Monday afternoon Palm Coast’s Firehouse Subs celebrated its tenth anniversary, $8 million in business and considerable donations to local fire houses with visits from its core constituents—firefighters—but also company CEO Don Fox, Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts, several other city council and county commission members, and of course franchise owner David Hause and his wife Melinda.
Jobs & Unemployment
Florida Unemployment Stuck at 7.1% For 3d Month, Flagler’s at 10.3% On Low-Pay Jobs
The national economy, Florida’s and Flagler County’s might as well be the three twins of lethargy: all three economies are mirroring each other in fitful but anemic activity, adding some but mostly low-paying jobs as Florida’s unemployment rate remains at 7.1 percent for the third straight month and Flagler’s continues in the low double digits, at 10.3 percent.
Unemployment Falls Slightly, Job Rolls Grow Slightly, Austerity’s Anemia Persists
There’s nothing terribly bad about the July unemployment report, released this morning. There’s nothing terribly good about it, either: the economy added just 162,000 jobs, and the 7.4 percent unemployment rate is the lowest since December 2008, but improvements are at a crawl.
Again in Flagler, Gov. Scott Headlines Aveo Co.’s 300-Jobs Groundbreaking at Airport
If the 300 promised jobs are produced, landing Aveo Engineering in Flagler County will prove to be the largest single gain of private-employer jobs in memory, and an unqualified success for the county administration’s new economic development department under Helga van Eckert. But the company is getting generous incentives beyond the $150,000 in cash for jobs retained.
Nielsen’s Aveo Engineering Taxies to Take Off at Flagler Airport in County’s Latest Jobs Coup
It’s been billed as a secret, jobs-producing company the county administration’s economic development team will unveil at the Flagler County Airport Tuesday morning, but there’s little secret about it: Aveo Engineering, a maker of LED light products in the aeronautic industry, is bringing some 300 jobs to the airport.
Flagler’s Unemployment Back in Double Digits While Florida’s Stalls at 7.1%, Mirroring U.S.
Flagler County’s unemployment rate shot back up to 10.2 percent as 830 fewer people had jobs, one of the sharpest drops of the year, though seasonal fluctuations account for much of that drop. Florida added just 2,300 private sector jobs.
Boycott Florida Movement Grows in Protest Of Stand Your Ground and Zimmerman Verdict
The boycott-Florida movement has quickly grown on social media and with such headliners as Stevie Wonder while Gov. Rick Scott and the state’s business groups downplay the effectiveness of the effort, which could nevertheless hurt the state’s tourism and convention business.
Despite Adding 600,000 Jobs in 3 Months, U.S. Unemployment Remains at 7.6%
The U.S. economy added 195,000 jobs in June, and revised numbers increased April’s and May’s totals by 70,000 for a combined three-month job creation of nearly 600,000 jobs, but the unemployment rate remained at 7.6 percent, only 0.6 percent lower than it was a year ago.
Floridians’ Consumer Confidence Hits Post-Recession High as Personal Finances Improve
Stock market gains for the first part of June played a role, while perceptions of current buying conditions are at a post-recession high of 93. The last time it reached this level was April of 2007 when it was 97. Four of the five overall components that make up the index rose while one stayed the same.
Homelessness in Flagler Persists, But Minor Conflicts Cloud Accomplishments and Services
It’s not that there isn’t a homelessness problem in Flagler and Bunnell, but while numerous and at times generous services are being provided, minor conflicts targeting some homeless people in Bunnell are disproportionately affecting the debate, and draining attention from what’s being done to help.
Flagler Unemployment Ticks Up to 9.5% and Florida Sees Net Loss of 6,200 Jobs
Flagler County’s and Florida’s jobs picture in May reflected the nation’s as the economy appears to sputter more than to gain momentum, though longer-term trends remain encouraging, including a 2 percent jump in Flagler’s labor force over the month.
Hillsborough Grants Amazon $6.6 Million Gift as Tax Watch Endorses Online Sales Levy
The Hillsborough County Commission is the first of several local communities expected to throw tax-supported incentives at Amazon, as the usually anti-tax Florida TaxWatch declared support for online sales tax collection once Amazon starts doing business from a physical location in Florida.
