The county’s moratorium is relatively small, but Flagler’s chamber of commerce and its home builders association hope to get the school board to approve a moratorium next, then move to Palm Coast, where impact fees add up to $15,270.
Jobs & Unemployment
Floridians’ Consumer Confidence at Highest Level Since 2007
All five of the five components that make up consumer confidence increased, including expectations about personal finance, national economic conditions, and buying confidence, according to the latest analysis by the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
Florida Unemployment Unchanged at 8.8%, Flagler’s Dips Slightly, to 12.4% in August
Florida’s unemployment rate was unchanged in August, at 8.8 percent, as the state added just 23,200 jobs–for a total of just 77,800 in the past 12 months–while Flagler County’s rate dipped to 12.4 percent. Flagler’s rate has been in the 12 percent range since February.
In Flagler and Across Florida, More Perky Housing Sales Point to Encouraging Trends
Sales of single family homes in Flagler were up 9.5 percent in August over a year ago, 10.8 percent across Florida, while pending sales have skyrocketed in further signs of health for the battered housing sector, even as prices still stagnate.
Mitt Romney’s 47 Percent Problem
In 2008 John McCain’s big challenge was to control Sarah Palin’s mouth. In 2012, Mitt Romney’s biggest challenge is to control Mitt Romney’s mouth. His characterization of 47 percent of Americans as victims and dependents, besides being demonstrably false, unravels the cynicism at the core of Romney’s campaign.
Palm Coast Data’s Latest Revenue Down 18.6% Over the Year But Ticks Up in 2012
Palm Coast Data revenue fell to $13.6 million in the quarter ending July 31, compared to $16.5 million a year ago, and $32 million in 2008. Parent-company Amrep Corp. posted its 12th loss of the last 16 quarters.
Feed Flagler Launches 4th Year as Big Cuts in Food Stamps Loom and Pantries Empty Out
Again led by County Commissioner Milissa Holland, Feed Flagler aims to exceed last year’s fund-raising of $28,000 and 60,000-pound food-drive by Thanksgiving, but federal legislation cutting food stamp benefits would prove a setback for Flagler’s efforts against hunger.
The Sheltering Tree, Flagler’s Homeless Shelter, Holds Fundraiser for Center Sunday
Flagler County’s Sheltering Tree, the county’s only homeless shelter, holds its “Steps to Success” Fundraiser at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Hammock Community Center, 79 Malacompra Road, off State Road A1A in Palm Coast. Tickets are $25.
No Bounce: Economy Adds Only 96,000 Jobs in August as Unemployment Drops to 8.1%
The national economy added a meager 96,000 jobs in August, and the previous two months’ total was revised downward by 41,000 jobs. Nevertheless the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent, from 8.3 percent, as the employment picture continues to zigzag between hope and anemia.
The Downside of Tourism Jobs, and What North Carolina Can Teach Florida
Florida is adding jobs, but mostly in tourism and service industry, low-skilled work that has involuntarily forced people into part-time employment. North Carolina has seen more employment grow in the information technology and research sectors. These jobs tend to offer higher pay and more stability.
Greg Rawls, Long-Time Face of Economic Development in Flagler, Opts For a New Tribe
Greg Rawls had been Enterprise Flagler’s executive director since 2007 before Palm Coast and Flagler County killed that economic development partnership, and Flagler formed its own, where Rawls worked as a manager. He’ll be working for Creek Indian Enterprises in Alabama.
A Few Florida Facts for Republican National Convention Delegates
Florida under the leadership of Republican icons like Bush, Scott and Rubio, and supported by proud and unthinking GOP legislatures for the last 15 years, has happily served as the grow house for Republican policies. The results are stunning, writes former lawmaker Dan Gelber.
Farm to Flag: One Commissioner’s Idea to Cultivate Flagler’s Agricultural Powers
Ideally, Farm to Flag would provide fresh foods to public nutrition programs while revitalizing the area’s major agricultural industries, creating more jobs and boosting the local economy through one of its traditional mainstays. But the program is rife with obstacles.
Skirting Landon’s Flogging of Cline Construction, Palm Coast Awards New Contract
The Palm Coast City Council awarded S.E. Cline Construction a $208,000 contract to build a water-control structure a week after City Manager Jim Landon argued to the council, harshly and publicly, that Cline was falling down on the job.
For $50,000, Flagler County Hires Marketing Firm to Buff Up Economic Development
The Flagler County Commission this evening approved a $50,000 contract with Orlando-based Solodev, a marketing and web-design firm that pledges to launch the county’s revamped economic development website by January 2013.
Unemployment Rises Again, to 8.8% in Florida And 12.7% in Flagler, Clouding Recovery
After falling steadily by 2.1 percentage points over the past year and holding steady at 8.6 percent in June, Florida’s unemployment rate ticked back up to 8.8 percent in July, and there was a net job loss of 3,300 in the state.
