in 2015, Legoland Florida opened a 152-room hotel with themed rooms and models constructed from 2 million Lego bricks. The park also added “Heartlake City” based on the girls-oriented Lego “Friends” line of building sets.
Photo: Lara Cerri/Tampa Bay Times
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Business Florida 2016 - The Regions
Tampa Bay
What’s not to like about Tampa Bay? With four seaports and three international airports providing ready access to global markets, plus a labor pool of 2.1 million workers supported by 19 not-for-profit public and private colleges and universities, including three University of South Florida campuses, this eight-county region is brimming with business potential. The proof is in the roster of companies already here: 23 firms with billion-dollar revenues — four of them among the Fortune 500 — have corporate headquarters in Tampa Bay. And thanks to Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program, communities in two Tampa Bay counties — Pasco and Polk — are better equipped to attract new and expanding businesses now that prime parcels of land within their jurisdictions have been identified as well suited for specific types of industrial development.
In addition to these business assets, Tampa Bay boasts a superb quality of life. Daily sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico, a healthy mix of vibrant downtowns and wide open spaces and world-class venues for arts and culture, shopping, dining, recreation and professional sports make this an especially appealing place to work and live. Of particular interest is a resurgence in urban development, including the transformation of Tampa’s downtown waterfront district known as “Channelside.”
WHO LIVES HERE
Innovators The University of South Florida is the state’s most prolific patent earner. With a record 104 U.S. patents granted in 2014, USF ranks 1st in Florida, 10th nationally and 13th among universities worldwide, according to a report from the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.
Millennials Once considered a haven for retirees, St. Petersburg is today the top city in Florida for drawing millennials based on job availability, salaries, affordable rents and the number of millennials already living here, according to the website Nerdwallet.com. Since 2010, St. Pete’s millennial population has increased 6%. Close behind, at No. 3 nationwide, is Tampa, where millennials now make up 24% of the total population.
Female entrepreneurs Tampa Bay’s business community is a welcoming place for women. In a 2014 report commissioned by American Express OPEN, Tampa Bay ranked 7th among the 25 largest U.S. metro areas for the economic clout of women-owned businesses, a factor determined by averaging the number, revenue and employment of women-owned firms. Since 2002, the number of women-owned businesses in Tampa Bay has increased 50%, and the number they employ has risen 38%, compared to 40% and 10% nationwide.
