Florida Trend Exclusive
The Best Companies To Work For In Florida

Find out which 100 companies made the cut in the eighth annual Best Companies to Work For In Florida rankings. Companies who won were selected for their policies, practices and demographics. Randomly-selected employees at each firm also weighed in.

• Best Large Companies (250 or more employees)
• Best Midsized Companies (50 to 249 employees)
• Best Small Companies (15 to 49 employees)
• Sponsored: Featured winner profiles

Florida ranks fourth for distressed-home sales

Florida ranks fourth in the nation for the share of distressed home sales, but the numbers are shrinking. Distressed sales, which include lender-owned real estate and short sales, accounted for 16.4 percent of total home sales in the state in April. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

First medical marijuana available next week in Florida

Trulieve, a grower and dispensary based in Tallahassee, announced Wednesday that it has received permission from the Department of Health to start selling a strain of the drug low in THC, the chemical that causes a euphoric high. More from the Times/Herald, ABC Action News, and WCTV.

Planning a beercation? Florida has plenty of options

While the Tampa Bay area has lead the state in garnering national attention as one of the best regions for craft beer lovers, the rest of the state is getting on board. In the first half of 2016 alone, 25 new breweries were licensed by the state of Florida, following 2015 where the state added 47 new breweries. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]

Commentary: Solar has 'unrealized potential' for Florida

The market for solar in Florida is completely untapped; with the most direct sunlight east of the Mississippi, a population of about 20 million, and only a few thousand solar systems, the phrase "unrealized potential" is all too real in Florida. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

See also:
» New solar workforce development program aims to meet growing solar labor demand
» Voters will consider solar energy amendment in August primary

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Scott, Bondi give it their all for Trump in RNC speeches [Orlando Sentinel]
The Islamic State needs to be “wiped off the face of the Earth,” the economy is languishing, Hillary Clinton will endanger Second Amendment rights and Donald Trump will fix it all. That was the message from Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

› German manufacturing plant to bring 25 jobs to Jacksonville [Florida Times-Union]
A high-tech medical supply company is opening its first manufacturing plant in the United States, bringing 25 jobs. The KLS Martin Group is based in Germany and makes medical devices.

› Merger creates the largest independently owned real estate brokerage in Florida [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The Keyes Co. and Illustrated Properties announced a merger on Wednesday, in a deal that makes the combined firm the largest independently owned real estate brokerage in Florida.

› Short-term housing rentals causing problems in South Florida [WPLG]
The popularity of rental websites has made nearly every community accessible to weekend visitors, but some residents said the neighborhoods weren't designed for the crowds or the crime those visitors have brought.
» See also: Airbnb reports 16,000 Florida homes rented for 750K visitors

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Orlando's Holy Land Experience unloads furniture, statues amid financial turmoil [Orlando Sentinel]
Holy Land Experience, which is struggling with a sea of red ink in recent financial reports, is selling hundreds of ornate couches, thrones, nativity statues, costumes — and even a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

› French luxury retailer debuts at Florida mega mall [South Florida Business Journal]
Givenchy made its debut at Aventura Mall, and it won't be the last luxury brand to open at the mega mall this year. First announced for the mall in February, the French luxury retailer of clothing, perfumes and cosmetics opened in a nearly 2,000-square-foot space.

› How Florida's toxic algae is Choking the Economy And The Environment [Nature World News]
Since early this month, Florida's toxic algae problem has plagued the state. The horrific stench from the green algae has been a nightmare not only to the environment, but to business owners too.

› Goldsboro looks for economic revitalization with HUD grant [Orlando Sentinel]
The historic community of Goldsboro is one of the oldest black neighborhoods in Florida and sits roughly a mile from Sanford's lively and burgeoning downtown district.