July 16, 2010
July 15, 2010
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TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist, continuing his commitment to strengthening Florida’s workforce and economy, today announced that Florida has been ranked number one in the nation for its workforce by CNBC. The ranking came in CNBC’s fourth annual America’s Top States for Business rankings — a study of all 50 states that examines 10 different categories, including workforce, to measure each state’s ability to attract businesses. Florida moved up from the number three spot in 2009, reclaiming the number-one ranking the state held in 2008.
“The Sunshine State is home to the best talent in the world,” said Governor Crist. “We are committed to creating a highly skilled, innovative workforce across all industry sectors, and we take great pride in the role our workforce plays in driving Florida’s businesses into the 21st century.”
The workforce rankings in CNBC’s annual study are based on several indicators, including the education level of the workforce, the number of available workers, union membership and the relative success of each state’s worker training programs in placing participants in jobs. Workforce Florida Inc., the state’s business-led workforce policy and oversight board largely appointed by Governor Crist, is charged with strengthening Florida’s business climate and helping Floridians enter and advance in the workforce.
“We are committed to providing Floridians and businesses with the tools they need to ensure Florida’s competitiveness in the global marketplace,” said Workforce Florida Chair Belinda Keiser. “To receive the number-one ranking for the second time is a testament to the tenacity of our workforce, and to the excellence of Florida’s programs and collaborative partnerships that ensure we are able to create and sustain highly skilled talent.”
Most employment and training services in Florida are provided at the local level through the state’s 24 regional workforce boards, the backbone of the state workforce system. Key leadership is also provided by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, which is charged with administering workforce services in Florida.
In 2009, Florida’s workforce system provided services including job search, referrals and placement assistance as well as training to more than 1.7 million people.
The workforce ranking is one of the most heavily weighted categories in determining each state’s total score in the CNBC study, along with the cost of doing business and quality of life. This year, Florida placed number 28 in the study’s overall ranking for top business states for the second consecutive year.
Since its 2000 inception, Workforce Florida has developed and directed numerous successful initiatives aimed at addressing the state’s workforce needs. Among them are Quick Response Training (QRT) and Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) grants, which reimburse businesses for a portion of the cost of training employees. Recently, Workforce Florida developed a new, five-year state strategic plan, with statewide input from Florida businesses and the education sector. The plan confronts the challenges of getting Floridians back to work while focusing on the most promising opportunities to diversify our state’s economy by strengthening talent development at every level of Florida’s Talent Supply Chain.
Through the recently launched Microsoft® Elevate America initiative, an innovative public-private partnership, free technology training is available to Floridians for a limited time. Another recent workforce-system initiative, responding to a real-time need confronting the state, is the creation of the Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs web portal at http://gulfrecoveryjobs.employflorida.com/portals/gulfrecoveryjobs/ The portal is dedicated to helping Floridians access information about jobs stemming from recovery and cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
To view the CNBC workforce rankings, go to http://www.cnbc.com/id/37516706 To find out about the comprehensive workforce services and resources available in Florida, visit https://www.employflorida.com/.
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December 29, 2009
As part of a nationwide program, known as Real ID, receiving a Florida Drivers license or an ID card is about to become more difficult. Starting January 1, 2010, Florida drivers will have to prove their identity with more documents than ever before.
Drivers will not only have to prove their identity with documents such as an original birth certificate or a valid passport, they will also need to provide their Social Security card, pay stub or a W-2 form as well as two forms of proof of residency documentation. Suitable proofs of residency documents are a voter registration card or a utility bill. Anyone whose names have changed will be required to also submit supporting documents such as divorce papers.
Real ID began in 2005 as one of the responses to the 9/11 attacks in an effort to make it more difficult to receive U.S. identification. The deadline for the states to comply to Real ID have been changed repeatedly, as many states continue to refuse compliance, questioning the costs and privacy issues. Florida has been one of the first states to support Real ID, as several of the 9/11 terrorists received their driver’s licenses in Florida.
Although, this may be a bit of hassle to some, others deem it to be a necessity.
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December 18, 2009
‘Tis the season to be jolly…however according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida residents already are! Four years of collected data from 1.3 million people across the nation concluded that the state of Florida ranks number 3 for the happiest Americans. Louisiana ranked # 1 on the happy chart, followed by Hawaii at #2, Florida at #3, Tennessee at #4 and Arizona at #5.
The unhappiest state on the happy chart was New York! Andrew J. Oswald, economist at the University of Warwick, claims that the long commutes, high prices and congestion could account for some of the unhappiness in the New York area. The study suggests that in states where the people are the happiest are places that tend to have a high rating on climate, crime rates, schools and air quality.
Needless to say, now that the real estate prices and the interest rates are both at an all time low; why not purchase your little piece of paradise right here in one of the happiest places across the nation? The Sunshiny state of Florida!
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November 10, 2009
During the 3rd quarter of 2009 the sales of existing single-family homes has rose 33%, according to the housing statistics from Florida Realtors. This rise in home sales marks the 5th consecutive quarter this year that Florida has seen a rise in home sales in a yearly comparison. Condominium sales are also on the rise, jumping 56% on a yearly quarterly comparison with 2008.
