Growing Innovation
 The Scripps Research Institute is one of many renowned facilities helping to build Florida’s life sciences sector. [Photo: Eileen Escarda] |
Open for Business
Florida’s tradition of innovation has deep roots in the state’s history.
It was here that, in 1565, European explorers founded their first city in the New World. It was here, four centuries later, that American scientists developed the rockets that would carry a new generation of explorers to the moon and beyond. And it is here, today, that some of the nation’s most accomplished researchers and entrepreneurs find a nurturing environment in which to live, work, explore and build a brighter future for us all.
With its winning combination of low taxes, business-friendly policies, worldwide connectivity and ever-growing pool of highly skilled and exceptionally well-trained workers, Florida is fertile ground for growing business success. Not to mention that the warm temperatures, year ‘round sunshine and sandy beaches for which the state has always been famous make it a pretty great place to play, too.
If you’re looking to prosper, look no further. Florida is open for business? — your business. Come join this continuing journey of exploration and innovation.
Life Sciences
Florida is rapidly becoming the place to be for life sciences. Momentum launched by The Scripps Research Institute in 2004 has continued to build with the arrival of other distinguished organizations such as the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies. Today, nearly 600 companies specializing in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices employ approximately 28,000 professionals; an additional 626,000 Floridians work in the healthcare sector.
Contributions to the life sciences coming out of Florida have included innovations in neuroscience and the diagnosis and treatment of such degenerative conditions as heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and diabetes. In 2004, Florida’s universities alone spent more than $700 million on basic and applied sciences research and experimentation.
Biotechnology
| # 2 - Florida’s rank in the nation for bioscience startups — Business Xpansion Journal |
- Florida State University ranked 1st in the nation for licensing income per $million in research expenditures.
- University of Florida is among the top five tech transfer and commercialization universities in the U.S. and Canada and among the top U.S. universities for biotechnology patents worldwide.
- University of Central Florida is 7th in the world for ratio of patents issued to patent applications filed.
Pharmaceuticals
- Florida’s cluster consists of 90 pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing companies, including developers of treatments for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, generics, nutraceuticals and over-the-counter drugs.
- Milken Institute predicts that Florida will be among the states with the fastest growth in the pharmaceuticals sector over the next decade.
- Industry support is available from such organizations as BioFlorida, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and the South Florida Technology Alliance.
Healthcare
- Eleven Florida hospitals ranked among the best in the nation in 2007, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 18th annual edition of “America’s Best Hospitals.”
- Florida is fertile ground for R&D and clinical trials thanks to a strong network of world-renowned hospitals and medical research centers.
Medical devices manufacturing
- Florida ranks 2nd in the U.S. for number of FDA-registered medical device establishments.
- More than 20,000 Floridians work in medical device manufacturing with the majority of companies concentrated along the Florida High Tech Corridor in Central Florida, in the Jacksonville area and in Florida’s Southeast region.
Information Technology
 State-of-the-art network switches at multiple hubs keep Florida fully connected to the world. |
Florida is the 4th largest and 2nd fastest growing cyberstate by tech industry employment, according to the AeA Cyberstates 2007 report. In 2005, Florida’s high-tech industry added 10,900 jobs for an industry total of 276,400 tech workers.
The strength of Florida’s IT industry is an outgrowth, in part, of the collaborative spirit that exists among universities and research institutes, businesses and industry organizations throughout the state. This collaboration is exemplified by such organizations as the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, whose mission is to attract, retain and grow high-tech industry and the workforce to support it within a 23-county region served by the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida, and iCoast, a consortium of high-tech companies and organizations working to foster Internet and technology growth in south Florida.
Software and computer systems design and integration
- Florida’s 9,000 firms — 814 new companies in the last year alone — develop general purpose and specialized applications for financial services, gaming, law enforcement, defense, commercial aviation and more.
- More than half of the 105,000 professionals who work in the field are employed by software development firms.
- 10,600+ software, computer programming and computer support professionals joined the workforce in 2005.
Photonics and optics
- Central Florida is among the top four photonics/optics regions in the nation.
- The cluster’s nearly 150 companies employ about 10,000 professionals.
- These companies specialize in products and technologies for military, medical, communications and transportation applications, including lasers, fiber optics, refractive assemblages, thin film coatings, optical components and optics integrators.
Modeling, simulation and training (MST)
- The state is home to one of the world’s largest MST clusters with more than 300 companies and 16,000 professionals.
- Florida is the industry leadership epicenter with the National Center of Excellence for Simulation and Training and the National Center for Simulation in Orlando.
Telecommunications
- Florida is 3rd in the nation in telecommunications services employment (64,800 jobs in 2005).
- The cluster includes 5,200 firms in such fields as wireless telephony and communications equipment, mesh networks, switchgear and fiber optic cable.
- Florida hosts AMPATH and LAGrid connections to Latin America and other regions, and Florida LambdaRail, connecting to the national high-speed research network.
