Of the 2,889 Florida schools graded this year 2,125 are considered to be high performing. This means that they received an A or B ranking.

Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith said “The school grades this year indicate that Florida’s teachers and schools are going above and beyond to meet the needs of their students. I commend them on such excellent work, and thank them for their continued efforts to provide quality learning environments that enable our children to succeed.”

Here is how Florida school grades ranked in 2008.

• 1,583 earned an A (55 percent), an increase of 100 schools compared to last year
• 542 earned a B (19 percent), an increase of 73 schools compared to last year
• 565 earned a C (20 percent), a decrease of 22 schools compared to last year
• 154 earned a D (5 percent), a decrease of 62 schools compared to last year
• 45 earned an F (2 percent), a decrease of 38 schools compared to last year

The Florida School Recognition Program works to improve the performance of schools throughout the Sunshine State and offers financial incentives to schools for raising the bar.

That’s just another reason that Florida is a great place to live, especially if you have children.

Caladesi Island State Park located on the Gulf Coast was chosen as the best beach, Siesta Beach near Sarasota placed in third and the Key Biscayne Park came in ninth.

Other beaches selected include:

#2. Hanalei Beach, Kauai, Hawaii.
#4. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
#5. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California.
#6. Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.
#7. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
#8. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks of North Carolina
#9. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.

This means that geographically, Florida is one of the greatest places to live if you love the beach - you’re never far away from the sand and the surf.

Steve Auger, Florida Housing Finance’s executive director, said that, with foreclosures on the rise and more restrictive lending practices, it’s more important than ever for consumers to be fully educated before they begin the homebuying process. Such people make better decisions about how much home they can realistically afford, what it takes to properly maintain their home once they buy, and how to select a fixed-rate mortgage that won’t reset at higher interest rates, Auger said.

The event is open from 10am to 5pm on June 7th. The event is free to attend for all, but pre-registration is requested. For more information: Florida Housing.

Pam Tope, Florida region president of Verizon Wireless said:

“We’re not going to let our guard down because wireless communication is so important during emergencies. We’re going to continue to heavily invest, thoroughly prepare and tirelessly work to provide Floridians with the most reliable wireless service in an emergency and each time they use their phones.”

Verizon Wireless has made the following upgrades to their wireless network in Florida:

* A comprehensive emergency response plan, including preparing emergency command centers across Florida in case of a storm or other crisis.
* A $20 million enhancement to its Tampa Bay switching facility, which doubled its traffic capacity and back-up power redundancies. The facility is designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and will serve as the region’s emergency operations center in the event of a storm or other disaster.
* A new 35-foot $150,000 Disaster Response Trailer to be used as a temporary customer service location in areas impacted by a disaster.
* Nearly 100 new digital cell sites erected during the past year, of which about 85 percent have their own on-site generators and new expanded fuel tanks to extend their power-generating capacity.
* Verizon Wireless network technicians (who serve as the inspiration for the famous TV Test Man) have traveled more than 150,000 miles across the state this past year in six vehicles ($250,000 each) equipped with phones, wireless data devices and computers to measure the quality of voice and data calls on Verizon Wireless’ network and the networks of other carriers.
* A fleet of Cells on Wheels (COWs) and Cells on Light Trucks (COLTs), and generators on trailers (GOaTS) that can be rolled into hard-hit locations or areas that need extra network capacity.
* Pre-arranging fuel delivery to mobile units and generators to keep the network operating at full strength even if power is lost for an extended period of time.
* The expansion of its EV-DO wireless broadband network, including launching its high-speed Rev. A network throughout the state. This allows the most advanced wireless services (downloads, location-based applications, video messaging, etc.) and makes the network more robust for usage by residents and emergency agencies.

City leaders in Orlando have decided to import representatives of all swan species to the small lake. Non profit veterinarians have agreed to provide care for these beautiful swimming birds.

The following breeds of swans will join the black swans that already call Eola Park home: Black-neck swans from South America, Coscoroba swans, trumpeter swans, the tundra swan from the Arctic and the Bewick’s swan. The birds’ wings will be clipped to keep them in the park.

I’m sure this will draw more people to the area - everyone loves a swan.

This will be ACS first contract in Florida.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ryder will acquire Gator’s fleet of 2,300 full service lease and rental units and approximately 300 contract customers served by Gator Leasing from its nine locations in Florida.

“Gator Leasing has been a strong transportation service provider and respected competitor in Florida and we are pleased to have them become a part of Ryder,” said Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Greg Swienton. “This acquisition is a key strategic milestone for us in expanding and strengthening our core competence in Fleet Management Solutions.”

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed and the deal is expected to close in May 2008.

The Freedom Realty Exchange today announced the launch of an online auction campaign designed to sell brand-new, grand estate homes at Amelia RiverWalk in Fernandina Beach.

The deadline for bids is May 1st., 2008.

For more information: Freedom Realty Exchange.

To view listings online Listings.