Florida Trend Exclusive
The Best Companies To Work For In Florida

Find out which 100 companies made the cut in Florida Trend’s seventh annual Best Companies to Work For rankings. Companies who won were selected for company 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 

Volunteerism can help a business's bottom line

Mounting research shows that encouraging volunteerism through corporate-led events and in some cases, paid time off, is good for a company's bottom line. Companies which have corporate volunteerism policies tend to have more engaged and more productive employees who are less likely to leave for another job. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

More older Americans are being buried by housing debt

Of all the financial threats facing Americans of retirement age, housing isn’t supposed to be one. But after a home-price collapse, the worst recession since the 1930s and some calamitous decisions to turn homes into cash machines, millions of them are straining to make house payments. [Source: Miami Herald]

U.S. and Cuba set to formally reestablish diplomatic relations

Early Monday, before the public doors are opened and the day officially begins, the State Department will hang a new flag among the 192 banners displayed in its lobby atrium, a silent acknowledgment of the formal reestablishment of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations after more than 54 years. More from the Washington Post and the Miami Herald.

See also:
» Tens of Thousands Fear Deportation as U.S.-Cuba Relations Thaw

Hospitals, schools filling up empty shopping centers

Service businesses are moving into former retail space left vacant when stores died in the recession or moved online. The changes are increasing convenience for consumers and, in some cases, bringing withering shopping areas back to life, realtors and analysts say. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Branding Sarasota to cultural tourists [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Visit Sarasota County works closely with Sarasota County arts and cultural groups to energetically build brand awareness of Sarasota County as “Florida’s Cultural Coast.” Arts and culture is one area of many that sets Sarasota County apart from other Florida beach destinations.

› Professional ultimate Frisbee? Jacksonville has one of those [Florida Times-Union]
The long-held stereotype of Ultimate Frisbee often involves counter-culture athletes who can barely hold a club team together. But things have changed dramatically as evidenced by the American Ultimate Disc League, formed three years ago, now becoming a professional force in the game in Jacksonville.

› Retail chains from Puerto Rico push into Florida [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Retail chains from Puerto Rico are coming to a mall near you. They're making an unprecedented push into Florida as the island's finances falter and the state's Puerto Rican population soars.
» See also: Office helps Puerto Rican businesses navigate mainland rules

› Publix among many companies challenged to retain millennial workers [Tampa Bay Times]
For years, Publix Super Markets captured accolade after accolade for being one of the best places to work in the United States. But like many other companies, Publix is struggling to come up with new ways to keep the fickle millennial generation engaged.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Sturgeon thrive in the Suwannee, presenting a perilous predicament [Gainesville Sun]
Summer time and the sturgeon are jumping. And on the Suwannee River north of Fanning Springs on Friday, scientists were netting, measuring and tagging the creatures that have existed for eons but were fished almost to extinction.

› UCF incubator gets $5M renovation [Orlando Sentinel]
Construction has started on a $5 million renovation of the University of Central Florida business incubator within Central Florida Research Park. Built in 1999, UCF's first incubator will be upgraded with completion set for February 2016.

› Gov. Scott orders Guard recruiting shifted to armories [Times/Herald]
Gov. Rick Scott on Saturday ordered the closing of six storefront National Guard recruiting centers and relocated guardsmen to state armories for their own safety.

› More job fairs as jobless rate falls [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
With the unemployment rate in Southwest Florida settling down near 5 percent this summer, those trying to fill job slots are holding more state-assisted job fairs than normal.