Florida: News

Connecticut billionaire Edward Lampert in July became the highest profile hedge fund manager to move himself and his operation to Florida. He’s not alone. As Florida Trend reported last year, four hedge funds looking to escape high taxes had relocated from the Northeast to a single building in West Palm Beach. (Read More)

The Coca-Cola Co. said Tuesday that it is spending $2 billion to support the planting of 25,000 acres of new orange groves in Florida, a move officials are lauding as a major investment in the Sunshine State's citrus industry. Some 5 million new trees will be planted in the new groves, which will be located in Polk, DeSoto and Hendry counties in central Florida. (Read More)

Considered a laggard compared with the rest of the country by economists during the Great Recession, Florida now regularly outpaces the U.S. in rebounding employment, housing starts and other key measures. That trend continued Friday, when the Labor Department reported that the nation's jobless rate fell in April to 7.5 percent, a four-year low. (Read More)

Forbes has ranked Jacksonville among the 10 best cities for finding employment. The ranking reflects considerations such as: the diversity of industries in the city, the cost of living, the range in size of companies offering employment, and high level of education among its residents. (Read More)

Floridians’ consumer confidence rose three points to 79 in April — the second consecutive monthly increase, according to a new University of Florida survey. Florida’s mood is at odds with the national consumer confidence index, which as measured by the University of Michigan, dropped two points after recovering from a deeper slide in early April. (Read More)

In a story titled “A Sunny Outcome: Why Florida’s Startups Are Soaring High,” Fast Company cited some of the state’s lofty superlatives, including the nation’s second-highest rate of new business production, a high ranking on Fundable’s (a leading crowdfunding platform) venture capital rankings, and the No. 3 ranking for annual revenue per startup, with $1.2 million. (Read More)

Governor Rick Scott today announced that 32,400 private-sector jobs were created in Florida last month and the state’s March 2013 unemployment rate decreased 0.3 percentage points to 7.5 percent. This is Florida’s lowest unemployment rate since October 2008 and the second largest drop in the nation as of February. (Read More)

The Sunshine State was ranked among the top 10 best state tax systems on the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council’s 2013 Business Tax Index. The index ranks the 50 states according to the costs of their tax systems for starting and growing a small business, and Florida was ranked No. 6 with a business tax index score of 22.407. (Read More)

United Airlines has chosen the Tampa Bay area as the first region to be featured as part of an economic development series by United “Hemispheres,” its in-flight magazine. The magazine will profile Tampa Bay’s business climate on more than 20 pages, a news release says. (Read More)

Some cities are starting to take their small-business environment more seriously, which means finding ways to attract owners to set up shop. A handful of cities are making an effort to bring in and retain more small businesses including Miami, which ranked third by TheStreet for its efforts to attract and retain entrepreneurs. (Read More)

Governor Rick Scott today announced that since Dec. 2010, Florida has created 294,200 private-sector jobs and Florida’s February 2013 unemployment rate decreased 0.2 percentage points to 7.7 percent – the lowest since October 2008. (Read More)

Florida’s per capita personal income rose nearly 2 percent in 2012 when compared to 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported. Florida’s personal income was $40,344 in 2012, compared to $39,563 in 2011 and $38,210 in 2010. The state’s 2012 per capita income ranked 27th in the nation. (Read More)

From taking airboat rides to paddling a canoe in the waterways, Florida residents and visitors create jobs and bring income to the state. Outdoor recreation generates nearly 330,000 jobs and $10.7 billion in wages in Florida, according to a study released Tuesday by the Outdoor Industry Association. (Read More)

Florida ranked fifth in the nation in small business tax climate, according to a March 18 Facts & Figures report by the Tax Foundation. The Sunshine State’s ranking was based on its corporate, individual income, sales, unemployment insurance and property taxes. (Read More)