Palm Coast Data Revenue Down Another 20% in Latest Quarter as Parent Company Posts Loss
Palm Coast Data’s entire revenue for 2012 was less than half its revenue for just two quarters barely four years ago, when it signed a job-incentive deal with Palm Coast government and the state of Florida. The promised jobs have not materialized.
Florida Revenue May Grow by $2.6 Billion as Recovery Solidifies, Contradicting Romney
President Obama and Gov. Rick Scott will be competing t take credit for Florida’s continuing economic improvements as the state turned in a relatively healthy $407 million surplus in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
Economy Adds a Healthier 163,000 Jobs, But Unemployment Rises Back to 8.3%
Last Updated: 9:08 a.m. The U.S. economy added 163,000 jobs in July, better than expected, but the unemployment rate rose back to at 8.3 percent, because job creation hasn’t been robust enough to do more than merely keep up with the natural growth of the work force. Some 12.8 million people remain unemployed, roughly the […]
Florida Consumer Confidence Up in July
Consumer confidence was up slightly in July 2012 over June, and dramatically higher than it was a year ago, a new report from the University of Florida finds.
Florida Tourism Lull Predicted, Slowing Local Growth, as Euro Zone Economies Suffer
Economic woes in Europe will trickle across the Atlantic over the next few years as potential international guests stay home or see their native currency buy less once they arrive, a panel of economists estimates.
Flagler Chamber and County’s Jobs Council Hosting $25-a-Plate “Unity” Lunch Aug. 17
Dale Brill, president of the Florida Chamber Foundation, is the guest speaker for what the local chamber and the county are calling a “unity in the community” lunch at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn.
Unemployment Rises Again in Flagler, To 12.3%, Stalls at 8.6% in Florida
June unemployment numbers were discouraging in Florida as well as in Flagler and Volusia counties–stalling in the state at 8.6 percent, with just 9,000 jobs created last month, while the unemployment rate jumped again in Flagler to 12.3 percent, and to 9.1 percent in Volusia.
Florida Hospital Flagler’s Parkway Medical Plaza Will See You Now
The $15 million facility on Cypress Edge Drive opened ceremoniously Tuesday. It has several physicians’ offices, a walk-in clinic, a rehab and a woman’s center. Some of the services were shifted from the main hospital campus.
Walmart at 50: Gutting the Middle Class 1 Small Business and Manufacturing Job at a Time
Walmart’s 50th anniversary caps a 150year stretch when the number of independent retailers fell by over 60,000, and when, between 2001 and 2007, some 40,000 U.S. factories closed, eliminating millions of jobs.
U.S. Economy Adds Just 80,000 Jobs In June as Unemployment Stagnates at 8.2%
The national economy added percent for the third most 80,000 jobs in June, keeping the unemployment rate stuck at 8.2 percent for the third month in a row.
U.S. Supreme Court Invalidates Most of the Key Provisions of Arizona’s Harsh Immigration Law
The United States Supreme Court has reversed key provisions of the controversial Arizona immigrant law, invalidating Arizona’s–or any state’s–law that would have given state or local police the power to make warrantless arrests of individuals suspected of being undocumented, or “illegal.”
Florida and Flagler Back to Anemic Job Growth as Unemployment Stalls, Reflecting U.S. Trend
Florida added just 5,300 jobs in April, and the state unemployment rate would have risen back sharply had the labor department not revised its April figures to show a much higher unemployment rate than it announced last month.
Gov. Scott Walker and the Pyrrhic Victories of Union-Bashing
Inspired by Ronald Reagan’s union-busting, the latest round in the war on labor is a self-inflicted wound on the American economy, where workers-union and non-union alike–have been losing ground for 30 years.
Lousy Numbers: Just 69,000 New Jobs in May; Unemployment Back Up to 8.2%
Bad unemployment numbers all around for the American economy in May, hinting at recession: the unemployment rate crept back up to 8.2 percent, from 8.1 percent in April. Just 69,000 jobs were created, the lowest number in a year.
Despite Warnings of Corruption, Palm Coast Council Approves Meeker’s Job “Posse” Scheme
In a victory for Frank Meeker, the city will pay job “recruiters” $1,000 for being instrumental in expanding or relocating out-of-county business to Palm Coast, but many of the defining criteria remain vague and fraught with what the city terms unintended consequences.
Cup Cakes Get Their Day in Court as Palm Coast Agrees to a Hearing on Home Bakeries
A split Palm Coast City Council has been wrestling with a proposal to allow small home-based commercial bakery operations, as long as the bakeries don’t sell products from the home. Food safety has been a hang-up.
Gator Shame: Why I’m Relieved My Daughter Won’t Be Attending the University of Florida
Athletics aside, Florida doesn’t take its public universities and public schools seriously, making it difficult for top students to stay here–or for the state to depend on more than tourist ghettoes, sunbathing spreads and Medicare colonies.
