Florida’s diverse communities are a great place to live and do business, but don’t just take our word for it, here’s why everyone else thinks so:
Florida's Innovation Economy
For a 3rd consecutive year, Florida metropolitan areas dominated the Milken Institute / Greenstreet Partners 2007 Best Performing Cities Index. Ocala, Orlando-Kissimmee and Naples-Marco Island, ranked at #1, #5 and #6, respectively, were three of the top six cities where America’s jobs are being created and sustained. Ten other Florida metro areas rounded up the top 50. (Milken Institute, September 2007)
The University of South Florida has been named among the Top 10 graduate entrepreneurship programs in the nation by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine. (The Princeton Review, October 2007)
Florida leads the nation in fastest growing job markets. With a five-year growth rate of 32.2 percent, Cape Coral-Fort Myers ranked No. 1 in the U.S. Orlando, Lakeland, and Sarasota-Bradenton were also in the Top 10 and five additional Florida markets ranked in the Top 30. (Bizjournals, September 2007)
Florida ranks among the top states in the nation for workforce training. Moving up 7 places in a year, Florida now ranks 3rd for the overall quality of its workforce training programs in a poll of more than 80 site selection consultants. (Expansion Management, August, 2007)
Florida is one of America's Top States for Business according to CNBC, ranking #1 in Transportation, #4 in Economy and #8 in Technology & Innovation. Florida came in at #8 in the overall ranking, which was based on 10 competitive measures. (CNBC, July 2007)
With four of America’s top 5 markets, including No. 1 ranked Orlando, Florida swept the rankings as the best state for growing small business. (Bizjournals, July 2007)
The University of Florida is a national leader in creating new companies, ranking 4th among more than 225 colleges in Business Week’s recent spin-off survey. ( BusinessWeek, May 2007)
Altogether, 14 Florida cities rank in the top 20 in their respective size categories in Inc. magazine’s Boomtowns ’07 survey. Fort Myers and Sarasota rank among the top 10 hottest areas for entrepreneurs. (Inc. Magazine, May 2007)
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach metro ranks No. 1 in the nation on the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, an annual study that measures business startup activity across the United States. ( BusinessWeek, May 2007)
The University of Florida ranks 9th among all academic institutions in the world for number of patent families (multiple patents resulting from one patent application) filed from 2002 to 2006. This is according to the Marks & Clerk Biotechnology Report 2007, which explores worldwide patent activity in biotechnology, focusing on the world’s largest firms and academic institutions, as well as the fastest-growing and most specialist biotechnology players. (Marks & Clerk, May 2007)
Florida is among the top 10 states where venture capital-backed companies flourish according to leading expert, Global Insight. (Global Insight, March 2007)
Gainesville’s University of Florida Sid Martin Biotechnology Development Incubator ranked #1 in technology in the U.S by the National Business Incubation Association. (University of Florida, April 2007)
Florida has emerged as one of the top sites for biomedical R&D, ranking 7th in the nation as a life science R&D location among site selection consultants and real estate executives. (Site Selection, May 2007)
WIRED Magazine named Orlando one of the “Top 10 Tech Towns” and one of the “Top 10 Places to Get Your Geek On.” These rankings are based on everything from proximity to top-ranked engineering schools to Circuit City stores per capita. (WIRED, January 2007)
Eight Florida cities ranked among the top 10 in their respective population size categories on the 2007 Digital Cities Survey. These rankings recognize American cities that excel in using technology to create a seamless environment between local government and constituents. (Center for Digital Government, January 2007)
In 2005 (most recent data), Florida ranks among the top U.S. states for number of Science and Engineering Doctorates awarded. Florida had particularly high numbers of S&E Graduates with degrees in Agriculture, Computer Science, and Earth, Atmosphere, & Ocean Science as compared to other states. (SSTI & National Science Foundation, January 2007)
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Florida's Fast-Growing Industries
Florida took top spots in recent Life Science business rankings, coming in 2nd in the nation for number of BioScience and Healthcare Services start-ups, 3rd for number of Medical Device Manufacturer and Pharmaceutical start-ups, and 3rd for new BioScience, Healthcare Services, and Medical Device Manufacturer branches. (Business Xpansion Journal, September 2007)