Gov. Scott announced that since Dec. 2010, Florida has created 282,200 private-sector jobs and Florida’s January unemployment rate decreased below the national average to 7.8 percent. This is Florida’s lowest unemployment rate since November 2008, and falls below the national average unemployment rate for the first time since January 2008. (Read More)

Over the past decade, the northern Florida metro area’s population has grown 20% to over 1.3 million, but business services employment has expanded nearly 50%, the biggest jump of any of the country’s 51 largest metropolitan areas. Forbes and Praxis Strategy Group compiled rankings based on both long and short-term growth, as well as the extent and growth of each region’s business service economy compared to the national average. (Read More)

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Bradenton-Sarasota, Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Palm Bay-Melbourne, Jacksonville, Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Lakeland have been ranked among the nation's 102 largest metros, according to a new On Numbers study on small business vitality. (Read More)

Florida’s small and medium-size business owners are optimistic they will continue to see the financial health of their company improve in 2013, according to a survey by Kaufman, Rossin & Co. More than 50 percent of the business owners surveyed said they expect to see progress from 2012 continue this year, with 55 percent saying they plan to hire one to 10 employees in 2013. (Read More)

Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 8.0 percent for the month of December – down from last month and the lowest rate since November 2008. The December 2012 rate was 1.9 percentage points lower than the year-ago rate of 9.9 percent. (Read More)

Governor Rick Scott recently highlighted The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s State Leading Index report showing that Florida’s economy should grow by 1.7 percent during the first half of 2013. This growth rate is the strongest since August 2005, when the rate was 1.98 percent, and is up significantly from December 2010’s rate of 0.95 percent. (Read More)

Seventeen Florida banks that received capital through the Small Business Lending Fund have increased their small business lending by $302 million between 2010 and the end of the third quarter of 2012. Small business loans were up $138.4 million at the seven banks in the Tampa Bay area that participated in the SBLF, according to a report from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. (Read More)

Amscot Financial is coming to South Florida in a big way, with plans for a $20 million investment and 500 new jobs. The Tampa-based company, which provides a variety of financial services, wants to open more than 50 branches in Miami-Dade and Broward counties over the next two years. (Read More)

Florida moved up three spots from eighth to fifth in Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council’s yearly rankings of state’s policy friendliness. The Index, now in its 17th year, ranks the 50 states according to 46 different policy measures, including a wide array of tax, regulatory and government spending measures. (Read More)

Florida has received high marks for its controls on tax incentive money used to lure companies to relocate or expand in the state, according the Pew Center, a non-partisan institute based in Washington, D.C. Researchers said Florida did a good job of capping incentive payouts. (Read More)

Governor Rick Scott today announced that Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent for the month of November – down 0.4 percentage points from last month and the lowest since November 2008. This was the largest drop in the rate over the month since October 1992, and was the second time it occurred this year. (Read More)

Governor Rick Scott announced that The ADT Corporation, a provider of electronic security, interactive home and business automation and alarm monitoring services, will bring 120 new jobs over the next two years to its corporate headquarters in Boca Raton. These new jobs will add to the nearly 700 ADT employees already based in South Florida. (Read More)

Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 8.5 percent for the month of October, the lowest since December 2008. Since December 2010, the state’s unemployment rate has dropped 2.6 percentage points and 174,500 private sector jobs have been created. (Read More)

Job reductions in Florida significantly declined in October, as cuts nationwide reached its highest level in five months. Florida employers announced 645 cuts in October, significantly down from 1,818 in September. (Read More)

Florida has 176,727 veteran-owned businesses with revenue of $61.9 billion, ranking it third in the nation according to a report from U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. Of these, 35,548 provide jobs for 310,154 people with an annual payroll of $10.6 billion. (Read More)

Florida captured the No. 10 spot in Site Selection magazine’s annual business climate rankings. Florida also tied for No. 6 in the publication’s Executive Survey Business Climate Rankings 2012. (Read More)

Florida continues to lead the nation in the largest drop in its unemployment rate since December 2010 at 2.4 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate has now declined over the year for 22 consecutive months. (Read More)

