TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK

Beth Azor, CEO, Azor Advisory Services.

E-commerce sales are down and in-store shopping is up! I think this shows that consumers are getting over their COVID fears and getting out more and being social. Also, supply chain fears are possibly causing consumers to guarantee their purchases in hand rather than relying on shipping and product in stock from online stores. This bodes well for the commercial real estate sector in South Florida.

Dan Daley, member, Florida House of Repre

sentatives. Last week, I filed House Bill

825. This legislation provides eligible Florida families with information on Florida KidCare to ensure children receive the comprehensive coverage they need. Florida KidCare is the umbrella brand for four government-sponsored health insurance programs that provide a seamless continuum of coverage for Florida children from birth through the end of age 18. An estimated 343,000 Florida children were uninsured in 2019, the second-highest number in the nation. This legislation will provide information on opportunities for eligible families to apply for coverage that they might not know about. Providing parents or guardians with this information will improve many lives through access to quality, affordable health care.

Howard Dvorkin, CPA, chairman, Debt.

com. Do you know the most common crime in America? It’s identity theft. About 50,000 Broward students and school employees may have become the latest victims. Their personal data was exposed during a months-old ransomware attack, although they’ve just been notified last week. As a CPA and financial counselor, I’m shocked that more people aren’t shocked by how much this kind of crime costs us. The federal government estimates one in five adults are annually ripped off by identity thieves, at a price tag of more than $55 billion a year. We all need to protect ourselves a little better.

Lois Frankel, member, U.S. House of Repre

sentatives. The Mississippi case before the Supreme Court this week poses the most direct threat to Roe v. Wade in decades and jeopardizes access to abortion across the country. Everyone deserves the freedom to decide whether and when to bring a child into the world. Politicians and strangers should not get to decide for you. And even though the outcome of the case is still uncertain, this should be a clarion call for the Senate to follow the House’s lead and finally pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, to forever protect a woman’s right to access safe, legal abortion.

Anna Fusco, president, Broward Teachers

Union. For the families of Oxford, Michigan, this holiday season turned into a nightmare when a high school student with a semiautomatic handgun shot 11 fellow students and one teacher, killing four. This tragedy marked the 87th school shooting in just four years, including a year and half of most schools being remote. When will enough be enough? When will meaningful action take place? Thoughts and prayers are comforting, but nothing changes. Tearful speeches by local, state and national leaders are heartfelt, but school violence continues. It’s time to implement common-sense policies. We don’t need more senseless deaths!

Dan Gropper, dean, College of Business, Flor

ida Atlantic University. Is it time to retire the term “transitory” when speaking about inflation? Yes! Questioned in the U.S. Senate, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell finally agreed. As I have noted repeatedly since April in this space, lasting inflationary pressures have been building in the U.S. economy for some time. The excess money created by the Fed serves as the underlying fuel for inflation, and federal government spending and regulatory action helped light the fire. This inflation is already built into some assets, including housing and the stock market. The challenge for the Federal Reserve is to bring inflation under control without causing the next financial crisis.

Rob Pacienza, senior pastor, Coral Ridge

Presbyterian Church. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday regarding a landmark case on abortion, the most significant since the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which effectively legalized abortion in the U.S. The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, will decide if the state of Mississippi has the right to ban abortion after 15 weeks gestation, effectively asking the highest court to overturn Roe. In the nearly 50 years since Roe v. Wade, medical science has shown a fetus to most certainly be a life worthy of protection. It is my prayer the justices rule accordingly.

Tom Shea, chairman & founder, Right

Management. The future of the workplace, like the end date of the pandemic, is uncertain. But, it will be a hybrid, with some work done and home and some in an office. Data collected from a recent office subleasing report showed that lease renewal rates are decreasing as corporate office spaces are being consolidated. Companies that used more than 60% occupancy pre-pandemic are now below 40%, and much of that space is not being used due to the hybrid/work-from-home workforce. As workspaces are being redesigned to accommodate social distancing, some buildings may not see pre-pandemic occupancy for the foreseeable future.