Florida was the national leader in its number of new high-tech establishments from 2004 to 2005, and ranked 2nd in the nation in number of new high-tech jobs added (10,900), according to American Electronics Association’s (AeA) Cyberstates report, which details national and state trends in high-tech employment, wages, exports, and other key economic factors. (AeA, April 2007)
Florida is the #1 region for effective economic development initiatives for the biotechnology industry according to Fierce Biotech--the daily monitor newsletter for the industry. The state was praised for the effectiveness with which it has started "laying the foundation for a cluster." (Fierce Biotech, January 2007)
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Florida: An International Business Hub
The Port of Jacksonville is the fastest growing U.S. foreign trade gateway, earning it the title of #1 Gem in the Expanding U.S. Export Market from leading research group, Global Insight, Inc. (Global Insight, March 2007)
Florida's Business-Friendly Climate
Florida’s low taxes and smart growth policies have placed it among the top 5 Best States for Starting a Business, according to Fortune Small Business. (Fortune Small Business, November 2007)
Florida’s business climate is among the Top 10 in the nation in an overall ranking, and among the Top 5 in a survey of corporate real estate executives. (Site Selection, November 2007)
Florida continues to rank among the top states for best tax climates for business, according to a Tax Foundation survey. With no state income tax, low corporatetaxes, a low unemployment insurance tax rate, and sales tax exemptions for certain business transactions, Florida has remained among the top 5 U.S. states since the survey’s inception. ( The Tax Foundation, October 2007)
South Florida is the 5th most cost-effective market in the nation for corporate headquarters. Relatively low property taxes and labor costs, compared to national standards, were noted as some of South Florida's advantages. (The Boyd Company, Inc., September 2007)
Florida metros dominated the top spots on the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ first ever Metro Area GDP growth rankings. Growing by a stellar 163.81% from 2001 to 2005, Palm Coast, Florida placed No. 1 in the nation for economic growth. Port St. Lucie (3rd) and Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin (5th) were also among the fastest growing U.S. metros. (Bureau of Economic Analysis, September 2007)
Florida continues to climb the rankings, moving up 2 slots to 7th place in 2007, on Forbes’ second annual Top States for Business, a list based on current and projected economic conditions.(Forbes, July 2007)
Florida leads the nation in overall economic vitality. With 12 cities named to Economy.com’s Business Vitality Index, Florida has more than double the number of leading cities than any other state. (Moody’s Economy.com, June 2007)
Miami and Orlando were both named to fDi Magazine’s prestigious North American Cities of the Future rankings. Miami ranked among the top 10 major cities of the future and 5th among major cities for infrastructure. Among large cities, Orlando ranked 3rd most business friendly and 4th for overall quality of life. ( fDiMagazine, April/May 2007)
Eleven Florida metros were named “best places for business and careers” by Forbes. These rankings were based on criteria such as cost of doing business, job growth, and educational attainment. (Forbes, April 2007)
Florida is one of the most pro-business states in the nation, ranking 3rd in Pollina Corporate Real Estate’s Top 10 Pro Business States study. The rankings are based on 28 measurements including taxes, human resources, right-to-work legislation, energy costs and job growth. (Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc., March 2007)
Florida ranks among the top 10 states in the U.S.for new and expanded facilities, coming in 5th in the building materials projects category. (Site Selection, March 2007)
Five Florida MSAs, Jacksonville, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Orlando-Kissimmee, Tallahassee, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, were named to Expansion Management’s America’s 50 Hottest Cities, a ranking of the best places to expand or relocate a business according to a poll of prominent corporate site location experts. (Expansion Management, February 2007)
The Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy classifies Florida as highly efficient (ranking 3rd in the nation) in fostering the birth of new businesses. The report states that small firm births are the most important factor propelling growth in gross state product, state personal income, and total state employment. (Small Business Administration, January 2007)
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Florida's Thriving Companies
