The Sunshine Economy

It’s the economy. It’s always the economy.That’s what voters consistently say they care about. The economy can mean different things — home prices, paychecks, the cost of gas and groceries. It could be health insurance or tuition payments. Perhaps its mortgage rates or taxes. Pocketbook issues were top-of-mind for Florida voters as they cast ballots this election.WLRN’s Helen Acevedo spoke with Special Correspondent Tom Hudson about the election and the economy during this week's episode of the returning Sunshine Economy program.

The home insurance market is broken with companies collapsing or leaving — raising costs and risks for homeowners.

The battle between Gov. DeSantis and Disney CEO Bob Chapek is a rare public display of big business and hard knuckle politics.

The child care industry is pivotal for parents being able to work and for children's early learning. It struggles to compete for workers.

The Russian war in Ukraine has brought focus — again — to sources of energy. Climate activist Bill McKibben talks about how he hopes the war will reshape the developed world's relationship with fossil fuels.

Delaney Reynolds and Bill McKibben are from different generations and live on opposite ends of the East Coast. Both have committed themselves toward fighting climate change and rallying politicians and people, while increasingly focusing on finance.

WLRN has been following three businesses for more than a year as the regional economy recovers from COVID-19.

The unemployment rate has plunged while the inflation rate has soared, hurting consumer confidence.

COVID-19 cost them one business, but Jamila and Akino West used their pandemic pivot to reinvest and reinvent their entrepreneurial ambitions.

War has broken out in Eastern Europe. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is felt here with higher gasoline prices, but it also impacts countries with close ties to South Florida.

First it was the virus, now small firms are dealing with new challenges like inflation and finding workers.

The latest Tallahassee Takeover podcast from WLRN News explores the building friction over business and local rules. The battle over booze in Miami Beach may be its first test.

Virgin Voyages hopes to stand out in the cruise ship business with its rock-and-roll attitude and adults-only cruises even as the CDC still advises travelers to avoid cruising because of COVID.

The escalating unaffordability of housing for local workers threatens competitiveness and quality of life, and worries housing experts.

After years of shrinking, the state taxpayer-backed property insurance company Citizens has been growing as private insurers lose money in Florida.

The second year of COVID-19 could cost $50 million for health insurance company AvMed.

A Miami company has attracted big investors and is reshaping the restaurant industry.

How inflation is affecting South Florida businesses from furniture to food, new cars to even Tonka toy trucks.

Florida Republican lawmakers said employees need protections against being fired for not getting vaccinated. Democrats called it political theater casting doubt on COVID-19 vaccines.

The demand for home health care has increased even while the supply of workers has been squeezed thanks to how most of the care is paid for.

Norwegian Cruise Line requires all its passengers and crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and has been fighting in court to continue its mandate.

Parts of Florida consistently rank as some of the most unaffordable places to live with the combination of low incomes and high housing costs.

Thousands of people have dropped out of the job market even as the economy continues rebounding. From hotels to health care, companies are looking to hire.

COVID-19 has highlighted how older Americans are cared for, the special vulnerabilities they face, and the challenges families have to confront when making caregiving decisions.

Medical products maker Demetech moved into masks early during the pandemic, but now is left holding millions of them.

The South Florida economy has been growing, but it remains far from its pre-pandemic condition. Meantime, the virus continues spreading.

A billion-dollar deal for five South Florida hospitals brings a new operator to the region. Steward Health Care is the largest physician-owned hospital network in the country and bought several facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Jorge Pérez built Related Group into one of the leading condominium and apartment developers in the region, reshaping the South Florida skyline — especially along the waterfront. Now his two oldest sons have taken over the day-to-day running of the company after the Surfside collapse and during a pandemic.

The job market is strong in South Florida. Offices are reopening and COVID-19 vaccines are available. So what pandemic policies are companies putting in place?

It’s a multi-billion dollar question for the South Florida economy — when will cruise ships set sail again with passengers? PortMiami's boss says: "We're ready."

For months the Sunshine Economy has been following three businesswomen navigating the pandemic economy. The baker, banker, and cleaner have been growing in their optimism even as each of them have had trouble finding new employees.

In 2015, the Sunshine Economy asked a group of Miami technology leaders to imagine what the industry could look like in 2030. Six years, a global pandemic and one viral tweet later, the five people are even more convinced that Miami’s tech movement has arrived now.

COVID-19 shut down South Florida’s arts economy. Performances, concerts and productions came to a stop for artists and behind-the-scene workers. But, slowly, the curtain is rising again.

"Florida is a very important place for French investors," said France's Ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Étienne, during a visit for the launch of a French crew member from Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station.

It has been more than a year since a cruise ship sailed from the U.S. with paying passengers. So when does Royal Caribbean International hope to be able to shove off from South Florida ports?

Ten days into the new school year the Miami-Dade County Public School Board voted to stop using troubled virtual classroom software from K12. The CEO responds to critics.

Sheng Guo was among the first people in South Florida to experience the impact of COVID-19. He grew up near Wuhan, China, where the virus started. He lives in Weston now, but his parents and grandmother still live close to Wuhan. Guo is an economics instructor at FIU.

The new normal is here. Florida began a full phase one reopening with restaurant dining rooms, shopping malls and hotels reopening with limitations on Monday.

Shipmonk was used to hiring people fast to fill jobs in its expanding Fort Lauderdale wareshouse. Since COVID-19 hit, the company has been telling some job applicants to show up for their first day of work without even an interview.

Pilar Guzman Zavala and Bill Feinberg own very different companies, but both have been hit by COVID-19. Dozens of employees between them have been brought back thanks to emergency borrowing programs instituted to help companies keep people employed.

When drive-through COVID-19 testing was first offered in Broward County, one of the first was at Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston. That was five weeks ago.

Stimulus payments are going out. Small businesses have applied for emergency loans.

The economic consequences of efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 are becoming clear. A half million people in Florida have filed for unemployment in just three weeks. And that’s just the people who were captured by the government data. There are others who have been turned back by the state unemployment website and its failures.

Jack McCabe is scared.

Fifty percent unemployment?

The sounds bounced off walls in empty restaurant dining rooms and cafes.

Some beaches have closed. Cruise ships are docked. Airlines have grounded some planes. Disney and Universal in Orlando are closed. Local attractions are shut down. Theaters are dark. Hotel reservations are cancelled. Restaurants and bars are closing early.

Florida’s large population of senior citizens and people without health insurance make the state vulnerable to the threat posed by an outbreak of COVID-19. The number of cases in the state remain relatively small, but it has been growing as testing for the virus has grown.

Jay Foreman is no stranger to China and the global supply chain. He runs Basic Fun, based in Boca Raton. It imports toys like My Little Pony Classic and Pound Puppies from China. A dozen Basic Fun employees work in China and 65 work in Hong Kong.

The quiet season is about half over. The time between Nov. 30 and June 1 is usually quiet in the tropics. The six months between June and November is hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. And the last few seasons have been reminders about the threats posed to Florida.