Although it is known as the Sunshine State, Florida could just as easily be called the business-friendly state. From Florida's advantageous corporate tax structure designed to spur economic growth and community development, to its wide array of initiatives focused on workforce development and job creation, it’s clear Florida is a great location for your business. Discover what draws more than 2.1 million businesses here.
The state of Florida is consistently one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. What's driving people and businesses to move here? From Miami to Orlando to Pensacola, the Sunshine State offers a world-class business climate, highly competitive rates and incentives, and unparalleled opportunities for capital investment, new business and entrepreneurship. Florida provides all the right elements for business growth.
If Florida were a country, it would be the 15th largest economy in the world. Our huge and diverse economy is home to leaders in industries from aerospace manufacturing to cold food storage and everything in between. Learn more about some of our key sectors and what makes Florida companies shine.
Florida's infrastructure was built to serve our 22+ million residents — and more than 110 million annual visitors. With 15 deepwater seaports and 19 major commercial service airports, Florida can get your products across the country and overseas quickly.
Powerful information to help you make your Florida development decision with confidence.
Search for available real estate sites and buildings across the state and find your company’s next home in Florida. From the Panhandle to the Space Coast to South Florida, our property search tool can help your company find the right space.
Our team of experts can help you navigate complicated challenges, discover energy and economic development incentives, connect with partners, offer technical assistance and put all the pieces together. Whether you own a non-profit or for-profit, a small business or a large one, we are here to help you become our next success story.
Workers keep flooding into the Sunshine State, meeting the robust demand from America’s most dynamic economy. But the biggest workforce story in Florida in 2024 is the improvement in its workforce development programs.
Florida jumped three spots to No. 5 in CNBC’s 2024 rankings of America’s Top States for Business. The Sunshine state has the No. 1 economy in the nation and is ranked second in workforce and access to capital. Learn more about the rankings and how Florida stacks up.
LIFT, a national advanced materials manufacturing innovation institute, has selected Pensacola to establish its latest technology accelerator and talent development showcase facility.
Patrick Space Force Base will serve as the permanent headquarters for the U.S. Space Force Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM).
The great wealth migration to Florida is producing more than rich retirees sipping margaritas in tiki bars on sun-splashed beaches. It’s fueling a high-tech investment surge that’s transforming America’s largest peninsula into Silicon South.
Florida was again named the No. 1 state for higher education by U.S. News & World Report. Since the inception of the rankings in 2017, Florida has been at the top.
Texas once again placed No. 1 and Florida once again No. 2 in the Chief Executive survey of Best and Worst States for Business for 2024, the pattern for nearly the entire history of the annual survey that began in 2001.
AAR CORP., a leading provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs, and OEMs, broke ground on its new maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility in Miami.
Florida State University and five Northwest Florida state colleges are joining forces to provide educational support for projected growth in high-tech industries including aerospace, additive and advanced manufacturing, and health care.
New jobs and better opportunities are coming to Columbia County. AgroLiquid is the first company to move into the North Florida Mega Industrial Park.
With nearly 25,000 manufacturing establishments in the state, Florida’s economic impact in manufacturing surpassed the contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of many other strong industries that Florida is usually known for, including– tourism, agriculture, and transportation.
In a monumental move towards advancing Florida’s semiconductor landscape, Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed an $80 million investment for the University of Florida’s Florida Semiconductor Institute (FSI) in the upcoming 2024 legislative session.
SimplifyLLC analyzed seven metrics to identify the best and worst states to launch a business in 2024, including job creation, consumer spending, inflation, business growth and performance, corporate taxes, and whether educated workers are more likely to move in or out of the state.
How a robust educational ecosystem, pro-business tax policies and increasing job opportunities have made the Sunshine State a magnet for companies in search of a solid pipeline.
As temperatures rise and costs from extreme weather events soar, companies are putting down roots in a state that prioritizes energy independence, innovation and reliability.
Dubbed the Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research and Education (InSPIRE), the facilities will be built near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) and Venture Crossings Enterprise Centre.
Among the 50 states, Florida ranked third for job gains in the first quarter, the data shows. In a separate report by the financial website WalletHub, the Sunshine State ranked in the top five states where unemployment claims are decreasing the most, with 26 claims per 100,000 people.
Florida repeats as the No. 1 state for talent attraction in the latest Lightcast 2023 talent attraction scorecard. Each year, Lightcast takes a deep dive into their data and examines the talent attraction landscape across the US.
