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Following two days of helping workers of failed Spirit Airlines in South Florida, officials with FloridaCommerce are staging similar events for employees of the carrier in the Orlando area.
“Rapid response” events are set for Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday for Spirit workers in Central Florida who are suddenly without a job after the carrier went out of business. Spirit officials say the company was hobbled after fuel costs spiked due to the war with Iran.
FloridaCommerce initially held an emergency event Monday in South Florida and set another one for 11 a.m. in Broward County Tuesday at the Broward County CareerSource Center at 7550 Davie Road Extension in Hollywood.
FloridaCommerce is the state’s economic development bureau and is now setting up similar events in Orlando. They take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the CareerSource Central Florida Southeast Orange Career Center, 5784 Semoran Blvd. in Orlando.
FloridaCommerce often partners with CareerSource because it provides expertise and services that help workers in the state find jobs. A “rapid response” event is designed to provide resources to a large cluster of workers who suddenly become unemployed.
A FloridaCommerce news release said, “These events will bring career and employment resources to displaced workers following Spirit Airlines announcement on May 2, 2026. Resources available will include resume assistance, job search assistance, career counseling and access to training.”
An estimated 17,000 Spirit Airlines employees were instantly unemployed when the company abruptly announced its closing Saturday after 34 years of business based on offering cut-rate fares for air travelers.
“For more than 30 years, Spirit Airlines has played a pioneering role in making travel more accessible and bringing people together while driving affordability across the industry,” CEO Dave Davis said in a statement.
The announcement comes after two bankruptcy filings in as many years that allowed Spirit to repay lenders. That was followed in recent months by a final, mad-dash scramble to save money by cutting routes, squeezing concessions from unions and pursuing a potential financing deal with President Donald Trump’s administration that could have provided a lifeline had it panned out.
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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. Republished with permission.
The post FloridaCommerce staging emergency help sessions for jobless Spirit Airlines workers in Central Florida appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
