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Local Businesses Chosen As Top Employers Of People With Disabilities

Florida APD Twitter

Two local businesses received an award Wednesday for employing people with disabilities.

Since its 2014 grand opening, Panama City’s Planet Fitness has hired five people with disabilities, and four of them are still on the pay roll to this day.

The gym also provided different accommodations for these employees, like flexible schedules and allowing longer training times.

So did Sodexo, which is a food service company at colleges and universities. Three of its locations across the state received the award for hiring 62 people. At Florida State University‘s campus, eight people with disabilities are employed at the company.

Planet Fitness, Sodexo, and eight other businesses received the Disability Employment Exceptional Employers Award Wednesday, during an annual celebration recognizing October as Disability Employment Awareness Month. The awards were presented by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Florida Division of Blind Services, and Vocational Rehabilitation.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.