Florida held on to its No. 1 ranking in the Southeast (No. 4 in the U.S.) in the 2024 Tax Foundation Business Tax Climate Index. The Sunshine State ranked in the top 20 of every tax category used in the report.
Florida is the most entrepreneurial state in the U.S., according to a recent data study that looked at eight indicators. The research was done by project management researchers at The Digital Project Manager.
The Panama City Port Authority’s Intermodal Distribution Center is home to a new $55 million, 251,000-square-foot FedEx Ground regional distribution facility. Recently opened, it is four times the size of a structure the company built at the center in 2013.
Central Moloney, Inc., a manufacturer of distribution transformers and transformer components, has selected two locations for new manufacturing facilities in Northwest Florida. The two locations are expected to employ 550 individuals with a capital investment of $75 million.
Leonardo Helicopters will invest more than $65 million towards the construction of a 113,000 sq/ft facility in Milton, Florida for aftermarket support for Leonardo’s aircraft.
Rogue Valley Microdevices announced its acquisition of a 50,000-square-foot commercial building in Palm Bay, Florida to serve as its second microfabrication facility.
Plant Agricultural Systems announced they will build a $750 million hydroponic farm in Baker County. The new facility will grow fresh produce and create more than 600 jobs.
Central Moloney, Inc., announced the selection of Okaloosa County, Florida for a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that will specialize in producing pad-mounted electrical transformers.
CNBC named Florida America’s best economy. Overall growth is among the strongest in the nation, with the job market to match as workers flood into the state. Florida’s housing market is well-balanced for the time being.
In May, Bay County officials celebrated the grand opening of the Suzuki Marine USA Technical Center, a state-of-the-art research facility in Panama City.
Florida ranked among the best states in a recent road quality study. MoneyGeek analyzed data from the U.S. DOT Department of Transportation and the U.S. Census Bureau to learn more about America’s urban road infrastructure, find the states with the best and worst road quality and determine if more state spending translated to better roads.
After years of surveys and deliberations, the Space Force announced it would headquarter one of its major commands at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida.
U.S. News & World Report has once again named Florida the top state in the country for higher education. Florida’s higher education system has held the top ranking since the inception of the rankings in 2017.
The Sunshine State held on to its No. 2 ranking in the 2023 Chief Executive Best and Worst States for Business survey of chiefs. The state’s low taxes and strong stance against pandemic-motivated business shutdowns boosted Florida’s popularity among business owners.
The last time you conducted a site search for your company, did you ask yourself and your team, “Where do our customers want us to be?” Jack Daly, Joseph Castonguay and Victor Lozinski did that, and all three decided to move their businesses from California to Florida.
Florida cleaned up in a new study as the best state to start a small business. The Sunshine State, with a 5.5% corporate tax rate and most jobs created by startups, was rated the best state.
The Boeing Company has provided Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a $5.1 million donation for a research center that will drive safety improvements throughout the industry.
ST Engineering marked a significant milestone in its continued growth and expansion in Pensacola with the official inauguration of a new aircraft maintenance hangar at the Pensacola International Airport.
Located in Northwest Florida are six aviation-focused military bases that employ more than 56,000 individuals. These military operations include aviation activities such as unmanned aerial systems, weapons testing, pilot training and aerospace systems research and development.
FPL was again named one of the nation’s top economic development utilities by Site Selection thanks to innovative programs and expert assistance to attract businesses that need to build a warehouse, break ground on a factory, or add a headquarters campus.
Miami has been ranked the best city in the US for foreign multinationals to do business in the inaugural Investing in America ranking compiled by the Financial Times and Nikkei.
Buffalo Rock, the nation's largest family-owned bottler of Pepsi and Dr. Pepper products, has announced plans to create a distribution center at the Northwest Florida Industrial Park at Interstate 10.
Lightcast ranked Florida the No. 1 state on its 2022 Talent Attraction Scorecard. The Scorecard ranks counties based on education, overall job change, migration, skilled job change, competitive effect, and skilled job openings.
Florida held onto its No. 4 spot on the Tax Foundation’s 2023 State Business Tax Climate Index. The Sunshine State was No. 1 in the Southeast thanks to zero individual taxes and low unemployment insurance taxes.
Palm Beach County is buzzing with new investments as 140 companies relocated or expanded to Palm Beach County with the Business Development Board’s assistance over the past five years. These companies brought $1.12 billion in capital investment and 13,110 direct jobs created/retained for local residents.
