Access the Florida Talent Center Data Hub HERE.

The Florida Chamber Foundation, in partnership with Helios Education Foundation, is proud to announce the launch of the Florida Talent Center Data Hub, a first-of-its-kind, public-facing tool designed to support Florida’s long-term workforce readiness and economic growth.
The Florida Talent Center Data Hub, launched at today’s 2025 Florida Learners to Earners Workforce Solution Summit, brings together cradle-to-career education and workforce data into a centralized, user-friendly platform. Designed for employers, educators, policymakers, and community organizers, the Florida Talent Center Data Hub provides real-time insights that are essential to strengthening Florida’s talent pipeline from early childhood to employment.

“For Florida to stay competitive and achieve the goals outlined in the Florida 2030 Blueprint, we must align education with workforce outcomes at every stage of the talent journey,” said Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida Chamber Foundation. “The Florida Talent Center Data Hub is a game-changer in making that alignment actionable, transparent, and measurable for Florida’s job creators, educators, and policymakers alike.”

The Florida Talent Center Data Hub features four interactive dashboards (Early Learning, K-12, Postsecondary, and Workforce) offering hundreds of talent-focused metrics at the state, county, zip code, and school level. These data sets illuminate the important connections between learning and labor—from the effectiveness of VPK programs on kindergarten readiness, to school-level performance in reading, math, and science, to postsecondary career salary outcomes.

“The Florida Talent Center Data Hub is more than a data tool—it’s a catalyst for coordinated action,” said Paul J. Luna, President & CEO, Helios Education Foundation. “It offers a centralized and reliable resource of insights that allows employers, educators, and community leaders to focus their efforts where they’re most needed and most impactful. We’re proud to partner with the Florida Chamber Foundation in bringing this important resource to life.”

“The Florida Talent Center Data Hub is a game-changer for workforce readiness,” said Rachel Ludwig, VP of Talent Development for the Future of Work, Florida Chamber Foundation. “By connecting education and employment data to drive smarter decisions and strengthen our talent pipeline we can fuel long-term economic growth across Florida.”

Instrumental in the development of the Florida Talent Center Data Hub were the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Future of Work Florida Advisory Board, Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning Advisory Board, and Community Development Partnership Council.

To explore the Florida Talent Center Data Hub, visit: https://fltalentdata.org/

​Source: Florida Chamber of Commerce

Watson Clinic is pleased to announce an affiliation with Orlando Health on the Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital, a seven-story facility currently under construction at 4000 Lakeland Highlands Blvd. in Lakeland. In addition, Watson Clinic has announced two new locations – a state-of-the-art Medical Office Building and a cutting-edge Ambulatory Surgery Center - which are currently being constructed on the hospital campus.

The hospital will open with more than 300 inpatient beds, 69 emergency and observation beds, 11 working operating rooms, four cardiac and interventional suites and 18 beds in an intensive care unit (ICU) that will serve 36 patients at full build-out. Obstetric services and accommodations will also be prominent on opening day with eight labor and delivery rooms, two special c-section operating rooms and more than 25 post-partum rooms. A 12-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) will debut shortly after the hospital opens.
 
The Watson Clinic Medical Office Building (name yet to be determined) will be an 80,000 square foot, four-story facility offering convenient appointment availability with specialists from Watson Clinic’s departments of Urology, Orthopaedic Surgery, General Surgery, OB-GYN, Gynecologic Oncology, and much more. On-site radiology imaging and laboratory testing will further enhance the level of care provided in this exciting new facility. The building will also offer self-check in kiosks, expansive waiting areas, and additional features that support operational efficiency and patient comfort.
 
The new Watson Clinic Ambulatory Surgery Center will expand the roster of outpatient procedures and services offered at the Watson Clinic Surgery Center at 1315 N. Florida Ave. in Lakeland. The center will be outfitted with six state-of-the-art operating rooms, 20 pre- and post-holding bays, and six post-anesthesia care units.