Florida is 4th in the nation, with 26 of the fastest growing privately-held companies on this year's Inc. 500 rankings. In the first ever Inc. 5,000 list, Florida is represented by 250 entrepreneurial companies. (Inc. magazine, August 2007 )
Scripps Florida’s first private drug-discovery start-up, Xcovery, is named as one of the world’s most promising biotech companies, on FierceBiotech’s Fierce 15, 2007. (FierceBiotech, June 2007)
Florida’s public companies are some of the most admired ones in their industries. The FPL Group and Autonation were #1 in electric & gas utilities and automotive retailing, respectively, while 7 other Florida public companies ranked in the Top 3 most admired companies in the nation among their industry peers. (Fortune, March 2007)
Site Selection named Florida among the top 10 U.S. states for the number of new and expanded facilities it announced in 2006. (Site Selection, March 2007)
Florida is home to the corporate headquarters of 4 of Fortune’s “Best Companies to Work For,” and also to 20 major facilities of companies named on the list. (Fortune, January 2007)
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Florida's Excellent Quality of Life
Diversion Magazine names Destin the No. 1 beach in the country, Orlando the No. 1 U.S. resort destination, and Florida among theTop 2 U.S. states to visit on vacation. (Diversion Magazine, November 2007)
Four of the Top 10 High Schools in the nation are in Florida, according to the first ever ranking of America's Best High Schools by U.S. World and News Report. The ranking measures the schools on how well they prepare students to achieve their post-graduation goals. (U.S. World and News Report, November 2007)
Florida continues its reign as one of the most desirable places to live in the U.S. Second only to California in 2007, Florida has remained one the top three states since this Harris Poll began. Orlando and Miami were also named among the top cities where people would choose to live. (Harris Interactive, September 2007)
Florida's roads and bridges are in excellent condition, according to Expansion Management, which ranked the state #2 in the "States with Best Road & Bridge Condition” category of its 2007 Logistics Quotienttm report. (Expansion Management, October 2007)
Home to 2 of the top 5 public high schools in the nation, and a total of 22 among the top 100, Florida dominated The Washington Post’s Challenge Index. The index, designed to measure schools’ efforts to challenge their students, is based in part on the number of Advance Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge tests given. (The Washington Post, July 2007)
Miami is said to be shaping the global future as a cultural leader on the Fast Cities 2007 rankings. (Fast Company, July 2007)
Florida beaches won 3 of the top 10 spots, the most of any state, in this year’s America’s Best Beaches list. This internationally recognized ranking is based on 50 criteria including number of sunny days, sand softness, algae and pollution content, safety record, and more. (Dr. Beach, June 2007)
Port St. Lucie (3rd) and Cape Coral (4th) were among the fastest growing cities in the United States from 2005 to 2006, growing by 9.9% and 8.1%, respectively. Miami and Orlando were also among the top growth cities. (U.S. Census Bureau, June 2007)
Two Florida communities, Hollywood and Polk County, are recognized for exemplary vision, collaborative problem-solving, and inclusiveness to meet local challenges. Only ten communities were chosen for these All-America City Awards, the oldest and most prestigious civic recognition competition in the United States. (National Civic League, June 2007)
The Cape Coral-Fort Myers area is among the nation’s top income growth markets in a study that focused on earnings power and economic vitality. Of the top 10 MSAs, Cape Coral-Fort Myers had the fastest population-growth rate and the highest income-growth mark. (Bizjournals, June 2007)
Reaching $647.6 billion, Florida’s total personal income remained the 4th largest among U.S. states in 2006. Florida continued to outpace the nation in both per capita personal income growth (5.3% increase) and total personal income growth (7.2% increase). (Bureau of Economic Analysis, March 2007)
Twelve of Florida’s metropolitan areas were named “Best Cities for Relocating Families” in a ranking based on traditional variables such as an area’s cost of living, crime rates, education, and climate, and more abstract factors such as arts and culture scene, diversity, number of physicians per capita, and more. (Worldwide ERC® and Primacy Relocation, May 2007)
Gainesville is named the #1 city in the nation in Frommer’s “Cities Ranked and Rated, Second Edition.” These rankings of the best places to live were based on everything from literacy to cost of car insurance to number of Starbucks in the metro area. (Frommer’s, May 2007)
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