One Okaloosa EDC announced today that Gulf Air Group, Inc. has selected Crestview’s Bob Sikes Airport for a competitive expansion project. The anticipated $16,000,000 investment will be applied toward the construction and equipping of a new, state-of-the-art aircraft hangar complex totaling 70,000 SF.
The Bay Economic Development Alliance announced that Mocama Marine LLC will be establishing manufacturing operations in Bay County that will include the purchase of the former “Century Boat” property in the original Bay County Industrial Park off of Hwy. 231.
The Business Development Board, Palm Beach County’s official economic development organization, is pleased to announce the relocation of KruseComfrom New Jersey to West Palm Beach. The company will create 30 jobs with an average salary of $80,000.
City Manager Mark McQueen said it’s been like the tale of two cities between the original part of Panama City and the northern part. That is until now, as the area is growing with development.
Port Panama City USA is a growing regional Port located in Bay County, Florida. The Port provides terminal handling services for a diverse portfolio of customers and commodities at its two, deep-water marine terminal facilities, and Intermodal Distribution Center. at No. 46.
Revitalizing the Endeavor Property in Marianna and putting the more than 500 acres to use is important to local officials. They are using it to bring more than 50 new jobs to the area.
A new nearly one million-square-foot industrial space is in the works next to a Brevard County spaceport. It’s the start of a project that will include the development of 917,099 square feet of industrial space spread across nine buildings next to Space Coast Regional Airport and Space Coast Air & Spaceport.
The city has received a historic notice from the Florida Department of Transportation to begin work on the $6.9 million airport terminal at the DeFuniak Springs Municipal Airport at 1931 U.S. Highway 90 W.
Resia, formerly known as AHS Residential, plans to build a 200,000-square-foot facility just a few miles from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.
This week, business and community leaders in Northwest Florida celebrated the newest manufacturer to join our growing family – Central Moloney Inc. (CMI). CMI is locating in an existing 140,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in VentureCrossings Enterprise Center in Panama City, Florida.
Local officials and members of the community gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome Central Moloney Inc. to Bay County. The company will soon open its sixth location, creating more than 200 local jobs.
The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) is pleased to announce the opening of Percepto, the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, revolutionizing how industrial sites monitor and inspect their critical infrastructure and assets. The company, with roots in Israel, will occupy an 11,000 sq. ft. building located at 7201 Haverhill Business Parkway, Riviera Beach, FL, and estimates 100 new high wage jobs with several million dollars of capital investment planned. Introduced by Florida Power & Light Company’s Office of Economic Development (FPL), the Business Development Board helped Percepto with site location searches, permitting assistance, and local connections. Bill Reichel of Reichel Realty & Investments, Inc., who is a BDB member, handled the real estate transaction.
Based on polling of nearly 700 CEOs and business owners, the Lone Star State placed No. 1 again, Florida No. 2. But will changing politics change the game?
In order to help aspiring entrepreneurs — from restaurant owners to high-tech movers and shakers — maximize their chances for long-term prosperity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, WalletHub compared the relative startup opportunities that exist in 100 U.S. cities. Orlando ranked first and Miami second, with Jacksonville and Tampa also included in the Top 10.
The state of Florida added more tech companies than any other state in the nation in 2021, according to a new report published by CompTIA, a top trade associate of the IT sector. Driven by rising prices and unfavorable tax regulations, tech companies flocked to The Sunshine State, landing in cities like Miami, Orlando, and Jacksonville. According to the report, Florida added 2,715 tech businesses last year, placing ahead of previously known tech hubs like California and North Carolina.
How do taxes in your state compare regionally and nationally? Facts and Figures, a resource we’ve provided to U.S. taxpayers and legislators since 1941, serves as a one-stop state tax data resource that compares all 50 states on over 40 measures of tax rates, collections, burdens, and more.
The company last year announced it was establishing its headquarters in Titusville.
Dan Robinson, a soft-spoken native of northeast England, chats in a Miami Beach coffee house, his dog at his feet. Meanwhile in California, representatives of the U.S. Air Force test a video game-like technology his company is developing to answer America’s military pilot predicament. The nation is short of pilots — by about 2,000 for the Air Force in recent years. It misses the mark in readiness. Training is expensive. “Accelerate change or lose,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said in 2020 directive to the service.