Flagler Approves $150,000 in Incentives for LED Company That Would Bring 300 Jobs
The secret company to which Flagler County agreed to offer the $150,000 incentive for 300 jobs over three years appears to be Aveo Engineering, a registered business in Palm Coast under the ownership of Navy veteran Christian Nielsen.
It’s On Again: Amazon Pitches 3,000 Jobs to Florida. Gov. Scott Mulls Over Tax Implications
A month after an announcement that plans had been scrapped for Internet retailing giant Amazon to build at least one warehouse in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott’s office Thursday said a deal is again in the works.
Pressure Building on Scott to Sign–Or Veto–Bill Forbidding Local Sick-Leave Standards
Florida’s business lobby supports a bill that would forbid local governments from letting voters decide whether to require more generous sick-leave policies from employers than state or federal law requires.
U.S. Economy Adds 175,000 Jobs But Unemployment Rate Rises Again, to 7.6%
The May unemployment rate of 7.6 percent is a decimal increase from April, and only a small decline from the 8.2 percent rate from a year ago as the U.S. economy continues to dawdle along, and in the face of further drags.
Flagler School District’s Paraprofessionals, Key to Special Education, Protest Impending Job Cuts
Uncertainty about the future drove paraprofessional teachers fearful of losing their jobs to make emotional pleas Tuesday evening for alternative budget cuts by a financially challenged Flagler County School Board. But the “paras,” as they are known in the district, got no satisfaction: the School Board is not reversing its decision to plan for a […]
Ken Mattison Named Florida Hospital Flagler CEO, Switching With Ottati in Swift Succession
Ken Mattison, for 16 years the CEO at Adventist Health’s Florida Hospital Waterman, has been named to take over for David Ottati at Florida Hospital Flagler, a $156 million business with 1,017 employees in 2011. Ottati will assume Mattison’s position at Waterman, a $205 million hospital with 1,879 employees.
Flagler’s Jobless Rate Drops to 9.3% as Local Employment Grows; Florida’s Falls to 7.2%
Florida’s unemployment rate fell sharply from the previous month, to 7.2 percent in April, as 17,000 jobs were created statewide, bringing the unemployment rate to its healthiest level since September 2008, when it was 7 percent. It also brings Florida’s rate below the national rate of 7.5 percent. In Flagler County, the rate fell two decimal points, to 9.3 percent, spurred by growth both in jobs and in the local labor force.
Despite Snubbing Obamacare, Florida Gets Thousands of Jobs and Cash from Health Act
Even though Florida officials tried to block the implementation of the Affordable Care Act at every turn over the past three years, the state will gain millions in grants and hundreds of new jobs this year from its implementation.
Flagler’s Tourism Industry Takes Its Pulse, Declares Itself Healthy, and Cheers Its “Heroes”
In Flagler County, 2,600 people work in tourist businesses, which have weathered the recession and are seeing strong, sustained activity. Flagler County’s annual Hospitality Employees Recognition of Excellent Service (or H.E.R.O.E.S.) awards lunch at the Hammock Beach Resort Thursday was an occasion for the county’s tourism industry to cheer its own.
Grinding Down: U.S. Unemployment Falls to 7.5% as 165,000 Jobs Are Created
The national unemployment rate ticked down to 7.5 percent in April, from 7.6 percent in March, as the economy added 165,000 jobs, a bit more than analysts had predicted. But job-creation figures for the two previous months were revised upward, with 332,000 jobs created in February (instead of 268,000) and 138,000 in March (instead of 88,000).
Can’t Say It’s Not Producing: Flagler’s Economic Arm Lands 4th Firm in 11 Months
Gioia Sails South, a supplier of boat interiors for Sea Ray Boats, will move 30 jobs to Palm Coast and create 10 more in the coming year, the latest success for the county’s Economic Development Council.
Senate Passes Bill Forbidding Local Measures That Would Ensure Sick Leave for Workers
A Florida House bill supported by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Disney and other industry and corporate groups would forbid local governments from passing living wage ordinances or require employers contracting with government to provide paid sick leave. A Senate amendment would leave those decisions to local governments.
