Florida is committed to increasing its global competitiveness as a destination for business, capital, talent, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The Department of Economic Opportunity utilizes public and private sector expertise to attract, retain and grow businesses and create jobs in Florida. The links on this page will connect you with those partners and opportunities that will assist you in locating, retaining and growing your business in Florida or for easy access see the index of programs and services.
Florida has developed a business-friendly environment where an entrepreneurial spirit, competitive costs and streamlined regulations are the drivers that enable businesses like yours to innovate and grow. Learn how to benefit from Florida's business advantages. Florida understands your business needs and stands ready to welcome you with its creative workforce, global connectivity and high quality of life.
Florida has a large economic market, great infrastructure, vibrant industry sectors, smart workforce, and geography perfect for easy global connectivity, in addition to its business-friendly climate and high quality of life.
- Florida Industry Specific Resources are available for film, sports, logistics and tourism and for Florida's leading industry clusters. The leading industry clusters include clean technology, life sciences, information technology, aviation and aerospace, logistics and distribution, homeland security and defense, and financial and professional services. The State is also focusing economic development efforts with the strategic areas of emphasis being manufacturing, locating corporate headquarters and emerging technologies.
Florida provides many opportunities for large and growing businesses. The state’s robust support tools for business expansion and extensive international trade resources provide timely and practical assistance. To expand your small business, please see the small business resources provided below.
Florida offers a variety of programs and services to help Florida companies expand globally, including seven Enterprise Florida Trade Offices, located throughout the state, to provide export counseling and advice to Florida manufacturers, export intermediaries, and services companies.
Wanted: Entrepreneurs! Florida small business owners have the support of an extensive network of state, federal and local financing opportunities and resources ready to assist with everything from business plan writing to accounting and marketing. Florida's principal provider of business assistance, the Florida Small Business Center Development Network has over 35 years of experience helping businesses start, grow and succeed.
Programs and Incentives
The following programs and incentives are available to Florida’s businesses and communities to spur investment and fuel job growth.
- Community Contribution Tax Credit Program
The Community Contribution Tax Credit Program provides a financial incentive (up to 50% tax credit or sales tax refund) to encourage Florida businesses to make donations toward community development and housing projects for low-income persons. The tax credit is easy for a business to receive. Businesses located anywhere in Florida that make donations to approved community development projects may receive a tax credit of up to 50 percent of the value of the donation.
- Florida’s Brownfield Area Loan Guarantee Program
Florida’s Brownfield Area Loan Guarantee Program is just one of the Brownfield incentives available for developers of Brownfield sites. The limited state loan guaranty applies only to 50 percent of the primary lender’s loan for redevelopment projects in Brownfield areas with two exceptions for healthcare facilities or affordable housing provided they meet the requirements.
For additional information on redevelopment in a Brownfield visit the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s website and the Florida Brownfields Association’s website.
- Florida Enterprise Zone Program
The Florida Enterprise Zone Program offers an assortment of tax incentives to businesses that choose to create employment within an enterprise zone, which is a specific geographic area targeted for economic revitalization. These include a sales and use tax credit, tax refund for business machinery and equipment used in an enterprise zone, sales tax refund for building materials used in an Enterprise Zone, and a sales tax exemption for electrical energy used in an enterprise zone.
- Florida New Markets Development Program
The New Markets Development Program was established to encourage capital investment in rural and urban low-income communities. It allows taxpayers to earn credits against specified taxes by investing in qualified community development entities that make qualified low-income community investments in qualified active low-income community businesses to create and retain jobs.
- Grow Florida: Florida's Economic Gardening Technical Assistance Program
Economic gardening is a philosophy that embraces strategies to grow existing businesses in a community, region or state and is the basis for the entrepreneurship programs at the Florida Economic Gardening Institute (Grow Florida). Grow Florida is now a critical component to Florida’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and the state’s overall economic development strategy.
- Minority-Owned Business Assistance
Florida assists developing and expanding minority-owned business enterprises by evaluating their unmet needs for capital, providing technical assistance and creating partnerships between state and local governments and private enterprises to aid in business development. Find out more about the Black Business Loan Program and other resources available to minority businesses.
- Rural and Urban Job Tax Credit Programs
The Rural and Urban Job Tax Credit Programs offer a job creation incentive for eligible businesses located within one of the 36 designated rural areas or within one of the 13 designated urban areas.
- State Small Business Credit Initiative
The State Small Business Credit Initiative programs include the Florida Capital Access Program, Florida Venture Capital Program and the Small Business Loan Support Program. These programs will provide Florida's small businesses access to debt and venture capital financing that may not otherwise be available.