Grover, the electronics rental marketplace, has joined a cavalcade of tech firms descending on Miami to base its US operations. The German company, which raised $1 billion last summer, opened its US headquarters in the city this week, just a few months after launching operations in the US. The Florida city has emerged as a destination of choice for many start-ups and entrepreneurs, eschewing the well-worm environs of Silicon Valley, including European start-ups looking for their US base of operations.
Miami has always showcased its diverse culture and nightlife. With beaches and bars and beautiful people galore, the ‘capital of Latin America’ is a well-established destination to let loose and have fun. While this reputation has made Miami rich, generating over $1.5bn in tourism tax annually, the city – and South Florida more widely – has traditionally felt a long distance, both physically and culturally, from the tech hubs found on the Pacific west coast. However, with the pandemic disrupting traditional enterprise models, Miami is suddenly the buzz location for tech investment. Over the past 18 months, hundreds of companies, from cryptocurrency to digital marketing, have set up shop. Last year, the city witnessed more than $970m in venture funding, up from just $135m in 2016.
FedEx plans to build a new distribution center in Panama City to service the region from Pensacola to Tallahassee, economic developers announced on Tuesday. According to the Bay County Economic Development Alliance, the new 251,000-square-foot FedEx Ground facility will support 208 jobs and will be built in the Port Panama City-owned Intermodal Distribution Center on Highway 231. Construction has begun and the facility is set to open in the fall.
2021 was a banner year for South Florida's tech sector. Miami-area startups not only attracted record venture capital investments this year; The region also became a hub for the emerging cryptocurrency industry and saw homegrown companies like Papa reach unicorn status with billion-dollar-plus valuations.
While SpaceX and United Launch Alliance have been sending rockets up at an increased pace the past several years, the Space Coast is about to get much busier with more commercial rocket companies set to join the launch party.
The venture makes mobile data mining centers for the mining of Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
The world of space exploration has changed markedly since the heyday of the Space Shuttle, but one element remains unchanged: Florida’s commitment to remaining at the cutting edge of space innovation and investment.
Business diversity and a strong commitment to customer service distinguishes Port Everglades from most U.S. seaports. With its proximity to the popular Caribbean, Port Everglades is the third busiest cruise homeport in the world. It is a leading container port in Florida and among the most active cargo ports in the United States. Port Everglades is also South Florida’s main seaport for receiving energy products, including gasoline and jet fuel. Port customers benefit from state-of-the-art foreign-trade zone warehousing and a 43-acre international and domestic intermodal container transfer facility that makes it possible for cargo shipped to Port Everglades to reach Atlanta and Charlotte within two days, and 70 percent of the U.S. population in four days.
The cryptocurrency craze continues as American cities are now racing for the title of "crypto capital." Miami is leading the way to becoming the central hub with different initiatives involving residents while forging the way with the first CityCoin. Miamicoin, generated by CityCoins, will result in yield for all Miami residents, allowing people to invest in the city by purchasing tokens.
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today graduates 11 entrepreneurs in six startup companies from 35 Mules – the first-ever in-house innovation hub powered by a global energy leader. The incubator is located at FPL’s Juno Beach headquarters, where the six startups have worked on their ventures since September 2020. During the 15-month program, the startups have raised a total of $13.5 million in grant funding and venture capital, developed minimum viable products, full-scale pilot programs and expanded their teams.
Destin, Florida’s Hurlburt Field will undergo a comprehensive energy infrastructure upgrade. The project, led by Schneider Electric, will modernize infrastructure that supports critical power supply and grid stability needs at the base, which is home to the US Air Force’s Special Operations Command (HQ AFSOC). Through the $22.6 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Schneider Electric, the project will reduce Hurlburt Field’s energy costs by 17.7% – resulting in $1.5 million in savings annually over the 22-year contract term for the US Defense Department (DoD).
Today, Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Space Florida, and NASA hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new NASA Causeway Bridge, a $126 million project to build two high-level fixed bridges over the Indian River, providing a new gateway to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. “Since taking office, our administration has prioritized investment in transportation infrastructure that will enhance access to Cape Canaveral and advance Florida’s position as a leader in space,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez.
FPL unveiled the battery at its Manatee Solar Energy Center Monday. It’s “the world’s largest battery when measured by generating output and the world’s largest solar-powered battery when measured by both total output and capacity per hour,” according to the company. The battery is measured at 409 megawatts and 900 megawatt hours. That gives it the power of 100 million iPhone batteries and allows it to power nearly 330,000 homes for more than two hours.
A new Amazon fulfillment center is coming to Daytona Beach and city leaders said it’ll bring 1,000 jobs with it. The 2.8 million square foot, five-story complex will be built on a 211-acre field right across the street from the airport on Beville Road.
