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Top 10 Reasons To Do Business in Florida

From tech leadership to workforce talent, Florida offers every advantage.

Janet Ware | 9/24/2008

5 Business Climate

Florida consistently ranks among the top pro-business states in the nation because of its business-friendly tax codes and commitment to providing incentives for job creation, capital investment, new and incumbent worker training and location in designated rural and urban Enterprise Zones and Brownfield sites.

Recognizing that businesses need certainty, predictability and efficiency, Florida’s regulatory agencies and local governments are committed to providing quicker, less costly and more predictable permitting processes for significant economic development projects without reducing environmental standards. Assistance in accessing enterprise bonds, micro-loans and venture capital further contributes to Florida’s reputation as a great place to do business.


6 Workforce Talent

Florida was named the No. 1 state for workforce in CNBC’s 2008 “America’s Top States for Business” study, which rated the workforce in all 50 states on such criteria as education level, number of available workers and relative success of worker training programs in placing participants in jobs. Florida is one of only 10 states with a right-to-work provision in its state constitution, and, at 5.9%, Florida has one of the lowest unionization rates in the country and the 2nd lowest unionization rate in manufacturing (2.8%).

No Floridian lives more than 50 miles from an institution of postsecondary learning, and it shows. The number of Floridians with associate, bachelor and advanced degrees has increased at almost double the national rate since 2000, and Florida is 11th among all states for workers with advanced degrees.

Florida’s workforce is also one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse in the nation. More than 3.2 million Florida residents were born outside the U.S., and 4.4 million are speakers of languages other than English. Best represented are speakers of Spanish (3.2 million), Indo-European languages (875,000) and Asia and Pacific Islander languages (218,000).

The demand for skilled labor in Florida is answered by many training programs designed to address industry needs. Customized programs and incentives, such as Quick Response Training, Incumbent Worker Training and the industry-specific Banner Centers provide skilled labor to employers in less time and at lower costs. Florida’s workforce training and incentive programs have been ranked 3rd best in the country by Expansion Management magazine.


7 Business-Friendly Government

Florida has a pro-business, pro-technology agenda for policy-making and business climate improvement. Thanks to the interactive website MyFlorida.com, many business-oriented functions of state and local government are easily accessible online.

Tort reform has been a priority for Florida’s business-friendly leaders. Recent actions include the elimination of joint and several liability, rate reductions in workers’ compensation insurance and class-action suit reform.

Many business sector associations, including Florida Aviation Aerospace Alliance, BioFlorida, Florida Defense Alliance, IT Florida, Space Florida, Florida High Tech Corridor Council and Florida Economic Development Council, work tirelessly to ensure that Florida’s legislators remain up-to-date on issues impacting global competitiveness.


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