Surely 18.1 million residents can’t be wrong. Nor can the nearly 1,000 people who move in every day. Florida is a great place to live, work and do business.

From space it’s easy to see: Florida is truly the gateway to the Caribbean, Latin America and the world beyond. [Photo: SeaWiFS, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and ORBIMAGE]

Why do people keep coming here? The sun, sand, water and variety of year-round recreational opportunities lure them first, usually as tourists. But it’s the winning combination of a ready workforce, business-friendly policies, global connectivity and exceptional quality of life that reels them in for a permanent stay.

From the Florida Keys to the Florida Panhandle, from the Gulf of Mexico’s gently lapping waters to the wind-driven rollers crashing in off the Atlantic Ocean, this state is a heady mix of laid-back lifestyle and cutting-edge innovation. Across eight regions and 67 counties, businesses of all sizes and in all sectors find the facilities, workforce, infrastructure, transportation and communications networks necessary to compete in an international marketplace.

Florida is the gateway to the Caribbean, Latin America and beyond. The state’s labor force is among the most culturally diverse in the nation, and, with educational and workforce training programs aimed at teaching industry-specific skills, the best prepared to meet corporate demands.

Looking for affordable land with access to excellent transportation? Florida’s interior counties have plenty of reasonably priced acreage and ready access. An interconnected system of highways, railways, airports and seaports streamlines the process of bringing raw materials in and shipping finished products out.

Each of Florida’s eight dynamic regions has both a unique story to tell and a shared commitment to helping new and expanding businesses thrive. On the following pages, you’ll read about business leaders in each region who tapped into the state’s skilled workforce, took advantage of incentive programs, settled in beside state-of-the-art research facilities in growing IT and biotechnology clusters. And you’ll learn how to do the same. For a list of economic development professionals who are eager to help your business succeed in Florida, click here.