business and development

From January to June of this year, Airbnb saw more bookings for long-term stays in Florida than any other time in the company’s history. Tomas Martinelli is the company’s public policy director for Florida. He says people are choosing Florida because it has a lot to offer.

The Tallahassee Museum is brainstorming how to redo Halloween Howl for the future. The event is one of the museum’s largest. But it won’t be put on for 2021 and may be canceled forever says Museum President and CEO Russell Daws.

Florida Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist is pushing congress to pass legislation to help the hotel industry. Crist says his ’Save Hotel Jobs Act' will allow owners and operators to apply for a grant that will cover employee payroll and benefits.

As Congress looks to craft legislation governing college athletes’ ability to cash in on their names, images and likenesses, Florida’s system could come under fire because it allows universities to set their own rules on the types of companies that can sign contracts with athletes.

Trulieve, the state’s largest medical marijuana operator, is now the nation’s biggest cannabis retailer, after closing on a $2.1 billion deal to acquire former competitor Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. The transaction marks a major development in Florida, where Harvest held one of 22 licenses to cultivate, process and sell medical marijuana to a growing patient population.

Leon County and the City of Tallahassee are giving Amazon more than $2.5 million in incentives. In return, the company is promising 1,000 new jobs. Still, questions remain over whether those new jobs will result in overall job growth, or if Amazon will pull workers from other local industries. 

Realtors are halting an effort to pass a constitutional amendment to ensure funding for affordable housing, saying they will work with Florida lawmakers to create a program to help people such as nurses and police officers buy homes.

The Seminole Tribe is trying to scuttle a federal lawsuit challenging a new gambling deal with the state that calls for the tribe to operate sports betting in Florida.

A Leon County circuit judge Monday upheld a decision by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to cut off federal unemployment money for tens of thousands of Floridians in June, rejecting arguments that the move violated state law.

The Edgewater Group sees its mission as not only redevelopment of the properties, but also providing affordable locations for local businesses.