Plans to attract major aerospace companies to Volusia County could get a boost Thursday and Friday when more than 150 industry leaders come to town for a conference at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It’s the spring meeting for the Aerospace Alliance, which includes aerospace leaders from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. With the presence of big-name companies such as Airbus, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin — Florida’s largest industrial employer — and NASA, these … [Read more...]
Regional and State Unemployment Report – March 2015
Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed in March. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia had unemployment rate decreases from February, 12 states had increases, and 15 states had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The national jobless rate was unchanged from February at 5.5 percent and was 1.1 percentage points lower than in March 2014. Florida had the 6th lowest unemployment rate (5.7 percent), tied with New York and the second largest … [Read more...]
Venture Hive To Open Accelerator For Veteran-Owned Tech Startups
Venture Hive, the Miami-based entrepreneurship education company, is partnering with the city of Fort Walton Beach to launch a national accelerator for veteran-owned businesses. Venture Hive will provide selected veteran-owned tech businesses with business coaching, customized training and a relevant network to scale their ventures, driving the economic growth of the region. Fort Walton Beach has allocated $500,000 to the initiative and will provide renovated space to house the Venture Hive … [Read more...]
Enterprise Zone Editorial in Saturday’s Herald Tribune
The Florida Enterprise Zone Program dates to 1982, a time when the country was in recession and many communities were undergoing deep economic changes. Manufacturing was moving overseas, crippling industrial cities. Suburban development patterns that began after World War II had firmly taken root, pushing new commercial and residential development to the fringes. Older neighborhoods often became decrepit and less desirable and city centers struggled with empty storefronts. Minority-owned … [Read more...]
Marketing Florida As ‘The Only State To Master The Sun And The Cloud’
Using images of sand sculptures in magazine ads, business boosters are marketing Florida to the nation and the world as not just a sun-and-fun tourist destination but as an economic super state. Now they want the Legislature to chip in $20 million to expand the marketing campaign to include TV ads in major U.S. and foreign cities. The idea is to brand Florida as a high-tech business haven with low taxes: "the only state to master the sun and the Cloud." Florida has long spent big bucks … [Read more...]
Florida’s Cruise Industry Poised For More Growth
Florida's cruise industry is expected to see more growth, according to the new economic report from independent research institute Florida TaxWatch. The more than 9 million cruise passengers that sailed through state seaports in 2013 generated $7.3 billion in direct spending, the report from the nonprofit group in Tallahassee concluded. Florida's cruise industry welcomes more cruise passengers than any other state in the nation, Florida TaxWatch said. The state is home to three of the world's … [Read more...]
Manufacturing Sales Tax Exemption Aimed At Economic Growth
Gov. Rick Scott is asking the Legislature to make a manufacturing sales tax exemption proposed in his 2015-16 budget a permanent measure to give Florida businesses a real opportunity for growth. “Any time the company has an opportunity to grow, machinery purchases are a huge part of that,” said Terry Ellis, vice president of business development at WestPoint Home in Chipley. Manufacturing employs more than 317,000 Floridians. The sales tax exemption covering manufacturing machinery and … [Read more...]
Florida Lawmakers Show Little Desire To Keep Enterprise Zones
Florida's enterprise zone program, which offers state and local incentives to entice businesses to set up or expand in poor and blighted areas, is in jeopardy. The program sunsets on Dec. 31, and a Senate bill that would extend it is stalled with less than two weeks left in the legislative session. Groups such as the Florida Association of Counties and the Florida League of Cities say the program's demise would hurt local redevelopment efforts and are lobbying to extend the program and make it … [Read more...]
Holmes County Development Commission Plans Branding And Grant Search
The Holmes County Development Commission hopes a new branding campaign and seeking out possible rural development grants will give developers more reasons to glance in Holmes County’s direction. It’s no secret rural counties rely – and thrive – heavily on state and federal grants that help economic expansion projects transpire. Realtor Mike Alvis intrigued commissioners by reading an article highlighting how Washington County commissioners committed $2.8 million in funding over the next 20 … [Read more...]
Volusia Officials Try to Lure Private Space Company Blue Origin To Oak Hill
While local economic development officials wait to see what happens next in their quest to lure an aerospace manufacturer to Volusia County, the company they’ve been hoping to attract has been revealed as Blue Origin, the private commercial space flight company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson confirmed last week that he personally has talked to Bezos. “I and a number of others are working hard to attract new business to Florida’s Space Coast,” Nelson said. “Among … [Read more...]