The Florida-based company that makes those famous tumblers is expanding. Tervis announced Thursday they will open a new fulfillment center in North Port. It’s sent to open late summer of next year. Their headquarters will remain in North Venice.
The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur have again partnered to rank the top programs for studying entrepreneurship as an undergraduate. Florida State University ranks 19th overall (#2 Southeast) followed by Florida Gulf Coast University (#22 Overall, #3 Southeast), The University of Tampa (#27 Overall, #5 Southeast), Florida International University (#42 Overall, #7 Southeast), and Florida Atlantic University (#47 Overall, #9 Southeast).
Florida ranks in the top 25 places to conduct business, according to a new survey.
Spectrum's trust and safety platform uses AI to detect toxic online behaviors.
A roundup of a few of the financial firms that have joined the migration to South Florida.
LinkedIn’s State of Entrepreneurship report offers a portrait of this generation of budding businesses, highlighting the people, industries and cities at the heart of these new enterprises. “The southwest Florida region has really exploded in the last 24 months,” he said. “With more entrepreneurs and more consumers coming to the area, it has opened our doors to more opportunities.” The greater Tampa Bay area is No. 3 on LinkedIn’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas for entrepreneurs with two other Sunshine State locales — Orlando and Miami-Fort Lauderdale — claiming the first and second slots.
Site Selection Group, a full-service location advisory, economic incentives, and real estate services firm, utilizes a variety of innovative tools and analyses to help its clients evaluate locations for manufacturing investment. Florida ranks fifth in overall index score.
The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) has maintained berth and terminal fluidity—and set a new container volume record—amid global supply chain disruption. This success is due in large part to the efficiencies of JAXPORT’s facilities, labor, and service providers, combined with the port’s strategic location within fast reach of 98 million U.S. consumers.
A new WalletHub study examining the quality of colleges and universities in the United States showed almost 20 percent of the best colleges in the South are in Florida.
Space Perspective, the world’s leading luxury spaceflight experience company, today announced that it has selected Florida’s Space Coast Spaceport in Titusville, Florida as the location for the company’s worldwide campus and manufacturing complex. Space Perspective will invest more than $38 million in new construction and high-value equipment and tooling, including the $9 million, 120,000 square foot manufacturing building slated to be fully operational within the next 24 months. The investment will also spur the creation of approximately 240 full-time permanent jobs by the end of 2026, with an annual average wage of $80,000, plus benefits.
Florida’s State Universities earn top marks in U.S. News & World Report public university rankings. The University of Florida rose one spot and is now the No. 5 public university in the country, advancing a record nine spots on the Top 25 list since 2017. Florida has three public universities in the Top 50, second-most in the nation – one university in the Top 5, another in the Top 20, with Florida State University ranked at No. 19 and in the Top 20 for the third year in a row. The University of South Florida fills out the Top 50 for the third consecutive year, coming in at No. 46.
Florida isn’t often thought of as a manufacturing hub, much less a high-tech medical manufacturing Mecca. A new report counters that belief, showing Florida is a major player nationally in making health care devices and related work.
Miami beat out rivals like New York City and Austin, Texas on Forbes' new ranking of emerging technology hubs in the U.S. The one metro it couldn't surpass? Tampa.
Royal Caribbean's Terminal A joins Carnival Cruise Line's new Terminal F to become shore-powerready at PortMiami by fall 2023. 'Our efforts to make PortMiami shore power ready are moving full steam ahead thanks to the incredible work of the PortMiami team, [Florida Power and Light] and the commitment of Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group,' Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
The $210 million project will bring three additional hangars for ST Engineering's aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Pensacola. The project also will add administrative office space to two of the new hangars.
During a virtual event Wednesday where the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), a regional nonprofit focused on the transition to clean energy, shared details on their fourth annual “Solar in the Southeast” report, lead author and SACE’s Solar Program Director Bryan Jacob announced that the Sunshine State had surpassed North Carolina to become the region’s “solar leader.”
Manufacturing output in Florida has grown nearly 60% in the past decade from $37 billion to $59 billion, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.
The Kroger Co. is moving forward with its leading-edge automated warehouse concept known as a customer fulfillment center (CFC). Introduced in partnership with U.K.-based online grocer Ocado in Monroe, Ohio in April 2021, the second CFC location is now operational in Groveland, Florida (part of the greater Orlando metro area).
