The application process for $2,500 grants available to assist for-profit small businesses in Escambia County or the City of Pensacola begins at 8am today. The closing deadline is Monday, April 27 at 5 p.m. The Florida Small Business Development Center at UWF will assist eligible for-profit businesses with no more than 20 employees applying for…… MORE
Category Archives: Uncategorized
ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON PREDICTED
As if the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t enough, another forecast is calling for an active Atlantic hurricane season. The Weather Channel, is predicting 18 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher, more than Colorado State University, which called for 16 named storms. AccuWeather was already forecasting between 14 and 18…… MORE
FLORIDA UNEMPLOYMENT
Florida’s unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in March 2020, up 1.5 percentage points from the February 2020 rate, it’s expected to be even worse when the April data is released next month. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in March. Over a half million people have filed unemployment in Florida since the coronavirus shutdowns…… MORE
INMATES RELEASED
State Attorney Bill Eddins says around 100 non-violent offenders in the Escambia County Jail could be released if it is determined they do not present a threat to society. The action will reduce the jail’s population during the COVID-19 crisis and reduce the courts’ backlog of legal proceedings. Offenders will appear before judges, plead to…… MORE
UWF HOUSING AND MEAL REFUNDS
University of West Florida students who had to move out of dormitories for remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic, will be receiving a room and board refund. Those refunds have increased because the majority of students moved out closer to March 15th than the anticipated date of March 30th. 1,189 students will receive housing refunds…… MORE
CORONAVIRUS RELIEF BILL
The coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress last month is estimated to cost about 1.8 trillion dollars, a bit less than the 2.2 trillion dollars first projected by the White House. The Congressional Budget Office says the difference is due to the 454 billion dollars intended to back guaranteed loans by a Federal Reserve emergency…… MORE
FLORIDA TASK FORCE TO REOPEN STATE
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he will be putting a task force together for what he called the “resurgence and reopening” of Florida. The Governor also expressed his disappointment in the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s website which takes applications for unemployment and said he’s replacing Ken Lawson, the current head of the Florida Department…… MORE
MEXICO BEACH BEACHES OPEN
The Mexico Beach City Council has reopened its beaches, but with some restrictions. The council approved beach recreation hours of 6 to 9 a.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. daily for residents for swimming, running, fishing, walking, biking, hunting, and hiking – activities approved in Governor Ron DeSantis’ stay-at-home Executive Order that was issued on…… MORE
OKALOOSA-BAY COUNTY TESTING SITES
Two new coronavirus testing sites will begin operation in Okaloosa and Bay counties. The testing center in Destin will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays, at the Destin Medical Park on Emerald Coast Parkway. In Bay County swab tests will be provided from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ascension…… MORE
FLORIDA VIRUS CASES
Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees says the state is at a plateau for coronavirus cases with a slight increase in the number over the past week. Although each of Florida’s 67 counties is reporting at least one coronavirus case, the latest state Department of Health statistics show that almost 59 percent of cases are concentrated…… MORE
