IKEA buys hurricane-damaged land in Florida to plant forests

IKEA Store — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Graeme Dawes Ingka Group, owner of IKEA furniture stores worldwide, has bought more land in the U.S. as part of a long-term goal and commitment to handle forest management responsibly. Ingka Group will plant seedlings of mainly longleaf pine on the 3,264 acres of land near Florida’s Apalachicola River

Supreme Court halts vaccine mandate for businesses, upholds mandate for health care workers

United States Supreme Court building — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Steven Frame On Thursday, the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its vaccine-or-test requirements for large private companies but allowed a vaccine mandate to remain for medical facilities that take Medicaid or Medicare payments. The rulings come three days after the Occupational Safety and

Wawa convenience store chain opening more than 20 new Florida stores in 2022

Wawa Convenience Store — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Eric Glenn Wawa continues to open new locations throughout the Sunshine State and is seeking to hire over 2,000 new employees at the start of the new year. The Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain announced Wednesday they are beginning a new campaign with the goal of hiring 2,000 new

South Florida produce growers face major obstacles in 2022

Farmer holding produce — Courtesy: Shutterstock — ABO PHOTOGRAPHY Produce growers are facing several challenges as they make their way into the new year. These hurdles include inflation, a labor shortage, supply chain and market disruptions due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “There’s just so much unsureness with the future of the market,” said Jeffrey

Miami Mayor says he will take next paycheck in Bitcoin

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Speaks at Bitcoin Convention — Courtesy: Getty Images — Joe Raedle Miami mayor Francis Suarez took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that he would take his next paycheck in “100% Bitcoin.” Bitcoin is a “decentralized digital currency that you can buy, sell and exchange directly, without an intermediary like a

South Florida adopting paid parental leave. ‘We have to evolve as a workforce’

Paid Parental Leave — Courtesy: Shutterstock — New Africa HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Paid parental leave supporters have a new source of hope to point to as more and more cities and counties across South Florida are embracing the leave policy for their employees. The latest employer to join the movement is Hallandale Beach, which

Weddings flock to Florida — Venues are slammed as U.S. prepares to host 2.5 million wedding ceremonies in 2022

Wedding Set Up – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by weddingvideothailand During the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of weddings were postponed, leaving disappointed brides and grooms stuck with rescheduling multiple times. Now, the Wedding Report has predicted that the highest number of weddings will take place during 2022 since the early 1980s. “We had a

Brightline’s high-tech trains roll off production line in California and are headed to Orlando

Brightline Train – West Palm Beach – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by EQRoy Brightline is marking the rollout of its first diesel-electric, stainless steel trains that will transport passengers while offering food service between South Florida and Orlando International Airport. By building an American higher-speed rails service, Brightline’s goal is to change people’s behavior by

Amazon announces five new delivery stations and robotics fulfillment center in Florida

Amazon Center – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Mike Mareen Amazon has announced a brand new, 630,000 square-foot robotic fulfillment center that is anticipated to launch in Tallahassee, Florida by late 2022, as well as five new delivery stations, bringing the company’s total investment to over $18 billion since 2010.  “We’re excited to announce five

Royal Caribbean pushes back debut sailing for new ship out of Florida after eight crew members test positive for COVID-19

Courtesy: Joe Raedle-Getty Images Royal Caribbean announced earlier this morning that it will push back its first scheduled sailing out of Florida’s Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale to the end of July. Originally scheduled for a July 3 departure, Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Odyssey of the Seas, faced a predictable setback in its debut out