Florida: News

Florida's Xhale Inc. has received a $1.8M SBIR Phase II grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the NIH to develop a next generation breath-based ethanol sensor. (Read more)

MH Operations, a manufacturer of commercial, industrial and residential hoses, is moving to Flagler County and expects to create 125 jobs over the next two years. (Read more)

Florida ranks 5th on the 2010 Inc 5,000 list of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies. More than 260 Florida companies that made this year's list. (Read more)

Florida's students, teachers and schools won a great victory today with the announcement of up to $700 million coming to the Sunshine State as a part of the federal Race to the Top competition. Along with New York, Florida received the largest award. (Read more)

Sheet Metal Unlimited, a general fabrication and machine shop, is expanding in Martin County. The company is moving to a 36,000 square foot facility to accommodate future growth, and to create space for the addition of approximately $850,000 in new equipment - a state-of-the-art laser cutter and sand blasting booth. (Read more)

The University of South Florida and Mote Marine Laboratory won a $2 million grant to expand the USF CONNECT program to the Mote Aquaculture Research Park supporting a test-bed and business innovation facility that will build upon Mote's innovative programs in sustainable energy and protein for food production. (Read more)

Florida ranks 5th in the nation for its number of schools that offer degrees in video game design, development, programming and art. (Read more)

Florida companies won 2 of the 5 spots on the 2010 SCORE Client Awards. Naples-based Just Like Home Family Care won the Outstanding Woman-owned Business Award, and Cortez, FL's Translation Link won the Outstanding Small Business Launched by an Individual Aged 50 Award. (Read more)

Rollins College (#1), Stetson University (#3), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (#10) all earned top spots on U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges 2011, Regional Universities in the South. (Read more)

Eight of Florida's colleges and universities were ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report. University of Miami (#47), Univeristy of Florida (#53), Florida State University (#104), Florida Insitite of Technology (#159), University of Central Florida (#179), and University of South Florida (#183) were all named to the National Universities list, while New College (#99) and Eckerd College (#137) made the National Liberal Arts list. (Read more)

Edward Jones plans to more than double its size in the Tampa Bay area, adding more than 120 financial service branches over the next 10 years. (Read more)

The University of Florida has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory as one of the 15 research and deployment partnerships to participate in a four-year $90 million research project. (Read more)

Clearwire Corporation, already one of Santa Rosa County's largest private employers, unveiled expansion plans to add some 500 new jobs and retrofit a new 37,000-square-foot facility. The 500 jobs are primarily in technical support and account services fields. (Read more)

Tower Cloud Inc., which provides backhaul services to mobile wireless carriers, has raised $25.5 million in equity funding. (Read more)

The Innovation Monthly is your source for the latest news and insights on Florida's Innovation Economy.       

August 2010 Highlights:

• Energy Farm Inc. Announces $300M Photovoltaic Plant
• Florida's Workforce Ranks #1 in the Nation
• Florida's Education System Earns Top Marks
• Free Aviation/Aerospace Whitepaper:  A New World of Unmanned Systems

Read Full Newsletter

TZ Insurance Solutions LLC is coming to Lee County and plans to create at least 125 full-time jobs. The economic impact in the county for this project could be over $10 million. (Read more)

Two emerging biotechnology company with a focus on finding better treatments for cancers are expanding to Palm Beach County and creating new high-tech jobs. (Read more)

Wide World Security Inc. of Bradenton plans to hire up to 100 employees over five years to operate a $35-million headquarters and training center for security and first-responder personnel on 400 acres in eastern Manatee County. (Read more)

The UCF College of Medicine opened its $65 million, 170,000-square foot, state-of-the-art medical education building at Lake Nona, featuring the latest in lab and classroom technology. (Read more)

U.S. Foodservice broke ground today on a $33-million expansion of its Port Orange division's food distribution center. The new facility will have a combined workforce of more than 500. (Read more)

Business Facilities Magazine ranks Panama City, FL ranks #1 in Top 10 Rankings for Metro Economic Growth Potential. Orlando also made the list, ranking #10 in Aerospace/Defense Manufacturing and #10 Most Wired. Tampa/St. Petersburg ranked #9 in Aerospace/Defense Manufacturing. (Read more)

The U.S. Department of Energy has designated the Center for Ocean Energy Technology at Florida Atlantic University as a national center for ocean energy research and development. (Read more)

The FESC Summit at the University of Central Florida (Sept 28-29) will showcase pioneering research, education and outreach programs that focus on Florida's sustainable energy future. (Read more)

A tiny Internet provider based in Myakka City has landed a federal award of nearly $8 million that will enable it to live up to its "Broadband to the Boonies" motto. (Read more)

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded its highest honor, the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, to Dr. Kenneth Ford, CEO and Director of the Pensacola, Florida-based Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. (Read more)

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration has awarded its highest honor, the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, to Dr. Kenneth Ford, CEO and Director of the Pensacola, Florida-based Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. (Read more)

Inuvo, a leading provider of performance-based online marketing services, has selected Orlando, Florida-based Contact Centers of America to provide outbound and inbound call center support for BabytoBee.com, creating 200 new jobs at its Clearwater headquarters. (Read more)

Mustang Vacuum Systems LLC is ramping up operations in its new Manatee County facility with plans to add 125 jobs in the next three years. Mustang manufactures equipment used by solar cell manufacturers, and its expanded production capacity will drive down the cost of solar energy for consumers by incorporating technologies into solar cell production that will reduce costs as well as increase efficiency of the cells. (Read more)

Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County has been chosen to receive 21 F-22 raptors. They are the only base in the country to receive an additional squadron, and this new addition will bring about 600 new jobs to the community. (Read more)

The Florida Opportunity Fund has launched a Clean Energy Investment Program, a fund of $36 million in federal stimulus dollars for state projects that promote adoption of clean energy technology. (Read more)

Florida is home to two of America's Coolest Cities, Orlando (6th) and Miami (9th). To compile the list, market research company Harris Interactive conducted an exclusive poll for Forbes. (Read more)

Fort Lauderdale-based Saveology and its affiliate, SupportSquad, are growing by leaps and bounds. The online marketing and IT support provider has added 175 jobs and expects to add another 50 to 75 employees by the end of the year. (Read more)