless assistance claims drop to new pandemic low. State still fighting fraud Amid still-rising counts of jobless assistance claims flagged for fraud detection, Florida tallied its lowest level of new unemployment applications since the outset of the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that the state saw 16,100 new claims for the week ending Feb. 20, down from 21,564 the week before. It is the lowest new-claims count since March 14, 2020. The lower count may be the result of fewer claims being officially counted as they are verified as legitimate. More from the Miami Herald, the News Servicce of Florida, and the Tampa Bay Times.
Thursday s Daily Pulse | 2/25/2021 What to know about Florida’s 2021 legislative session Every year, Florida lawmakers gather in Tallahassee to debate state policy, amend existing laws and pass new ones, and put together a state budget. This year will be no different, though the COVID-19 pandemic will be looming large over all of these discussions. All of this gets done during a 60-day legislative session, which starts Tuesday. Lawmakers, however, have been holding committee meetings and voting on measures since November. So, a view of the issues gnawing at lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis has already emerged. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
FloridaTrend.com delivers Florida business news along with reports on Florida politics, Florida public policy and government. Florida executives and professionals rely on FloridaTrend.com for in-depth analysis and perspectives on the issues, people and ideas that define Florida.
Best home listing description ever? Brutal honesty pays off in Florida A listing for a lemon of a house has turned into sweet, sweet lemonade. The description of a decrepit home on Avoca Avenue in Zephyrhills, FL, that was listed for $69,000 mixes scathing accuracy and a serious sense of humor. The tongue-in-cheek presentation has paid off in a big way. The listing of the woebegone home has racked up hundreds of thousands of page views, and what’s more, an offer is now in place. [Source: Orlando Sentinel] How heirs to a fashion empire ended up sinking cash into scores of modest Florida homes
Monday s Afternoon Update | 2/22/2021 U.S. Supreme Court hearing Florida-Georgia water war case In the latest chapter in years of battling between Florida and Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday in a dispute about divvying up water in a river system shared by the states. Florida filed a lawsuit in 2013 arguing that Georgia is using too much water from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, which starts in northern Georgia and ends in Apalachicola Bay in Franklin County. Florida contends that the situation has caused damage to the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay’s signature oyster industry. More from the News Service of Florida and Bloomberg Law.
FloridaTrend.com delivers Florida business news along with reports on Florida politics, Florida public policy and government. Florida executives and professionals rely on FloridaTrend.com for in-depth analysis and perspectives on the issues, people and ideas that define Florida.
Friday s Daily Pulse | 2/19/2021 Florida unemployment below 19,000, lowest since pandemic began Florida drew an estimated 18,982 first-time unemployment claims last week. The estimate from the U.S. Department of Labor for the week ending Feb. 13 represented the lowest total for a single week since the coronavirus pandemic began nearly a year ago. The federal agency initially estimated Florida received 17,621 new jobless applications during the week that ended Feb. 6. However, the agency revised that total to 21,710 in the numbers released Thursday. [Source: Click Orlando] Your guide to the Florida-Georgia Supreme Court water case Supreme Court justices will hear Florida’s water rights case against Georgia on Monday, an hour-long event that could mark the beginning of the end of an expensive lawsuit that’s stretched over eight years. The oral arguments, which will unfold online due to the pandemic, mark the second time justices have examined the case in four years. [Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
Thursday s Daily Pulse | 2/18/2021 Job hunting help for exiting military coming from Florida veteran, business groups Since 2014, the federal SkillBridge program has helped transitioning servicemembers get civilian work experience by allowing them to participate in industry training, apprenticeships or internships during their last 180 days of service. Through a new coalition and state legislation supporting this program, Florida veteran and business groups hope to better connect transitioning servicemembers with jobs in the state. [Source: Tampa Bay Times] Gov. DeSantis pushes for job growth funding As state lawmakers face a revenue shortfall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration says a request for $50 million for business incentives wouldn’t have that large of an impact on the upcoming budget. Adam Callaway, director of strategic business development at the Department of Economic Opportunity, said the request for the Job Growth Grant Fund program includes money carried over from the 2019-2020 fiscal year. That means only about half of the request involves new money. [Source: News Service of Florida]
Wednesday s Daily Pulse | 2/17/2021 Florida retailers plead for sales tax collections on e-commerce Florida retailers are urging lawmakers to require out-of-state online retailers to collect and pay sales tax on products sold to Floridians, saying that could only help state retailers, who already must do so. Retailers say it’s not about what Florida gets out of expanding the collections; it’s about Florida companies not having to compete with those who don’t pay Florida’s sales taxes. They said Florida gives a 6-8% advantage to their out-of-state competitors who are told they should be paying Florida’s sales taxes but aren’t because they’re not forced to do so. [Source: Florida Politics]