The Tallahassee Reports Daily Briefs: Tuesday, March 18, 2025

LOCAL NEWS

The latest employment report shows that the number of jobs in Leon County increased in January when compared to December. There were 161,025 people working in Leon County in January compared to December’s revised employment number of 160,374, an increase of 651 jobs.

On March 18, 2025, the Leon County Board of Commissioners will hear a request to realign $1 million in federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funding previously approved by the Board for the Tallahassee Housing Authority’s (THA) Columbia Gardens at South City (Columbia Gardens) affordable housing project.  This realignment will ensure that the ERA funds will be utilized by the federal expenditure deadline, January 28, 2026.

At 6 p.m. tonight, Tallahassee Deputy City Manager, Dr. Karen Jumonville, will be the guest speaker at the March meeting of the Capital Conservatives Club. Get the details.

FLORIDA NEWS

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott says he prefers U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds over First Lady Casey DeSantis in the 2026 Governor’s race.

Florida’s unemployment rate had a slight uptick to 3.5 percent in January, while Gov. Ron DeSantis touted growth in the labor force.

NATIONAL NEWS

President Donald Trump is set to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin today about a potential ceasefire in Ukraine and a framework for a peace deal aimed at resolving the three-year conflict. The talks are expected to cover territorial concessions and control of key assets, including power plants and infrastructure. Ukraine accepted the 30-day ceasefire proposal last week, while Russia has expressed concerns about Ukraine’s military activities during the truce.

Legal showdown begins between federal judge, Trump administration over use of Alien Enemies Act to carry out deportations of nearly 300 alleged Venezuelan gang members; see timeline here (More).

US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.9%, Nasdaq +0.3%), posting back-to-back gains (More). 

TALLAHASSEE WEATHER