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]
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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.