Archive for category: Frontpage Article

On Sunday, March 3, the Florence Symphony Orchestra presents the Magic of Music family concert at the FMU Performing Arts Center. This family friendly concert featuring music from Harry Potter, The Sorcerers Apprentice, The Magic Flute and more. Come early to see, touch and hear the instruments at the “petting zoo”. There will also be a real magician, Captain Awkwardman! Tickets are general admission: Adults – $15, Students – $10, age four and under free. Doors open at tickets are available the day of the concert or by calling the FMU PAC ticket office at 843-661-4444.

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City and county leaders celebrated Florence’s growth and teased its future at a Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

Approximately 200 people listened at the Feb. 23 event to Florence Interim City Manager Scotty Davis and Florence County Administrator Kevin Yokim give presentations on projects the city and county have in the works.

They ranged from development projects in downtown Florence to widespread recreation improvements.

Davis pointed to Florence’s downtown being awarded the Great American Main Street Award and its parks and recreation department receiving an award from the United States Tennis Association’s southern region as examples of the city’s success in the past year.

Yokim celebrated millions in economic development projects that the county has unveiled in the past year, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area. The electric vehicle battery manufacturer AESC announced another investment at its new factory in December, bringing its total investment to $1.6 billion and 1,600 jobs.

Yokim said officials are considering expanding other industrial parks as well.

“It’s a great time to be in Florence County,” he said.

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Last week, the staff and students at The R.N. Beck Child Development Center welcomed the 2023-2024 Fellows in Education class as they enjoyed a special lunch, classroom visits and guided tours around the school sharing the school vision for students being a success in reading and math as they receive opportunities for physical and emotional development.

Each month’s program centers on a different educational experience that is unique to the classroom. It offers opportunities for community leaders to contribute to the development of better education policies in the communities in which they live and work.

The Fellows in Education Program is a partnership between The School Foundation, Florence 1 Schools and The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

To see more photos from the day, click here.

Last  week, the South Carolina Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) made no changes to the General Fund revenue forecasts for FY2023-24 and FY2024-25 which were last updated in November 2023. The BEA noted that while tax collections (including sales, corporate income, and individual income taxes) are running ahead of projected levels they are not doing so at rates high enough to warrant revenue forecast revisions. As a result, the BEA “…determined that a cautious approach was warranted in waiting to have more information…” before making any changes to the FY2023-24 or FY2024-25 revenue forecasts.

For FY2023-24, the BEA estimates General Fund revenues of $12.89 billion, leaving state budget writers with a one-time surplus of $448.1 million. Combined with the prior year’s surplus and the FY2023-24 Capital Reserve Fund, lawmakers will have $896.1 million in one-time funds available to appropriate for non-recurring purposes. For FY2024-25, the BEA estimates General Fund revenues of $13.21 billion, meaning that budget writers will likely have $673.1 million in new recurring revenues to appropriate during this year’s budget process. More information on the BEA’s forecast can be found here.

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