December 21, 2009

HOLIDAY CHEERS AND SAFETY – It's that time of the year for holiday cheer, and the Volusia County Department of Economic Development wishes you the best of everything this season. Make safe driving a priority. Increase your safety and odds of surviving the other driver’s actions by slowing down when driving to your holiday destinations. Did you know when you are in a vehicular accident you are actually in two collisions? The first is with whatever you hit (or hit you), and the second occurs when you’re stopped by the windshield or steering column if you are not wearing your safety belt. The force at impact is what can kill. Remember to secure presents or put them in the trunk since unsecured flying objects also can cause injury or worse. And of course, drinking and driving don’t mix. Be safe while being merry this season!

VOLUSIA’S AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE INCREASES – Enterprise Florida, the state’s economic development arm, has released updated data on state and county wages. The information is used to determine eligibility for various incentive programs. Volusia County’s average annual wages increased to $31,537 (or $15.16 per hour) for 2008, an increase of 1.75 percent over 2007.

FLORIDA BACK TO WORK PROGRAM – Gov. Charlie Crist has announced the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation – in partnership with the Florida Department of Children and Families, Workforce Florida Inc., and regional workforce boards – is launching a new program designed to bolster businesses and create jobs for as many as 25,000 Floridians. Job seekers should visit www.EmployFlorida.com for Florida Back to Work employment opportunities as they become available.

VENTURE CAPITAL FORUM – The Florida Venture Forum will host its 19th Annual Florida Venture Capital Conference Feb. 2 and 3, 2010, at the Omni Orlando Resort in Champions Gate. The primary purpose of the annual conference is to showcase 20 to 25 later-stage, high-growth private companies in front of a national audience of venture capitalists, private equity investors and investment bankers. For additional information about the Florida Venture Forum, www.floridaventureforum.org.

LANGUAGE OPPORTUNITIES – Daytona State College is offering new language classes for the winter/spring 2010 semester. These non-credit courses come with no tests and no grades. The Introduction to the Japanese language and culture course will be from Feb. 1 - March 29. The second, an introduction to the Chinese (Mandarin) language, will be from March 25 - May 13. Intermediate conversational Spanish will start Jan. 27 at the Daytona Beach campus and Jan. 26 at the DeLand campus. For registration, prepayment and other information, please call (386) 506-3858, or e-mail Lynn Rued at RuedL@daytonastate.edu.

FLORIDA ECONOMY BRIGHTENING – There is increasing evidence that economic conditions in Florida are getting brighter. By several measures, Florida’s economy has bottomed out and now may be in growth mode once again. Consumer confidence is improving, retail sales and tourist visits are stabilizing, export markets are reviving, and housing permits and real estate sales are rebounding slowly. Tax relief measures and federal stimulus dollars also are helping spur economic activity in Florida, with the bulk of appropriated funds yet to come fully on stream. The pace of job losses has slowed substantially. It is expected that Florida’s unemployment won’t peak in early 2010, but will remain in double-digit territory for about two years.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL COSTS STABILIZE – According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction materials costs appear to have ended their downward slide. As reported in the latest Data Digest from the Associated General Contractors of America, the Producer Price Index for inputs to construction industries climbed 0.6 percent for November 2009 and was unchanged over three months despite falling 2.3 percent, compared to November 2008. Cost increase contributing inputs to this pattern included, among others, diesel fuel, copper and brass mill shapes. To learn more, go to http://newsletters.agc.org/datadigest/.

NEWS ITEMS WANTED! – Please send your business news items to Dave Byron, Volusia County Community Information Director, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand, 32720-4612, by fax at (386) 822-5072 or by e-mail at dbyron@co.volusia.fl.us

Department of Economic Development
700 Catalina Drive, Suite 200, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Telephone: 386-248-8048   FAX: 386 238-4761   Toll Free: 800-554-3801