FLORIDA TO RELEASE NEW UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS
Florida Gov. Rick Scott will be announcing the latest jobs and unemployment numbers for the state. Florida’s unemployment rate for December will be released on Friday. Scott plans to highlight the new numbers during a visit to an ocean freight shipping company located in Miramar. The state’s unemployment rate in November was 5.8 percent. The national jobless rate is currently 5.6 percent.
2 UNLICENSED FLORIDA ‘BUTT DOCTORS’ PLEAD GUILTY
A South Florida couple who ran a “butt doctor” practice out of their home has pleaded guilty to practicing health care without a license. The pleas came Thursday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court from 55-year-old Samela Hernandez and 59-year-old Pedro Hernandez. The Hialeah couple will serve two years of house arrest, with permission to leave for work, plus payment of restitution.
US HEALTH SECRETARY BURWELL VISIT FLORIDA
The Obama administration’s top health official is heading to Florida where insurance sign-ups under the Affordable Care Act have been robust. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell will hold a news conference in Jacksonville on Friday. Nearly 1.3 million Floridians have signed up for health insurance through the federal marketplace as of Jan. 16.
PINELLAS COUNTY JUSTICE CENTER REPORTS RODENT PROBLEM
The Pinellas County Justice Center has a mice problem. Maintenance workers at the criminal courts complex began receiving daily complaints about “mice activity” in late October, often as many as eight to 10 comments daily. The county has spent about $12,000 combating the problem, and 60 mice have been trapped and removed from the four-story building.
ORLANDO’S INCOMING MLS TEAM HITS 10,000 SEASON TICKETS
Orlando’s new Major League Soccer team says it has sold 10,000 season tickets in advance of its inaugural season. Orlando City Soccer Club founder and president Phil Rawlins said Thursday that the club hit the barrier this week. It also recognized former Major League Baseball player and Orlando resident Ken Griffey Jr. as its 10,000th central Florida resident to purchase season tickets for the upcoming 2015 season. The Lions open training camp on Friday.
