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Business Florida 2016 - The Regions
Southwest Florida
Companies in such diverse industry sectors as healthcare, logistics and manufacturing are drawn to Florida’s southwest region for its enticing combination of affordable sites, dynamic workforce and exceptional quality of life.
Here, firms with global ambitions enjoy easy access to both domestic and international markets via I-75, which puts four deep water ports — Manatee, Tampa Bay, Miami and Everglades — within an average 160-mile drive. Just outside Fort Myers, Southwest Florida International Airport is among the nation’s 50 busiest for passenger traffic and along with Page Field, a general aviation facility, and the adjacent 1,150-acre Skyplex industrial park, comprises a designated Foreign Trade Zone. A second FTZ in Charlotte County includes Punta Gorda Airport, where Allegiant Air offers non-stop flights to 24 mid-sized U.S. cities, and Punta Gorda Interstate Airport Park with 4,300 shovel-ready acres awaiting development.
Educational assets in this region include: Florida Gulf Coast University, offering 51 undergraduate and 28 graduate degree programs, plus counseling and workshops for entrepreneurs at its Small Business Development Center; Florida SouthWestern State College, addressing the needs of local employers with the addition of four new focus areas — accounting, retail management and marketing, entrepreneurship and health services administration — to its Supervision and Management bachelor’s degree program; and Ave Maria University, where 83% of law school graduates passed the Florida bar exam in February 2014 on the first try compared to a statewide average passing rate of 64.3%.
WHO LIVES HERE
Growing in size Two metro areas in Florida’s southwest region were among the nation’s 10 fastest growing between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Cape Coral-Fort Myers snagged the No. 6 spot with a 2.7% increase in population; at 2.5%, Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island ranked No. 10.
Growing in economic clout At 4.9%, Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island topped a list of 18 metro areas across the U.S. that are expected to see the most economic growth in 2016, according to a report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors prepared by IHS Global Insight. Other Southwest Florida cities on this list are: Cape Coral-Fort Myers, No. 4 at 4.5%, and Punta Gorda, No. 14 at 4.0%.
A ready labor pool Employers looking to put down roots in this region can anticipate having the workers they’ll need in the years ahead. Population projections from the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research show an increase of 15.6% in Southwest Florida’s 25-54 age group between 2015 and 2025 compared to 7.9% across the entire state.