Florida’s Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%, Flagler’s at 11.6%, But Many Drop Out
Florida’s jobless rate in April fell to 8.7 percent as the state continued an employment rebound that began 11 months ago, with ripples down to Flagler County, where the unemployment rate was 11.6 percent. But it was still the state’s worst.
Largest Employer in Most Florida Counties, Flagler Included: Government
A government entity is the largest employer in 51 of the state’s 67 counties, including in Flagler, where the school board 1,700 employees, and in every county in Florida government at least one of the top five largest employers.
“Non-Profit” Internet Cafe’s New Stand: Hands Off Our Financial Records
Affiliates of the non-profit Allied Veterans of the World contend in a lawsuit they are not covered by state charity laws that would require them to register with the department and provide financial information.
Disappointing Numbers Again as U.S. Economy Adds Only 115,000 Jobs; Unemployment at 8.1%
The national economy added only 115,000 jobs in April, adding to March’s disappointing numbers and renewing fears that the economy may be stalling, as it did last spring. The unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent, a slight improvement.
“Corruption Risks” Cited at Enterprise Florida, the State’s Economic Development Agency
Integrity Florida, a new watchdog group, faults Enterprise Flagler, the public-private partnership, for producing too few jobs while perks such as tax breaks and incentive grants went to corporations that paid to serve on the agency’s board.
Flagler and Florida Unemployment Rates Drop Sharply, Confirming Uptick in Economic Activity
Flagler County’s and Florida’s unemployment rates dropped significantly in March, solidifying an economic recovery and confirming what many local business owners have been saying for the last several months: the last quarter’s economic activity is the best they’ve seen since the beginning of the Great Recession.
Citing Health Concerns and Competition, Palm Coast Kills Home-Based Bakeries
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts proved to be the swing vote against an initiative that would have allowed small bakeries to operate out of homes. The rejection adds to the city’s pattern of conflicted reactions to start-ups–supporting them with one hand while scuttling them with the other.
Palm Coast Data Revenue Now Half Its 2008 Level, When It Signed Job-Creation Deals
Palm Coast Data’s revenue was down to $15.6 million in the last quarter, less than half the $32.2 million it recorded in the quarter preceding its agreement to consolidate in Palm Coast. The company won’t say how many jobs are on its Palm Coast payroll.
US Jobs Up Just 120,000, Disappointing Expectations; Unemployment Down to 8.2%
While the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 8.2 percent in March, job creation was disappointing, at 120,000, about half the expected numbers, lending further credence to evidence of a fitful, not robust, recovery.
404 Error: Flagler Jobs Council Tangles Over Its Web Address, then Delegates
It’s what happens when a committee of nine tries to do the 21st century equivalent of screwing in a light bulb: come up with a web address to describe itself. Flagler County’s fledgling jobs council couldn’t do it.
Your Password, Please: When a Job Interview Includes Demands for Facebook Pages
In a society where privacy is constantly eroding, recent efforts by some employers to pry into Facebook pages to investigate job applicants should be resisted as an unwarranted intrusion on personal freedom and dignity.
From Depression to Mere Recession Flagler Unemployment Falls to 12.7%
Flagler’s improving numbers also show a net increase of nearly 800 people with jobs, reversing previous months’ declines in both the labor force and actual employment. Florida’s unemployment rate also fell, to 9.4 percent.
Rites of Spring: Flagler’s Jobs Council Retreats to Princess Place for Goal-Setting With CEO
For the third time in three years, an economic development effort gets under way to “to lead Flagler County out of the dismal economic landscape” of the last few years, hoping, this time, to make a mark.
Flagler’s and Florida’s Economic Development Hoax
Florida lawmakers and their local replicas seem hypnotized by the buzz of economic development, nattering about it with great stamina. But it’s a hoax, and a costly one. The assault on public and higher education of the last few years proves it.
Flagler Unemployment Improves to 13.5%, Florida’s to 9.6% as Trend Solidifies
Flagler County’s January unemployment rate of 13.5 percent,. released Tuesday, is the best in three years, going back to December 2008, when it was 11.8 percent.
Sorry, Kansas City: FAA Training Facility Will Stay in Palm Coast–For Now
The FAA Center for Management and Executive Leadership training facility will remain in Palm Coast for the foreseeable future, U.S. Rep. John Mica said Friday, but Palm Coast will still have to compete with other cities in the future to keep the facility and its 80 to 100 jobs.
Maintaining Momentum, Economy Adds 223,000 Jobs; Unemployment Stays at 8.3%
The U.S. economy is maintaining its job-creation momentum, adding 223,000 jobs in January, and revising upward previous job-creation figures for December and January by 61,000 jobs. Over the past three months, the economy added 730,000 jobs.