When past board chairs of the Central Florida Development Council convene, it’s easy to see why the county has come so far from the days of the East/West divide. “They actually asked each other for help often as they worked with the county and the cities to make things better, and that’s how a couple […]
Florida Southern College continues ranking in the top echelon of colleges and universities across the South, posting three Top 10 places and one top 20 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 “Best Colleges Guide.” “Florida Southern is consistently ranked among the most elite colleges and universities, and this year’s multiple top 10 U.S. News […]
Florida’s only STEM-focused state university has landed on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Engineering Colleges Without a Ph.D. list for the first time, ranking No. 72 out of 220 schools across the nation. In its sixth year, Florida Polytechnic University is the only undergraduate engineering program in the state to appear in this category, […]
Behavioral health, including mental illness and substance abuse, is the number one health concern in Polk County, according to the 2020 Community Health Assessment (CHA). Within that broad category, suicides, lack of mental health providers, and drug and alcohol abuse were identified as top concerns to be addressed to improve the health of Polk County. […]
Mental health, access to health services, nutrition and exercise, and deaths of people walking and riding their bicycles continue as some of the top concerns for residents in Polk County, according to the 2020 Community Health Assessment (CHA) completed in May. The county Health Department and its partners gathered and analyzed data to determine which […]
CareerSource Polk is using a $2.5 million grant from the Polk County Board of County Commissioners to help put people back to work during the pandemic. The money is part of $126 million the county received as part of the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act grant. The county used some […]
CareerSource Polk, which oversees the state and federal funds dedicated to preparing and upgrading a skilled workforce, is working with young people ages 16 to 24, introducing them to the workplace and preparing them to become the leaders of tomorrow. Whether they want to earn their GED, start working or nab their first internship, students […]
As Polk County continues to grow, the Central Florida Development Council is excited to announce its move into an office building being renovated by SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate, a commercial real estate brokerage firm that is expanding. The main building at 1723 U.S. 98 S., adjacent to the Grove Park Publix Shopping […]
Nearly two weeks into school, everyone from administrators and teachers to bus drivers and school nurses are having to adapt to new procedures and learning environments all thanks to the coronavirus. Nevertheless, in this challenging time, with changes coming almost as fast as the holidays, learning has begun. Students and their parents have had the […]
As more and more Baby Boomers retire, jobs in the manufacturing field are being vacated, with few applicants waiting to fill the positions. Such is the case with machinists. Of the 3.4 million total manufacturing job vacancies that will result from the retirement of 2.7 million Baby Boomers and 700,000 new openings due to business […]