Milestone: Flagler’s Unemployment in Single-Digits, at 9.5%, for 1st Time in 5 Years
For the first time since June 2008–almost five years–Flagler County’s unemployment has fallen back to single digits, registering 9.5 percent in March as the local economy continued to mirror the state’s and the nation’s, improving slowly but steadily.
Flagler Spirits: Nothing Micro About This Palm Coast Distillery’s Whiskey Rebellion
Jimmy Day’s Flagler Spirits micro-distillery in Palm Coast is part of the nation’s boom in a niche industry that develops specialty regional products, like Day’s whiskeys, vodkas and rums. He’s producing and marketing 1,000 gallons a month from his Hargrove Grade plant.
Facebook Effect: For Workers On or Off the Job, Individual Rights Are Dead
Employers’ presumptions on workers’ behavior on and off the job have more in common with the inquisition or police states than with the bill of rights. Transgressors are routinely humiliated, silenced, censured or fired over speech or behavior companies should have no right to police.
As Florida Bans Internet Cafés, Palm Coast’s Lingering Joints Place Last Bets on Eulogies
A FlaglerLive reporter, $50 in hand, made a tour of Palm Coast’s Internet cafes, only to find most of them closed already, and a mournful atmosphere at two that were open, not long before a bill banning the small gambling halls was sent to Gov. Rick Scott Thursday.
Economy Adds Just 88,000 Jobs as Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.6%
The March unemployment rate of 7.6 percent is the lowest in almost four and a half years, but despite adding half a million jobs in the last three months, the economy is showing worrisome signs of slowdown again from austerity at home and recessions abroad.
Les Jeux Sont Faits: Gov. Scott Will Sign Internet Cafe Ban
Gov. Rick Scott will sign legislation prohibiting the gaming at Internet cafés, his office said Thursday, following the Senate’s Senate’s 36-4 passage of a bill that flew through the Legislature spurred by an on-going racketeering investigation, and pushed by Sen. John Thrasher, who represents Flagler County.
FPC’s Culinary Students Audition, Through Dishes of Brash, For Their Day on TV
Flagler Palm Coast High School’s team finished ninth out of 50 schools at the Pro Start Culinary Team Competition last month in Orlando, a testament to a program that numbers 133 students and almost as many ambitions to make it to the big time.
Daytona State Hires Point Man for Federal Jobs-Training Program Combatting Outsourcing
Randall White is the new project manager of Daytona State College’s federally funded Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training initiative, designed to help retrain those losing work to outsourcing.
Flagler’s 10.3% Unemployment Is Lowest Since August 2008, Florida’s Matches 7.7% U.S. Rate
Flagler County’s unemployment rate fell sharply in February, to 10.3 percent–from 11 percent the previous month–and matched its lowest level since August 2008. Florida’s unemployment rate also continued to fall, matching the national rate, at 7.7 percent, in February while adding 7,800 jobs. Flagler continues to rank among the counties with the highest unemployment rate, […]
House Votes 108-7 to Ban Internet Cafes; Impact in Palm Coast Will be Limited
Palm Coast at one point had nearly a dozen such businesses. Last week it had seven. This week, according to Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts, the number was down to three, as several of them closed pre-emptively.
Bill Forbidding Local Governments from Passing Sick-Day Ordinances Advances
The proposed law, by Sen. David Simmons, is intended to thwart efforts to pass labor-friendly laws in local governments, since state-level labor reform is beyond reach with the anti-labor, GOP-led Florida Legislature.
As Obamanomics Trickles Down, Florida’s Unemployment Rate Drops But Flagler’s Lags
Though improving, Florida’s unemployment rate is still 33rd out of the 50 states, while Flagler’s, at 11 percent, remains the second-worst in the state, after Hendry’s 11.4 percent.
Fuego del Mar Restaurant in Flagler Beach Spices Up Town’s Gastronomic Renaissance
Nicholas Kimball’s Fuego del Mar restaurant on A1A’s Oceanshore Boulevard in Flagler Beach is expected to employ 100 people and provide high wages to full-timers while burnishing the city’s growing reputation as the county’s destination for authentic, original, non-chain restaurants.