Florida’s unemployment rate declined to 8.7 percent in September and 3,500 new private sector jobs were created. The rate was 1.7 percentage points lower than the 2011 rate of 10.4 percent. Since December 2010, the state’s unemployment rate has dropped 2.4 percentage points and 156,800 private sector jobs have been created. (Read More)

Florida kept its No. 5 slot for the second straight year in the Tax Foundation’s 2013 edition of the State Business Tax Climate Index. The state’s rank is based on its corporate income, individual income, sales, unemployment insurance and property taxes. (Read More)

The State of Women-Owned Businesses Report ranked Florida fourth with an estimated 587,600 women-owned firms that employ 473,100 workers and have roughly $77.6 billion in revenue. (Read More)

The Sunshine State had 968,700 hospitality jobs as of August 2012, up 13,900 from August 2011, according to a new On Numbers analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The leisure and hospitality sector includes performing arts companies, professional sports teams, museums, restaurants, bars and amusement parks. (Read More)

The recent Florida Economic Estimating Conference, a collaborative event featuring the state’s top public sector economists, projected that Florida is expected to create more than 900,000 new jobs by 2018. (Read More)

Since December 2010, Florida’s unemployment rate has dropped 2.3 percentage points, more than any other state in the nation. (Read More)

Orlando was one of a dozen cities named as the best places to start a new company, according to Tech Cocktail. (Read More)

Business Facilities named 4 Florida metros national winners: Orlando (#3) and Tampa (#4) are national leaders in Lowest Cost of Business; Cape Coral is America's #3 Fastest Growing City; Miami ranks #4 Logistics Leader in Air Cargo Hubs. (Read more)

Nearly 300 Florida companies were named to Inc.'s 2012 list of America's fastest-growing private companies, including #1 in the nation, North Miami Beach-based Unified Payments, which experienced 3-year revenue growth of 23,646%. (Read more)

Florida won several national accolades in Business Facilities' new report: #2 Best Transportation Infrastructure, #3 for Workforce Training Leader, #4 Best Business Climate, and #5 Best Business Tax Climate. (Read more)

Florida ranks #5 for attracting FDI investment projects, according the fDi Report 2012. (Read more)

Miami (#5) and Tampa (#36) were both ranked among America's Top 50 Cities for Global Trade by Global Trade Magazine. (Read more)

In the 12 months between CNBC.com's 2011 and 2012 Top States for Business reports, the economy has created 1.8 million jobs--a third of the new jobs has been concentrated in 10 states. Look ahead to see the top job-generating states as well as which sectors and companies are contributing to the growth. (Read more)

While the number of online job posts contracted in most states from June to July, Florida added 5,600 available jobs. (Read more)

Talented entrepreneurs continue to thrive in Florida. Check out this article for 15+ examples of Florida startups experiencing success. (Read more)

Florida ranks 6th for number of women-owned businesses and 10th for economic clout of women-owned firms. (Read more)

Business Facilities has named Florida as one of America's Top 5 States for Best Business Climate. (Read more)

Jacksonville (#5) and Orlando (#8) rank among America's Best Cities for College Grads. (Read more)

Thousands of employees in the happiest cities say they're most satisfied with the people they work with, the way they work and the work that they do. Florida is home to 3 of the top 20: Miami (#1), Palm Bay (#14), and Tampa (#20). (Read more)

The National Chamber Foundation's 2012 report on the private sector business climate is out, and Florida ranks #1 state for Talent Pipeline and #1 state for Infrastructure. (Read more)

Healthcare, high-tech and tourism are credited with earning Orlando a place in the national spotlight, as Kiplinger named it 1 of 8 metros poised to become job-creating machines. (Read more)

The President's "E" Award was created by Executive Order of the President to afford suitable recognition to persons, firms, or organizations which contribute significantly in the effort to increase United States exports. Ambient Technologies of St. Petersburg, Gulf South of Ft. Lauderdale and My US.com of Sarasota were Florida's winners in 2012. (Read more)

