About Florida

Your place for business success

Florida really has it all for business: favorable tax policies, streamlined regulations, competitive cost of doing business, a large talent pool, global connectivity, a huge marketplace. Labor and land are more affordable than other industry centers like California and New York. Florida is also renowned for being one of the most livable states. It's an ideal place for companies to call home. As a leading economic development partner in the region, our mission is to attract, retain and assist businesses relocating or expanding in Florida.

Florida's technology, education and research sectors are booming, and the region is encouraging this growth with a wealth of incentives and other advantages. Regulatory agencies have streamlined the permitting process, and the state offers access to public and private funding for growing businesses.

Recent stats and accolades

• 21st-largest economy in the world (BEA & IMF)
• Population of 19,552,860, fourth-largest in the nation and larger than Chile, the Netherlands and Greece (Census Bureau)
• 95 million tourists visit each year (VISIT FL)
• More than $158 billion in annual merchandise trade (WISER)
• More than $800 billion in state GDP, the fourth-largest in the U.S. and more than the GDP for Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and Argentina (BEA)
• More than $815 billion in personal income, No. 1 in the Southeast (BEA)

Business-friendly climate

• No personal income tax
• No. 1 state for renewed consideration post-recession among site consultants (Area Development)
• No. 2 best state for business (Chief Executive)
• No. 2 best business climate (Business Facilities)
• No. 2 for access to capital and funding (Area Development)
• Third-lowest private-sector unionization rate (unionstats.com)
• Top 5 business environment (Area Development)
• Top 5 business tax climate (Tax Foundation, Business Facilities)
• Top 5 small business and entrepreneur-friendly policies (SBE Council)
• Expedited permitting process and regulatory assistance are available
• Targeted industry incentives including sales and use tax exemptions, and tax credits and refunds for capital investment, R&D and job creation
• No. 2 for transportation infrastructure (Business Facilities)
• No. 3 best state for business by CEOs (Chief Executive)

Modern infrastructure

• No. 2 for infrastructure (Business Facilities)
• 15 deepwater seaports, 19 commercial service airports, 2 spaceports, 12,000+ miles of highways, nearly 3,000 miles of freight rail track routes (FDOT)
• "Florida has one of the world's most extensive multimodal transportation systems, including international airports, deepwater shipping ports, extensive highway and rail networks, and multiple hubs" (Area Development)
• Two of the world's busiest airports: MIA – Miami International Airport, MCO; Orlando International Airport (Airports Council International)
• Among the nation’s top 10 states for both inland waterways (No. 7: 1,540 miles) and port cargo (No. 7: $96.8 million short tons) (American Society of Civil Engineers)

Talented workforce

• 9.6 million civilian labor force, more than double the population of Ireland (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• No. 1 in innovation (Fast Company)
• No. 3 most diverse labor pool: “Florida has a large pool of highly skilled workers that is especially strong for high-tech industries and international trade” (Area Development)
• No. 4 for workforce (CNBC)
• No. 4 in talent pipeline (National Chamber Foundation)
• No. 4 in workforce training (Business Facilities)
• No. 5 in education climate (Business Facilities)
• No. 5 in high-tech employment in the U.S. (TechAmerica)
• No. 1 in smartest cities rankings, the only state with more than one winner; home to three of the nation’s top-ranked smart cities (Movoto)

Thriving companies

• No. 3 for high-tech establishments (TechAmerica)
• No. 4 in attracting private equity investment (Private Equity Growth Capital Council)
• No. 4 in women-owned businesses (Census Bureau)

Reliable, safe, affordable electricity

Because of our stability and financial strength, we can assure our transmission and distribution systems deliver safe, high-quality, reliable and affordable electric service. Our service availability is among the highest in the nation.

We're one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Our regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.2 million customers located in six states across the Southeast and Midwest. Our commercial power and international business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., we're a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information is available in the Our Company section of this site.