Florida's planned job cuts stay level in February

Florida's planned job cuts were 1,384, nearly the same level as a year ago when they were 1,380. Year-to-date in 2013, job cuts announced in advance by employers totaled 4,276, said Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an global outplacement firm that tracks layoffs, on Thursday. Nationwide, planned job cuts increased for the second consecutive month. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

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Chavez's death could hit Florida real estate

For years, rich Venezuelans have fled to Florida to escape Chavez's socialist economic policies. When Florida housing tanked six years ago, Venezuelans became the top foreign buyers of empty condos. Now brokers think Venezuelans will wait and see if a new round of elections will yield a business-friendly president. More at CNNMoney.

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Batting brings bucks with new Fort Myers training facilities

CEO Sounding Board What are the trends in philanthropy? Sherry P. Magill, President of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, tells us: "Something we really need to look at in the state of Florida — by ‘we,’ I mean foundations, hospitals and universities that have endowments — is what the field calls mission-related investing. We call them program-related investments. For example: Taking a portion of investment capital and rather than buy private equity or real estate or a typical stock or bond, take that money and invest it in another non-profit entity that takes that capital and loans it locally for some purpose." » Read more from her and other Florida execs.

Fort Myers batting facilities are gearing up for a big season and beyond as new locations open or update their technology. Extra Innings will open a Fort Myers location Saturday, and Peak Performance SportsZone has new training equipment used by Major League Baseball teams. More at the Fort Myers News-Press.

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Food truck builders shift into high gear

The whirs and hisses of drills and welding torches carry outside a warehouse tucked away in a Fort Lauderdale office park. Inside, rows of step vans and delivery trucks are being reborn as food trucks. As mobile eateries have flourished in South Florida in recent years, food truck builders have also shifted into high gear. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

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Time to spring into retirement planning

While South Florida may not have defined seasons, spring is in fact on its way. In celebration of the new season, Social Security has some advice on how to spring into your retirement. The decision of when to retire is personal and depends on a number of factors. More at the Palm Beach Post.

Editor's Column Creating career tracks for students in Florida In the past decade, a healthy development in K-12 education has been the emergence of programs like Choice Institutes and career academies, which allow students to choose a set of career-oriented courses tied to the workforce needs of local businesses. These programs succeed because they give students a sense of relevance for the math, science and other information they're asked to learn. And they present a career map where a four-year degree isn't the only route to a good job. » Full column from Florida Trend Executive Editor Mark Howard

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