Digital Media
- Florida’s 4,500 digital media companies employ nearly 15,000 industry professionals.
- Innovative technologies and products for use in interactive video, amusement devices, education and demonstration tools and video gaming are developed here.
- Key players include Disney’s i.d.e.a.s, Kosmo Studio and EA Tiburon, the Electronic Arts’ fastest-growing studio and maker of such popular interactive games as “Madden NFL Football,” “NCAA Football” and “NASCAR: Total Team Control.”
Computers, microelectronics and precision device manufacturing
- Nearly 600 companies and 34,000 workers concentrated around Florida’s major metropolitan areas make up this industry sub-sector.
- Their specific expertise is in technology-intensive devices for the computer, communications, power generation, medical device and aerospace/defense fields.
- Since 2002, nearly 1,500 utility patents for the production of semiconductor devices and electrical connector applications have been issued to Floridians.
Homeland Security and Defense
  HDMAX camera from Florida Atlantic University enhances port security. [Photo courtesy of Florida Atlantic University] |
Florida’s defense industry not only remains strong, it has spawned a growing cluster of homeland security businesses.
Strong defense
- About 50 military installations, including 12 major installations and three unified command centers, are located here, plus many of the nation’s leading defense contractors and a large pool of skilled workers and veterans.
- Florida is home to more than 85,000 Department of Defense civilian and military personnel.
- $10.3 billion in prime contracts awarded by the Department of Defense to private sector firms in 2006 puts Florida in 5th place nationwide.
Secure homeland
- 14 deepwater ports, 1,350 miles of coastline, 21 major airports, nearly 70 million visitors a year and several urban areas with populations exceeding 1 million make Florida a representative venue for developing, testing and implementing new homeland security solutions.
- In St. Petersburg, SRI International, a Silicon Valley-based research and development organization, plans to establish the first National Center for Maritime and Port Security and explore ways to better protect the nation’s ports.
- Hundreds of companies are working to develop technologies and products with homeland security applications, including: biometric fingerprint sensors; facial recognition software; vaccines to combat pandemic viruses; mass notification systems for ready response to natural disaster or attack; and machines for pulling clean drinking water right out of the air.
Aviation and Aerospace
Florida offers a welcoming climate to firms specializing in aircraft manufacture and maintenance, flight simulation and training systems, airport design/operations, communications, electronics and avionics.
- Nearly 1,800 aviation and aerospace companies employing about 83,000 workers make up this industry cluster.
- Florida is among the top four U.S. states in manufacturing space vehicles and parts.
- Florida airports serve a combined 135 million airline passengers per year.
- One-fifth of the world’s flight training occurs in Florida.
- The state is home to the 3rd largest aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) cluster in the U.S.
- Florida is host to nearly one-third of all commercial space activity worldwide.
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Financial and Professional Services
Close to 90% of Florida’s gross economic output is generated in the service sector.
| $15-20 billion - Average value of Florida services exported to other countries in any given year |
- Florida’s 110,600+ financial and professional services companies employ more than 853,000 workers throughout the state. Many professional and industry organizations support this cluster’s growth.
- Designation as a “high impact” industry provides expanding or relocating financial services companies in Florida with greater opportunities for tax credits and incentives.
Manufacturing
Manufacturers in both traditional industries, such as food processing, plastics and printing, and breakthrough technologies in electronics, medical devices and aviation/aerospace thrive here.
- 16,500 manufacturers employ nearly 390,000 workers throughout the state.Florida is one of only 10 states with a right-to-work provision in its constitution.The state’s 3.2% unionization rate in manufacturing, 3rd lowest in the U.S.
- Employ Florida Banner Center for Manufacturing offers one of the first programs in the U.S. to prepare students and employees for the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council’s new Production Technician Certification.
Emerging Technologies
Florida’s economic future is being built at many R&D sites, where medical science, biotechnology, IT, engineering and physics converge. The following is a list of just a few examples, but there are many more. For additional information about developments in these emerging technologies and in all Florida industry sectors, visit www.eflorida.com.
Alternative energy
- At the Florida Center of Excellence in Ocean Energy Technology at Florida Atlantic University, researchers are investigating how energy by ocean currents might be harnessed to meet future power needs.
- The Florida Solar Energy Center, affiliated with the University of Central Florida, is the largest and most active state-supported renewable energy and energy efficiency research institute in the United States.
Marine science
- At the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, one of only four NSF-NIEHS Oceans and Human Health Centers in the country, researchers are studying the associations between human health, harmful algal blooms, microbial contamination and pharmaceuticals from the sea.
Materials science
- The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), the only facility of its kind in the United States and the world’s largest and highest-powered magnetic laboratory, is headquartered in a 330,000-square-foot complex near Florida State University in Tallahassee.
Nanotechnology Florida International University’s Motorola Nanofabrication Research Facility is one of only a handful of such laboratories in the world with concept-to-prototype capabilities. - University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science/Center for Ocean Technology is home to the largest microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) facility in the Southeast.