Watercooler

Stuff you didn’t know you wanted to know

97%

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida members who said they think they have the skills necessary to be successful in a job.

Source: Local results of 2021 National Youth Outcomes Initiative Survey

#8

ORLANDO’S RANKING AMONG 2021 TOP 10 U.S. CITIES FOR BURGER FANS. THE TOP THREE WERE WASHINGTON, D.C., SAN FRANCISCO AND PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

Source: Lawn Love

800

New jobs Amazon has created in Central Florida as part of a statewide expansion of 8,000 jobs. Average starting wage is more than $18 an hour.

Source: Orlando Economic Partnership

WE’RE LOSING GROUND, WE’RE LOSING TIME … THERE’S A SENSE OF URGENCY THAT WE HAVE TO GET MOVING TO FIX THE BROKEN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM WE ALL EXPERIENCE EVERY DAY.

— Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, speaking to an audience of executives at an Orlando Economic Partnership event about reviving pre-pandemic plans to raise the sales tax by a penny to fund roads and other transportation needs.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

“ORLANDO HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART.”

— Retired Brazilian soccer star Kaká, often described as one of the best players in his generation, who finished his career playing for Orlando City Soccer Club from 2015-17. Born Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, he has been named an honorary chair for GO26, Orlando’s bid to become one of 10 U.S. host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“I thought I’d worked hard in my lifetime, but this was the most difficult, exhausting, fearful but resilient time in my professional career.”

— Quibulah Graham, corporate director of diversity and minority business development at Orlando Health, in a speech at the AWE Impact Forum about working in health care at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2,100

Number of high-paying jobs Terran Orbital is bringing to the Space Coast, creating the largest satellite manufacturing facility in the world. Scheduled to break ground in 2023, the move is projected to pump $300 million into Brevard County’s economy.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

10,000

Milestone that Duke Energy passed recently in number of megawatts of solar and wind energy it now owns, operates or purchases through its 200 sites in 22 states including Florida.

Source: Duke Energy

13%

Growth of millennials in Central Florida’s workforce from 2014 to 2021, the largest percentage among generations. The next highest was Generation Z at 11%, followed by Generation X at 8.7% and baby boomers at only 1.5%.

Sources: CBRE Group, Orlando Business Journal

three seventeen

Virtual Workplace Solutions