Florida: News

The construction of the University of West Florida's new $30.6 million science and engineering building already has provided a much-needed shot in the arm for the Panhandle economy. UWF economist Rick Harper said the economic impact from construction of the building is somewhere around $60 million. (Read more)

Florida leads the nation in clinical excellence with 43 hospitals awarded HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Awards. This is nearly double the number of facilities in any other state. (Read more)

The Business Development Board of Martin County is pleased to welcome Level 3 Inspection (L3I) to Martin County. This move to Martin County positions L3I to hire 33 additional employees over three years. (Read more)

The Beacon Council has successfully worked to diversify South Florida's economy targeting industries poised for growth. Because of this, our region's economy sustained growth longer during this recession. (Read more)

The announcement of a $50 million gift to the Burnham Institute for Medical Research will further expand the organization's cutting-edge research at Lake Nona's emerging "medical city". (Read more)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. plans to hire 600 people this year in Florida, with 250 of them in South Florida alone. That's just part of the New York-based company's expansion plans, Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said during a visit to Miami. (Read more)

IntegraClick, a rapidly growing Sarasota Internet firm, has closed on a campus on 12 acres of land. The new space will accommodate IntegraClick's Clickbooth.com business, its sister divisions Calculated Creativity and Authorise.com, and lead to the addition of more than 100 jobs. (Read more)

The University of Florida's Institute on Aging has received close to $15 million from the National Institutes of Health to construct an almost 40,000-square-foot complex for clinical and translational research. The building will bring together scientists from a range of scientific disciplines and enhance how aging research is carried out on the campus. (Read more)

Eight Florida companies have been selected to present at the 2010 Southeast Venture Conference. These showcase companies, representing the future of the region's technology economy, will present to a national venture capital audience representing billions in private equity capital. (Read more)

American Le Mans racing has come to Martin County with Scott Sharp's Extreme Speed Motorsports. With the team comes about 30 highly skilled, well-paying jobs. (Read more)

Bren-Tronics Energy Systems is opening a design and manufacturing facility in Alachua County to produce lithium-ion cells for rechargeable batteries. The company plans to invest about $10 million for renovations and new equipment. (Read more)

Sarasota's Ringling College of Art and Design, one of the top schools in the nation for the niche craft of digital filmmaking, has announced plans for a new Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab. The program includes hands-on experience with top-shelf producers, directors, screenwriters and other disciplines that is said to be so cutting edge it will break the mold of student filmmaking. (Read more)

Florida public schools ranked 8th overall in Education Week magazine's annual Quality Counts, a report card that grades states on education performance and policy. Florida earned top marks for its Teaching Profession (ranked 4th in the nation); Standards, Assessments, & Accountability (5th); and K-12 Achievement (7th).  (Read more)

Florida's State University System will receive $81 million for research activities from the 2010 federal budget- an increase of 31 percent from the previous year. (Read more)

Tradesmen in Martin County may have a clear indication that the economy is starting to turn, with 40 new jobs being created at American Custom Yachts. The company has landed two large contracts and the promise of more.  (Read more) 

New College of Florida (3rd) and Florida State University (4th) took top spots on the Princeton Review's Best Value Colleges 2010. Rollins College, University of Central Florida and University of Florida also made the top 100. Selection criteria included more than 30 factors in academics, costs and financial aid. (Read more)

Jacksonville's Cecil Field airport is the country's newest licensed commercial spaceport, and the first in Florida cleared to fly space vehicles that take off and land horizontally, like airplanes. The airport was awarded a federal license to fly commercial space vehicles being designed to ferry tourists, researchers and others beyond Earth's atmosphere. (Read more)

Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center received $15 million in federal stimulus money to build the country's largest coral reef research center. The $30 million, 86,000 sq. ft. Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Science Research Facility will house local, national and international coral reef research. (Read more)

Orlando is the nation's No. 1 Domestic Travel Destination, according to Travel Leaders' 2010 authoritative annual Travel Trends Survey. (Read more)

Micro Star Innovations plans to nearly double its Largo workforce, creating new positions in engineering and research and development.  The company, in Largo since 2004, utilizes robots to make products ranging from specialized light bulb housings to high-tech laparoscopic surgical tools.  (Read more)

The Business Development Board of Martin County is pleased to announce the expansion of Coaxial Components Corp. in Martin County. With this expansion, the company will add 10 to 14 additional employees over the next three to five years. (Read more)

Kiplinger's ranks five Florida schools among the nation's best values in public colleges and universities. Based on academics and cost, the University of Florida ranked #2 for in-state value and #4 for out-of-state value. (Read more)

Alachua's Sharklet Technologies is one of only nine companies chosen for Inc. Magazine's list of the most innovative technologies of 2009. Sharklet makes sheets of plastic which are imprinted with a raised sharkskin-like pattern and can be adhered to germ-prone surfaces to prevent bacteria from settling in for up to 30 days.  (Read more)