Friday s Afternoon Update | 3/12/2021
Florida businesses start to hire staff in anticipation of customer increase
As business owners begin thinking about a post-pandemic future, some are starting to hire additional staff in anticipation of more business. It’s been a 6-year journey for Meike Emmrich serving at Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Cafe in Downtown Sanford. But this last year, she said, has been unlike any other. “It was rough, she said. It was rough for sure. And as restaurants begin to fill up again in the coming months, many who work in the industry are asking for patience. More from Spectrum News 13.
Thursday s Daily Pulse | 3/11/2021
How will Florida benefit from the COVID-19 relief package?
The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval to the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan on Wednesday afternoon. The plan, which passed the U.S. House and U.S. Senate along party lines, is the largest COVID-19 relief package to date and likely the last. Under the plan, about 85% of Americans will receive a $1,400 stimulus check. The plan also extends $300 a week in federal unemployment benefits until September. Florida is poised to receive $17.33 billion from the package the fourth highest amount after California, Texas and New York. More from WFTV and the Tampa Bay Times.
| 3/11/2021
The tug-of-war over public education in Florida
Despite school board members constitutional authority, for years the Florida Legislature has chipped away at the once-sacrosanct ideal of local control in public education, one piece of legislation at a time. That was especially true when Richard Corcoran served as the powerful Republican speaker of the Florida House. Now that he is state education commissioner, he has used his position to force one of the biggest battles yet over who s in charge of public schools: a mandate to open classrooms during a pandemic. [Source: WLRN]
Florida lawmakers put Bright Futures revamp on hold
Thursday s Afternoon Update | 3/11/2021
Who’s bailing out Florida’s depleted unemployment fund? You, if you shop online
State leaders have unveiled a plan to shore up the state’s unemployment trust fund by having Floridians pay sales taxes on their online purchases, a unique idea that amounts to roughly $1 billion in annual tax breaks for Florida businesses. The idea, proposed by the leaders of Florida’s House and Senate, would require nearly all out-of-state companies to start collecting online sales taxes in Florida. Florida is one of the few remaining states that doesn’t require online companies, aside from large ones like Amazon, to collect sales taxes. State economists estimate it would add $1 billion in annual revenue to state coffers. More from the Miami Herald.
Wednesday s Afternoon Update | 3/10/2021 Carbon farming could soon be new cash crop for Florida growers
President Joe Biden wants to reward farmers for using climate-friendly practices on their lands. Big agriculture companies are already paying growers in the Midwest to plant crops that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and use techniques to keep that carbon in the soil. Those developments and others have spurred hope that the business of carbon may soon come to Florida. More from WJCT.
Spouses of foreign workers in Florida, nationwide seek help with visa process
The H-4 visa for spouses and children, and the primary H-1B visas, were designed for foreign workers on temporary stays in the U.S. The H-1B visa, which allows employers to hire highly skilled, college-educated foreign workers, lasts for three years and can be renewed for another three years. The renewal can continue past those six years if the employer sponsors the H-1B visa holder and his or her H-4 depen