While many economists believe that the recession is in it’s final stages, many people are still uncertain about spending money with the unemployment rate steadily rising. According to Tim Becker, director of the University of Florida’s Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies, “Everybody thinks that Florida will rebound because we have so much going for us – the sun shines every day and there are a lot of advantages to living here, foreign investors see that too and believe their prospects are good for long-term investments.”
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October 26, 2009
According to the AAA Auto Club South, the national average price of gasoline has gone up by 12 cents per gallon; in Florida the increase reflected a 17 cent incline. Regardless of the weak consumer demand, the New York Mercantile Exchange posted crude oil at $80.50 per barrel; this shows the highest closing price of 2009.
Crude oil has been driven by the weak American dollar and in doing so, has peeked the interest of the investors. Gregg Laskoski, Managing Director of the public relations for AAA stated that “Gasoline prices are still less than they were a year ago at this time, but unless we see a change of direction for the dollar, the current run-up for oil might last longer than many economists and oil analysts expect.”
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August 18, 2009
The second quarter of 2009 showed that the delinquency rates on the mortgage loans across the nation are at the highest rate ever recorded. According to TransUnion, a credit reporting agency, the ratio of homeowners that are at least 60 days behind on their mortgage payments have increased to 5.81% for the three month period that ended in June. This reflects a 65% jump in comparison to the data recorded at this time, last year.
Although, the rates are at the highest level they have ever been, they are indeed slowing down, which could be a good sign that the foreclosure crisis may be making a turn for the better. Florida is still coming in at number 2 as one of the five top states with the highest delinquency rates.
“Nevertheless, it’s going to take about a year before the rates start to fall across most of the country”, according to FJ Guarrera, vice president of TransUnion’s financial services division, “and it will be quite some time before the national rate returns to its historic norm between 1.5 percent and 2 percent. Forecasts are telling us that the recovery will be slow.”
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August 10, 2009
Many may believe that real estate is the last place that you would want to put your money these days, as nearly every homeowner across the nation has been affected by the collapse of the real estate market in one way or another. However, there is the other side of the spectrum, the side that claims investing in real estate now could very well be the best investment of your life.
Some believe that this is a rare once in a lifetime opportunity for buying property for investors. The trick? Find a good solid piece of property that is located in a distressed area that is bound to bounce back, such as Florida. Florida was hard hit by the failing economy; however the state will always be a haven to those looking for fun in the sun or a warm place to retire, creating a solid long term real estate prospect.
Real Estate was never meant to be a short term investment; the real money is in the broadened and lengthier vision. Visions of flipping houses and making the big money are falling to the way-side. The risks in real estate are evident, but experts are saying that the smart investors will buy now and sit on their investment and wait patiently for the real money to come in.
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August 3, 2009
Big News! Although the nation is suffering a rising unemployment rate, the foreclosure rates have finally stabilized in three of the hardest hit states, California, Arizona and Florida, according to the Associated Press’ monthly analysis of economic stress index. The latest results proved that foreclosure rates have held steady from May to June, in some states.
The states that appear to be recovering the fastest are the same states that were not only effected first by the housing bust, but saw some of the highest price increases during the housing boom.
According to Jim Diffley, a regional economist at the IHS Global Insight consulting firm, “It’s obviously good news to stop the losses,” he did warn however, that that even though foreclosures are leveling out in some states, they’re doing so “at very high levels.”
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July 23, 2009
According to a new forecast by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, the recession in Florida should hit bottom by the summer of 2010; these figures reflect a six month delay of recovery compared to the last forecast. The unemployment rate is predicted to hit 11%, which in turn effected the prediction of recovery. With the unemployment rate and the foreclosure rate on a steady rise, the amount of time it will take to financially recover is growing right along with them.
However, according to Tony Villamil, Dean of the Business school at St. Thomas University, South Florida should recover more quickly than the rest of the state due to the areas diverse economy
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June 2, 2009
Today marks the first day of Hurricane Season here in Florida, and the question arises, “Who takes care of battening down the hatches on all the empty, foreclosed homes if a major storm were to threaten the area?” Along the coastal areas, 281,691 homes were in foreclosure during the month of March alone. These unsecured homes would not only be a threat to the suffering real estate market, by lowering the values even more, but could also become a physical threat to nearby homes with flying debris during a large storm.
The thing is, there is no state law that mandates that anyone take care of these houses. The Florida Division of Emergency Management claims that securing foreclosures isn’t a concern; however residents living next door to these foreclosures are a tad bit concerned. One would assume that the bank that has taken possession of the home would be the ones that are responsible for the protection of the home, however, at this time, communities are finding it difficult to get banks to provide simple lawn maintenance to the homes, let alone put up hurricane shutters and secure garage doors.
Florida is not only one of the hardest hit states by the real estate crisis, but also one of the hardest hit states for hurricanes, which leaves the potential for a disaster after a disaster a true concern. Many communities across the state are taking matters into there own hands, through homeowner’s associations, property management companies and even concerned neighbors picking debris up out of the yard. However, to date, there is not true plan that has been set up for these homes.
If you live in a neighborhood dotted with foreclosures, and you are concerned about potential storm hazards, call your county officials and see if they have a plan lined up. They should be able to direct you to the right place.
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