MONDAY August 24, 2020
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
THE MATHIS REPORT
Jacksonville jobless rate jumps in July
BentleyDaily arrives in Jacksonville Record Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
The five-county rate rose to 8.8% as more people tried to find jobs.
JACKSONVILLE
when he pursued the Jacksonville dealership, there were just 35 Bentley stores in the country selling the luxury British automobiles. He also realized there were 32 NFL teams, including the Jacksonville Jaguars, among 50 states. Murgado said he shared his vision with Mayor Lenny Curry, City Council members and others. “I’ll build you something that I think you’ll be very proud of and something that’ll say, ‘Jacksonville’s arrived also in the automotive world.’” Murgado chose the site because of its strategic location at Butler Boulevard and Interstate 95. SEE MATHIS, PAGE 2
MBASCH@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM
Photo by Karen Brune Mathis
Mario Murgado, owner of Miami-based Murgado Automotive Group Inc., invested $20 million to open the Bentley dealership at 7137 Bonneval Road in Jacksonville. The dealership also will sell Maserati and Alfa Romeo along with used cars. With Murgado is the Bentley Continental GT Convertible.
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Dealership that sells the British cars that start at more than $200,000 opened in June.
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jacksonville’s unemployment rate jumped higher in July as Northeast Florida and the rest of the state experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases. The jobless rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area of Duval, Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties rose from a revised 7.8% in June to 8.8% in July, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity reported Aug. 21. Unemployment had dropped sharply in June, from 10.4% in May, as businesses began to reopen. The state agency’s survey found more people tried to return to work in July, with the number of people in the labor force rising by about 19,000 to 765,557. But the number with jobs rose by only about 10,000 to 698,562. People with jobs or who are actively seeking work are considered to be in the labor force. A separate survey of nonfarm businesses found the number of jobs on Northeast Florida payrolls rose by 3,300 in July. But in the 12-month period from July 2019 through July 2020, businesses had a net reduction of 25,500 jobs, or 3.5%. Job gains in June were sparked by a return to work of leisure and hospitality workers. But after that sector gained 11,300 jobs in June, it lost 1,000 in July. The leisure and hospitality sector had a net loss of 11,900 jobs in the 12 months through July, a 13.7% decline. One sector increasing jobs is the hospital industry, which added 600 in July and 1,800 in the last 12 months, or 6.1%. Duval County’s unemployment rate rose by 1.2 percentage points in July to 9.6%.
JACKSONVILLE
No banners, balloons or inflatable air dancers beckon buyers to Jacksonville’s Bentley dealership. Instead, a putting green is near the front door and a large lawn chess set is in front of the Maserati and Alfa Romeo side of the South Jacksonville development. Inside, natural lighting, soft music, comfortable seating and quiet offices surround the showroom of Bentley models that start at more than $200,000. “Hopefully when you walk through here, you feel good about it,” said owner Mario Murgado during a visit Aug. 14. Miami-based Murgado Automotive Group Inc. quietly opened the Bentley dealership June 18 at 7137 Bonneval Road. Murgado, president and CEO, said
BY MARK BASCH
Stein Mart to lay off its HQ workers in 3 phases A day before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Aug. 12, Stein Mart Inc. sent a notice to city and state officials saying it would lay off 134 employees at its Jacksonville headquarters in three phases. The layoffs began Aug. 14 with the second and third phases of the layoffs scheduled Sept. 14 and Oct. 14. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letter said the company couldn’t provide more advance notice of the layoffs because of the impact of “substantial community spread of COVID-19 in locales wherein Stein Mart operated a significant portion of its retail stores.”
VOLUME 107, NO. 197 • ONE SECTION