Florida Trend Exclusive
The Best Companies To Work For In Florida

Find out which 100 companies made the cut in the ninth annual Best Companies to Work For In Florida rankings. Winning companies 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

Pete Antonacci picked to lead Enterprise Florida

Described by Gov. Rick Scott as someone who can “get deals done,” South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Pete Antonacci has been tapped as the next leader of the business-recruitment agency Enterprise Florida. More from the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times.

Triumph chairman: BP settlement money "game changer" for Florida panhandle

As devastating as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was to the local economy seven years ago, the settlement money now available could be a game-changer. Many leaders believe the $1.5 billion from the Triumph Gulf Coast legislation could transform the Panhandle for generations to come. [Source: WKRG]

Florida gets another 60 days to prove why an abortion waiting period is needed

Attorney General Pam Bondi's office has 60 more days to gather evidence and testimony to defend a mandatory 24-hour waiting period for abortions, which lawmakers enacted in 2015 but blocked from taking effect amid a two-year legal battle. More from the Times/Herald and the Palm Beach Post.

State Department drops Cuba entirely from annual detail of terrorist activity

After spending 33 years designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. government, Cuba no longer has any activity that even merits its own report in the State Department’s annual review of terrorist threats around the world. [Source: Miami Herald]

See also:
» U.S.-Cuba diplomatic ties: What a difference two years and a new president makes

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Are you a qualified mechanic? Florida Forklift in Jacksonville is looking for you — desperately [Florida Times-Union]
Florida Forklift is not seeing a hiring boom, said Roger Young, the company’s branch manager. And that’s because he simply can’t find qualified forklift mechanics.

› PortMiami to issue $200 million in commercial paper [Miami Today]
Miami-Dade County commissioners voted Tuesday to allow PortMiami’s capital improvement program to issue commercial paper notes of up to $200 million on a rolling basis to finance ongoing upgrades to terminals and infrastructure.

› FPL introduces solar trees to South Florida [WPTV]
Joining South Florida's lush, green canopy of real trees are a new crop of solar trees. These "trees" have blue trunks and bear no fruit, but supply free electricity to whoever needs it.

› Pinellas County budget on the rise thanks to high property values [Tampa Bay Times]
After another year of growth, Pinellas County commissioners won't have to fight to pay for critical needs in the 2017-2018 budget.

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› CSX CEO defends restructuring progress [Florida Times-Union]
CSX’s new chief executive is defending the restructuring progress made in the first four months since he was hired to lead a turnaround of the railroad.

› Audit finds problems at Orange County Convention Center [Orlando Sentinel]
Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond voiced concerns Wednesday about $2,000 in unaccounted parking fees from a four-hour audit investigation last year at the Orange County Convention Center’s parking lot toll booths.

› Medical marijuana chain opens first dispensary in St. Petersburg [Tampa Bay Times]
A medical marijuana chain opened the doors to its first dispensary in the city on Wednesday morning. Trulieve is one of only a handful of companies in Florida authorized to grow marijuana and produce and sell cannabis products.

› Worm with toxic slime found in Florida [Palm Beach Post]
An invasive worm with a toxic slime was spotted in Florida again. The New Guinea flatworm, originally from the South Pacific Islands, was spotted last year in Miami and now has made its way to the Tampa Bay area.