Top financial executives from America's multinational companies rank Florida 1 of the 3 most tax competitive states in the nation. (Read more)

Orlando & Jacksonville (#3) and Orlando (#6) rank among Forbes' Top 10 Happiest Cities For Job-Seeking College Grads. (Read more)

Florida's business-friendly climate attracted 69 foreign direct investment projects in 2011--the 5th highest in North America. (Read more)

Private equity firms invested $8 billion in 93 Florida-based companies in 2011--the sixth largest investment amount among all states. (Read more)

For the complete list, click here.

Florida's renewed commitment to business continues to gain national attention as CEOs from around the country rank Florida #2 Best State for Business--up from ranking 3rd in 2011. (Read more)

Florida is home to 58,310 exporting companies--second only to California. One out of every five, or 20%, of the nation's companies that export are located in Florida. (Read more)

Gainesville ranks among America's Hardest Working Towns, according to a PARADE study based on factors such as employment rate, average hours worked and willingness to work during personal time. (Read more)

Another great testament to Florida's business-friendly climate, Florida is home to 3 of the nation's most cost competitive large metros: Orlando (#3), Tampa (#4) and Miami (#11). (Read more)

Florida's strides in growing a business-friendly state are attracting national attention as the state ranks among the America's top 10 states for entrepreneurship and among the top 10 most improved over the last decade. (Read more)

The State of Florida and Google have joined forces to give Florida's small businesses free websites and online tools so that they can establish an internet presence. (Read more)

Beacon Hill Institute ranks Florida #1 in Government & Fiscal Policy--a great testament to the State leadership's commitment to growth and economic development. (Read more)

According to a new Goldman Sachs survey, Florida is outpacing the nation in creating new jobs. (Read more)

Florida companies dominated 2012 Exporter of the Year rankings. This year's Florida winners were Hernon Manufacturing, The Intermarket Group, and Marketing Arm International Inc. (Read more)

According to Fortune Magazinem Florida is home to more of America's Most Admired Companies than most all of the other U.S. states. (Read more)

With $64.8 billion in origin exports last year - 17 percent higher than 2010's total - Florida continues its reign as the nation's fourth largest export state. (Read more)

Tampa is home to a nascent start-up scene, and local government is particularly business-friendly, promising tax credits to businesses that locate in certain areas or work in one of a number of high-demand industries, including life sciences and sustainable energy. (Read more)

Florida continues its reign as one of the nation's best states for business, ranking among the top 5 states for favorable business tax climate. (Read more)

Florida ranks 8th on the Small Business Survival Index, which ranks the policy environment for entrepreneurship across the nation. (Read more)

Florida metros dominated Forbes' employment outlook rankings, winning 4 of the top 7 spots. (Read more)

Florida is home to 269 of America's leading companies -- the 5th largest number in the U.S. -- as reported on the recently released Inc 5,000 list. (more)

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Florida ranks 4th among the 50 states in its number of women-owned businesses, and many of them are exceptionally healthy, says a new survey by Florida International Unversity. (Read more)

U.S. corporate executives rank Florida's business climate among the Top 5 in America. (Read more)

Business Facilities has ranked Florida's business climate #4 in the nation. (Read more)

Florida is home to 2 of America's leading Cities of the Future, Orlando (#10) and Jacksonville (#14). (Read more)

Business Facilities has ranked Florida's business climate among the Top 5 in the nation. (Read more)

Four Florida counties (Palm Beach #1, Martin #4, Orange #7 & Leon #9) have been named national leaders in information and communications technology in their respective population categories in the 2011 Digital Counties Survey. (Read more)

CNN Money named two Florida schools, Indian River State College and Palm Beach State College, to its new list of America's ten most affordable colleges. (Read more)

Forbes has declared Orlando 1 of 10 U.S. metro areas most primed for growth in the coming decade. (Read more)