U.S. Economy Adds 236,000 Jobs as Unemployment Falls to 7.7%, a 4-Year Low
The last time national unemployment clocked in at 7.7 percent was in December 2008, before Barack Obama was president. It did so again in February as the economy added 236,000 jobs, totaling just over 1 million jobs in the last six months. Most sectors gained, including construction and manufacturing.
Sea Ray Boats in Palm Coast Benefits from Plant Closures Elsewhere, With Cautions
Consolidation will likely add to the payroll in Flagler County, and do so with well-paying manufacturing jobs. It also puts to rest, at least for now, worries that Sea Ray’s local plant would either close. But the company is facing tough economic headwinds even as it stock soars to seven-year highs.
For Flagler County Students, a New Tech Academy Without Borders, or Traditional Walls
Instead, the academy will be on the Flagler Palm Coast High School campus and students will also be enrolled at the high school. Dual enrollment will also be offered, which offers students a chance to earn college credits at Daytona State College while in high school.
In a Coup for Coastal Cloud, Gov. Scott in Flagler Today to Dedicate New IT Company
Florida Governor Rick Scott will join the Flagler County Commission Tuesday morning in the ribbon cutting ceremony of Coastal Cloud, a cutting-edge Information Technology consulting company to be headquartered in Flagler County.
In a Blow to Workers and Home Rule, Florida Moves to Forbid Living-Wage Ordinances
The proposal would expand on legislation passed a decade ago to prevent cities from enacting their own minimum wage levels for private employers doing business within their jurisdictions. The proposal would also extend the ban to other employee benefits such as paid sick leave.
Answering Palm Coast, Thrasher Will Pitch Internet Cafe Bill, But Reach May Be Limited
Palm Coast officials want state lawmakers to either ban or more strictly regulate and possibly tax gambling parlor-like internet cafes. Sen. John Thrasher is proposing a moratorium on the parlors, which may not match local demands, as a moratorium was already executed in Palm Coast.
For the Unemployed in Flagler, Fewer Training Dollars and More Obstacles in Benefits’ Way
The rush for demand has all but sapped funding for worker training training from a Flagler County agency this fiscal year, even as Flagler continues to have Florida’s leading unemployment rate. It was 11.2 percent in December.
Gov. Scott Facing Mounting Questions From His Own Party Over Jobs Agenda, and Expenses
Gov. Rick Scott’s aggressive economic development effort is getting more legislative pushback as budget committees in both chambers questioned the direction, expense and oversight of the governor’s “jobs, jobs, jobs” agenda.
Integrity Report Critical of Enterprise Florida as an Obstacle to Job Creation Is Itself Tainted
Questionable bonuses, conflicts of interest and a ‘pay to play’ mentality is hampering taxpayer driven economic development efforts, according to a study conducted by Integrity Florida and paid for by Americans for Prosperity/Florida, a conservative advocacy group funded in large part by the Koch brothers.
Coastal Cloud, a Next-Generation Computing Management Firm, Unveils Plan for 100 Jobs
Coastal Cloud is a newly-formed subsidiary of Graphene LLC, a computing consultancy, that will provide cloud-based data management services while hiring locally some 100 jobs over three years, at an average wage of $46,500, the company announced to the county’s economic development council today.
As Flagler Beach Sees a Fortune From Parking Fees, Locals See Only Alienated Tourists
Flagler Beach government could make up to $3 million over 5 years by turning its streets into revenue-generating parking slots, but the city manager’s proposal faces stiff-but not unanimous–opposition from local residents and businesses, who fear jeopardizing the city’s charms and its appeal to tourists.
U.S. Economy Adds 600,000 Jobs in 3 Months, But Unemployment Edges Up to 7.9%
The nation’s economy added 157,000 jobs in January, and revisions to November and December figures added 127,000 jobs to previous calculations, for a total of 600,000 new jobs in the last three months. Still, the unemployment rate went up a fraction, to 7.9 percent: job growth hasn’t been robust enough to go beyond the natural growth in the workforce.
Economic Growth Contracts By 0.1 Percent In Worst Showing Since 2009, With Asterisks
It is a sharp and unexpected decline from the previous quarter’s 3.1 percent growth rate, but may be due top one-time shocks, including a 22 percent decline in military spending and Hurricane Sandy. Several indicators, including personal spending and saving and residential investment, are encouraging.