As the state continues to struggle with a shortage of correctional officers, a legislative panel next week will consider a plan that would activate Florida National Guard members to help at prisons, according to a document published Friday.
Jobs & Unemployment
Federal Judge Blocks Parts of DeSantis Anti-‘Woke’ Law Muzzling Race-Sensitivity Training at Work
The employment-related part of the law lists eight race-related concepts and says that a required training program or other activity that “espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels such individual (an employee) to believe any of the following concepts constitutes discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin.”
Stark Numbers on Palm Coast’s Unaffordable Housing Crisis Emerge Behind a Routine Presentation
A housing report Palm Coast government is required to submit to federal authorities every five years, presented to the City Council today, opens an alarming window into the city’s most dire housing needs and stresses for middle and lower-income residents.
Developments Would Halt in Flagler, Devastating Economy, If County Voids School-Planning Accord
If the Flagler County Commission makes good on bailing from a crucial joint agreement with cities and the school board on school construction on Sept. 1, without a new agreement in place, it would be potentially devastating to the local economy: many local developments would stop. People would be out of work. The local economy would be needlessly jolted. The commission will decide later this month whether to agree to a later deadline enabling a new agreement to be in place by then.
June Jobs Report Offers Hope Against Recession, But With Tiny Room for Error
The U.S. economy added more jobs than expected in June, keeping the unemployment rate at a 70-year low of 3.6%. Does this mean the U.S. will avoid a Fed-induced recession? The Fed has some room to maneuver, but not much.
Flagler Unemployment Remains Below 3% as 530 More Residents Find Jobs
Flagler County added more than 600 people to its labor force, yet again breaking a record and grazing the 50,000 mark, out of a population of more than 115,000. The figures don’t distinguish between full time and part-time work.
Flagler County’s Unemployment Rate Falls to Record Low of 2.6%, Beating Housing and Pre-Pandemic Booms
In the two previous booms on record, Flagler’s unemployment rate had fallen to a low of 3.6 percent in December 2005, at the crest of the housing boom, before starting to rise the following year. In the late 1990s boom, the county’s unemployment hit 2.7 percent in September 1999 (when 486 people were unemployed), until now the lowest rate recorded.
A Recession Ahead Is Likelier Than a Soft Landing
By raising interest rates, the Fed is hoping to achieve a “soft landing” for the U.S. economy, taming inflation without causing unemployment to rise or triggering a recession. Research suggests that engineering a soft landing is highly improbable and that there is a significant likelihood of a recession in the not too distant future.
‘Every Day Feels Unsettled’: Educators Decry Staffing Shortage
A shortage of teaching staff affects every student. One principal explained that learning stalls when “students in classes with revolving subs may spend the hour playing video games with no structure or learning happening.” Administrators describe waking up with dread knowing they’ll have to scramble to find coverage for absent staff.
Waste Pro Offering $2,000 Bonus for New Drivers at Hiring Drive Saturday
Waste Pro, the garbage hauler that’s provided trash and recycling services in Palm Coast and unincorporated Flagler County since 2007, is holding a hiring drive Saturday (April 16) at its Bunnell plant and offering $2,000 signing bonuses to new drivers. The bonus is paid out in installment over the first year of employment.