Business Archive

Majority ownership of south Santa Rosa County’s second-largest employer shifted last week from the company’s founders to a global multibillion-dollar private equity firm based in California.

When online retail giant Amazon announced they were looking for a spot to build their second headquarters (and to bring thousands of jobs to go with it), economic development offices for cities and counties across the country scrambled to get their applications ready.

Navarre will have another addition to the restaurant and bar scene in early summer 2018 with the opening of Grey Tap Room and Wine Bar (Grey). “We will have 30 craft beers on tap, bottled domestics and a large assortment of wine,” Huston Walters explained. Huston is the son of Ken and Marissa Walters, the owners of Johnny Huston’s, the local eatery that is just east of the pilings going in for Grey.

Following billions of dollars in property damage from Hurricane Irma, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued an emergency order to protect consumers in the wake of the storm.

The Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce hired local consultant Tamara Fountain as the new CEO/President in August. Under her leadership, the chamber has added one new member every day and Fountain says that is just the beginning.

In the afternoon hours of Sept. 6, uncertain projection models for the future of then category 5 Hurricane Irma began to shift north putting the peninsula of Florida in the direct line of fire.

Florida businesses could see workers’ compensation insurance premiums decrease in 2018, after a tumultuous period that included a double-digit rate hike late last year and a lobbying battle about whether to revamp workers’ compensation laws.

When University of West Florida students have an idea for a new business or product, the Center for Entrepreneurship has resources ready to help them succeed.

Like deja vu, property insurance rates could be on the rise yet again this year as Citizens Property Insurance has filed to raise rates for a variety of policy types across the state.

Solar eclipses are not the only thing putting the sun in headlines this week. Representatives from Gulf Power, local military bases and Coronal Power flipped the giant ceremonial switch Tuesday on the Gulf Coast Solar Center Portfolio.