Only a few years ago, Pinellas County and city officials were worrying aloud that condo developers were going to snatch up all the county's waterfront property, driving off the Pinellas tourism and hospitality industry. Long before that could happen, the state's real estate market collapsed, bringing the condo development craze to a halt. ...more

May 30, 2009

Florida's unemployment rate jumped to a 15-year high last month, rising to 7.3 percent, and the state's job losses are increasingly being felt outside of the hard-hit construction industry. ...more

December 20, 2008

Florida's unemployment rate jumped again last month, rising to 7.3 percent, and the state's job losses are increasingly being felt outside of the hard-hit construction industry. The number of unemployed Floridians rose to an estimated 680,000 in November, or 7.3 percent of the state's labor force of 9.3 million. The unemployment rate had been 7 percent in October, and it was just 4.4 percent in November 2007 on a seasonally adjusted basis. Florida's jobless rate is higher than the overall U.S. rate of 6.7 percent. ...more

December 19, 2008

Chamberlain students Danielle Gray and Katrina McNeal knew so much about customer service that it earned them national honors. ...more

August 6, 2008

Travelers know what it means for a hotel to be rated with "three stars," or maybe "four diamonds." ...more

February 23, 2008

Most of us, especially hardcore fans, can probably agree on this: There are - at 32 - too many bowl games. ...more

January 9, 2008

If you are looking for an investment opportunity for 2008 - someplace to park a spare $15 million or more - you might check out the hotel industry. ...more

January 4, 2008

Right before last year's Southeastern Conference-Big 10 showdown in the Outback Bowl, ESPN's football pundits predicted the University of Tennessee would prevail over Penn State based on their notion of "SEC speed." ...more

December 4, 2007

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Saturday that he favors more seasonal visas to foreign workers in industries such as agriculture and tourism. ...more

October 14, 2007

TARPON SPRINGS — The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Education Foundation gave scholarships and an excellence award to three culinary arts students of Tarpon Springs High School. ...more

October 3, 2007