Orlando-Kissimmee has been ranked 8th on Monster.com's list of the nation's top 10 metro areas for jobs. (Read more)

The fact that there is a U.S. Export Assistance Center in Fort Lauderdale and the decision to relocate the office to Port Everglades is a testament to the current trade activity here and highlights the important partnership between the County and Federal Government which is sure to be strengthened by this move. (Read more)

The federal government has approved the Jacksonville Port Authority's bid to create an expanded foreign trade zone for Northeast Florida. (Read more)

California, Texas and Florida are the top states for veteran-owned businesses, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. (Read more)

Northeast Florida has won approval for Florida's first expanded foreign trade zone, which will give businesses a fast-track process for obtaining zone benefits. (Read more)

More than 500 CEOs considered a wide range of criteria, from taxation and regulation to workforce quality and living environment, to select Florida among the nation's Best States for Business. (Read more)

Fortune has named 16 Florida companies among the nation's leaders in their respective industries in the 2011 annual rankings. (Read more)

Florida's airports dominated the New York Times rankings for most competitive fare pricing. (Read more)

Palm Bay joined Duluth, Minn., Evanston, Ill., Buffalo, N.Y., and six other cities in earning the distinction of Best Places To Start a Business in 2011, according to the website Askmen.com. (Read more)

Wells Fargo ranks Florida #1 for high-growth industries and positive regional advantage, noting "the Sunshine State is making important enhancements to its university system to bring in more cutting-edge research, and this should pay off with an even better mix of high-growth industries in future years." (Read more)

Four Florida cities earned top marks as fDi Magazine American Cities of the Future, including Miami which ranked 7th overall. In terms of business friendliness in their respective size categories, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale ranked #1, followed by Miami at #2 and Tampa ranking 6th. (Read more)

Orlando and Jacksonville were both named to Kiplinger's list of eleven cities that are enjoying a surprising and welcome upward bounce. (Read more)

In Greater Fort Lauderdale, multinational firms find a safe haven and desirable tax climate for corporate operations. (Read more)

Florida is home to 4 of the nation's Best Cities for Minority Entrepreneurs: #5 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, #9 Orlando-Kissimmee, #14 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, #21 Jacksonville. (Read more)

A recent analysis showed that Orlando is the least expensive city in the U.S. for operating a corporate headquarters, followed by Oklahoma City, Jacksonville, Birmingham and San Antonio. (Read more)

The state-funded Florida Economic Gardening Institute is the first organization in the United States to receive Program Certification in the National Center for Economic Gardening's top-ranking Level Three, representing the highest engagement of economic gardening principles that is attainable. (Read more)

Tampa's Bayshore Solutions and Orlando-based Engineering and Computer Simulations were named among the nation's best small businesses by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. (Read more)

Check out the new Florida Business Smarts Blog to read what Florida's business community has to say. While you're there, add your thoughts and join the conversation. (Read more)

Growing by 17.8% over 2009, Florida is now officially the fourth largest export state in the United States. Florida's 2010 exports reached $55.2 billion, which surpassed the state's peak of $54.2 billion in 2008 - the height of the export boom. (Read more)

Jacksonville (#3) and Miami (#4) have been named among the 10 Happiest Cities To Work In America, as reported by CareerBliss and Forbes.com. (Read more)

In a new BizCosts.com report by The Boyd Co., Orlando has been named the nation's least expensive city to launch a corporate headquarters. Florida cities claimed 5 of the top 20 low cost leader spots, dominating the rankings. No other state placed more than one city on the top 20 list.

Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater and Orlando-Kissimmee have been ranked among the nation's Top 25 MSAs for small businesses. (Read more)

Through targeted business assistance, the Florida Economic Gardening Institute and its program GrowFL helped entrepreneurial growth companies create at least 418 jobs throughout the state in just its first year. (Read more)

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council recognized Florida among the top states for small business and entrepreneurship. The rankings measure the costs and burdens of government on small business, and policy areas that enable their competitiveness and growth. (Read more)

CNNMoney.com ranks Miami among the nation's top "8 cities that want your business" and praises The Launch Pad for working to turn the region's economy around. (Read more)

Florida ranks 7th in the nation for number of doctorate degrees awarded, and two Florida schools ranks among the top 50 in the U.S. (UF ranks 10th, FSU ranks 47th).

Orlando was 1 of only 7 U.S. cities recognized for utilizing the strengths of existing business as well as government and academia, to become a hotbed for the biotech, IT, renewable energy technologies, aerospace/defense, digital media, and a host of other high-tech endeavors. (Read more)

Florida scored high in several categories of the Kauffman Foundation's 2010 New Economy States rankings. The state ranked 4th in Entrepreneurial Activity, 5th in Economic Dynamism, 7th in Export Focus of Manufacturing & Services, and 10th in Inventor Patents. (Read more)

Florida's Business Climate was ranked 6th in the nation in Site Selection's annual survey of real estate consultants. (Read more)

The Tax Foundation has ranked Florida among the nation's Top 5 States for Business. (Read more)

Eight Florida companies have been named to Deloitte's Technology Fast 500. This is an annual ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America, based on fiscal year revenue growth from 2005 to 2009. (Read more)

Florida ranks 5th on the 2010 Inc 5,000 list of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies. More than 260 Florida companies that made this year's list. (Read more)

Florida companies won 2 of the 5 spots on the 2010 SCORE Client Awards. Naples-based Just Like Home Family Care won the Outstanding Woman-owned Business Award, and Cortez, FL's Translation Link won the Outstanding Small Business Launched by an Individual Aged 50 Award. (Read more)

Business Facilities Magazine ranks Panama City, FL ranks #1 in Top 10 Rankings for Metro Economic Growth Potential. Orlando also made the list, ranking #10 in Aerospace/Defense Manufacturing and #10 Most Wired. Tampa/St. Petersburg ranked #9 in Aerospace/Defense Manufacturing. (Read more)

Florida has been ranked number one in the nation for its workforce on CNBC's fourth annual America's Top States for Business rankings. The workforce rankings in CNBC's annual study are based on several indicators, including the education level of the workforce, the number of available workers, union membership and the relative success of each state's worker training programs in placing participants in jobs. (Read more)

FDi Magazine has ranked Jacksonville's Foreign Trade Zone the best port zone in the United States and the third best in the world. Shanghai, China and Tangier, Morocco ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively. (Read more)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Chamber Foundation have ranked Florida a national leader in infrastructure (#1) and workforce development & training (#2). Read the full report or view Florida's Profile to learn more.

With 119 ranked companies, Florida was the No. 1 state on the 2010 HispanicBusiness 500. (Read more)

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council ranks Florida's state tax system among the nation's Top 10 on its "Business Tax Index 2010: Best to Worst State Tax Systems for Entrepreneurship and Small Business." The index ranks the 50 states and District of Columbia according to the costs of their tax systems for entrepreneurship and small business. (Read more)

The Port of Jacksonville was one of only five North American ports that experienced container trade growth in 2009. In 2009, Jacksonville ranked 14th in the nation, followed by Miami at 15th. (Read more)

Florida ranked among the Top 10 states on Chief Executive's annual survey of best and worst states for business. More than 600 CEOs rated states on a wide range of criteria from taxation and regulation to workforce quality and living environment. (Read more)

Florida is home to three of the nation's top 20 metros for the creation and development of small businesses. (Read more)

Very competitive labor costs along with moderately-low office/industrial leasing and sales tax costs help make Tampa the least-costly place to do business among 22 U.S. cities/locations with populations exceeding 2 million. (Read more)

Seven Florida companies were named to Fortune Magazine's global list of "most admired" companies, earning top marks in their respective industry categories. (Read more)