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SBDC TRAININGS:
Marketing Your Business
You know why your business rocks. Does anyone else? Take this class to uncover the characteristics that make up your business' DNA.
6:00 p.m - 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 22
South Florida State College
600 W. College Dr., Avon Park
Building H, Room 110
Registration information here.
Starting Your Business
You've got the idea. Now you need to know how to get on your way. Starting Your Business is a class that teaches just that.
6:00 p.m - 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, November 19
South Florida State College
600 W. College Dr., Avon Park
Building H, Room 110
Registration information here.
FREE Startup Success Virtual Conference 2019
Hosted by SCORE, the SBA and FedEx, join thousands of aspiring and current small business owners. Attend webinars, get personalized advice in one-on-one mentoring sessions, participate in networking, access resources, and more.
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 24
Registration information here.
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TDC / VISIT FLORIDA TRAINING:
FREE Building a Social Brand Seminar
Learn from some of the best social media marketers in the tourism business! Hosted by the Highlands County Tourism Development Council, join staff members from VISIT FLORIDA to learn social media tips, tools and trends at this seminar.
8:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Tuesday, October 1
Sebring Civic Center
More information here.
SBA Online Webinars
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and SCORE offer a variety of free webinars and trainings to strengthen businesses and help them succeed.
View the October schedule here.
SFSC Corporate Education Classes
South Florida State College offers a variety of corporate training options ranging from soft skills to technology courses to conflict management and more. The Corporate College also offers customized training to help meet the needs of your business.
View the full course catalogs online.
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PANELS BEING INSTALLED AT SOLAR FARM
Highlands News-Sun By Kim Leatherman
LAKE PLACID - Progress is being made at the solar farm. Motorists on U.S. 27 can see the solar panels being attached to the posts at the site that Duke Energy Florida is leasing. The visible panels are just a snapshot of the 380 acres that will be paneled, ostensibly by December.
Read more here.
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SFSC NURSING PROGRAM RANKED 5TH IN FLORIDA
Highlands News-Sun By Marc Valero
South Florida State College's Practical Nursing program was ranked in the top five in the state in 2019 by PracticalNursing.org in its sixth year of ranking nursing programs.
SFSC came in at number give in the 2019 rankings.
The best LPN programs statement about SFSC, follows: South Florida State College is an open-access higher education institution located in Avon Park, Florida, with additional locations in Arcadia, Bowling Green, and Lake Placid. South Florida State College is dedicated to providing a learning-centered environment with quality programs, including its excellent practical nursing program.
Student outcome data is strong with passing rates on licensure exams consistently exceeding the national average. In addition, the percentage of SFSC alumni who obtained a job within nine months of graduation was 94% since 2014 with 100% of graduates receiving employment in 2017.
Read more here.
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TRANSMISSION LINE TO NUCOR UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Highland News-Sun By Marc Valero
Work is underway on the new 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line that will go through downtown Avon Park to serve the Nucor Steel manufacturing facility that is being built just north of the Highlands/Polk county line.
Duke Energy's statement on the project notes that Nucor is investing $247.7 million in the new plant, which will create 250 new full-time jobs and an estimated 338 indirect jobs.
There may be lulls between construction activities. Construction is expected to be completed by March 2020.
Read more here.
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DUKE ENERGY FLORIDA CUSTOMERS' ELECTRIC RATES WILL DROP IN 2020
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - Duke Energy Florida (DEF) customers will see lower bills in 2020. The company plans to reduce Florida rates by more than 3% while adding more solar power and making grid improvements to enhance reliability, security and resilience in 2020 and beyond.
Rates for 2020 will reflect the new Lake Placid and Trenton Solar Power Plants, grid improvements, grid reliability investments, and DEF's annual fuel, capacity, energy conservation and environmental compliance clause financials.
If approved, typical residential customers using 1,000 kWh will see a decrease of $4.69 cents in their monthly bill beginning January 2020.
Read Duke Energy Florida's full press release here.
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SUPERINTENDENT CORNER: CAREER EXPLORATION THROUGH CLASSES
Highlands News-Sun | Dr. Brenda Longshore
In our School Board of Highlands County Mission Statement, we commit to preparing our students with a strong foundation for college and career success. This preparation includes access to rigorous coursework as well as a wide array of Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes. In this Superintendent’s Corner, I would like to share some of the CTE offerings available to students in our Highlands County schools in grades six through 12.
We currently offer 72 CTE courses on some of our middle and high school campuses and others at the Highlands Career Institute in partnership with South Florida State College. These course offerings fall within 13 different Career Clusters.
Read Superintendent Dr. Longshore's full message here.
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VIEWPOINT: SOUTHWEST-CENTRAL FLORIDA CONNECTOR WILL HELP RURAL FLORIDA
Highlands News-Sun | Guest Column by Senator Ben Albritton, District 26
During Florida’s upcoming 2020 Legislative Session, I’m sure there will be a lot of talk about Florida’s plan for three new roads. One of the roads in the plan, the Southwest-Central Florida Connector, would be in our local area — Highlands, Charlotte and Polk Counties.
I believe this plan, especially the Southwest-Central Florida Connector, is the best thing to happen to rural Florida and our community, as it will strike the right balance between the need to grow our local economy and the need to protect Florida’s Heartland.
Read Senator Albritton's full guest column here.
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DUKE ENERGY AIMS TO ACHIEVE NET-ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS BY 2050
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) announced an updated climate strategy with a new goal of net-zero carbon emissions from electric generation by midcentury. The company also is accelerating its near-term goal by cutting its carbon dioxide emissions by half or more from 2005 levels by 2030.
This follows strong progress the company has made in reducing carbon emissions 31% since 2005. The reduction Duke Energy has already achieved meets or exceeds the standards of the former Clean Power Plan and the 2025 U.S. commitment to the Paris Agreement.
Read Duke Energy's full press release here.
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