Why Do Business in Northwest Florida?

Northwest Florida was identified as one of the original U.S. Department of Labor WIRED regions and received a grant in the amount of $15 million. Established regionally as a matching grant program, it translated into a minimum $30 million investment in talent development addressing the high-wage, high-skill workforce needs in the target industries of Aviation, Aerospace, Defense and National Security; Life Sciences; Information Technology; Engineering; Renewable Energy and Environment; Distribution, Transportation and Logistics; and Construction Product Manufacturing and Distribution.

CareSource Florida

FloridaJobs.org

The University of West Florida has serviced more than 100,000 students from all over the world in currently enrolls more than 10,000 in its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and College of Professional Studies. UWF has conferred more than 60,000 bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees. UWF’s research centers are nationally recognized and include the Archaeology Institute and the Center for Environmental Diagnostics and bioremediation.

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With parent and branch locations strategically dispersed, Northwest Florida’s community and state colleges service populations from dually enrolled high school students to traditional students, to those interested in lifelong learning. The diverse blend of institutions across the region share a common thread in that all are dedicated to providing a quality education and preparing tomorrow’s workforce for a globally competitive environment. All are committed to supplying Northwest Florida with a robust, talented workforce and to ensure this, educational administrators are actively involved with local business communities to make certain they offer the programs required to meet employers’ needs.

Chipola College

Gulf Coast Community College

Northwest Florida State College

Pensacola State College

NW Florida boasts the best in coastal living without the crowds of major Florida metropolitan areas. White sand beaches, southern hospitality, cultural and historic treasures and a reasonable cost of living render this region an excellent choice for you, your family and your employees.

Learn more:

• Northwest Florida's Emerald Coast 
• Visit Pensacola
• Visit South Walton

Florida has:

• NO corporate income tax on limited partnerships
• NO corporate income tax on subchapter S-corporations
• NO state personal income tax, guaranteed by constitutional provision
• NO corporate franchise tax on capital stock
• NO sales/use tax on co-generation of electricity
• NO property tax on business inventories
• NO property tax on goods-in-transit for up to 180 days
• NO sales and use tax on goods manufactured or produced in Florida for export outside the state
• NO sales tax on purchases of raw materials incorporated in a final product for resale, including non-reusable containers or packaging
• NO state-level property tax assessed

Florida also offers Sales and Use Tax Exemptions on:

• Machinery and equipment used by a new or expanding Florida business to manufacture, produce or process tangible personal property for sale
• Labor, parts and materials used in repair of and incorporated into machinery and equipment
• Electricity used in the manufacturing process
• Certain boiler fuels (including natural gas) used in the manufacturing process
• Semiconductor, defense and space technology-based industry transactions involving manufacturing equipment
• Machinery and equipment used predominantly in research and development
• Labor component of research and development expenditures
• Commercial space activity — launch vehicles, payloads and fuel, machinery and equipment for production of items used exclusively at Spaceport Florida
• Aircraft parts, modification, maintenance and repair, sale or lease of qualified aircraft
• Production companies engaged in Florida in the production of motion pictures, made for television motion pictures, television series, commercial music videos or sound recordings.

Northwest Florida is a natural transportation hub served by an excellent transportation system including air, rail and deep water shipping. The region is ideally situated, as close to a major midwestern market such as St. Louis as it is to Miami. By rail or truck, Memphis, Washington, D.C. or Dallas, are all within a two-day reach. Atlanta, Jacksonville and New Orleans are just a day away.

An extensive highway system of primary Interstate and regional highways make Northwest Florida one of the best trucking regions in the United States. The industry is deregulated, often lowering costs. More trucking freight enters Florida than exits, resulting in more favorable outward bound rates.

The rail system provides service to the entire eastern half of the United States and single system traffic to the Pacific Northwest. Spurs are also available to many of the region’s industrial parks, including full-service to the ports of Pensacola and Panama City.

Several major air carriers serve the region. With three commercial airports, your corporation is within minutes of passenger, air freight and express service, plus other private and executive air travel facilities.

Pensacola and Panama City are the sites of two deep water ports with dockside facilities. Each year, two million tons of imports and exports pass through the ports. Sixty steamship lines utilize our waterway system. The Gulf Intercoastal Waterway provides access to barge traffic, connecting with the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway and the Mississippi River farther west.

Northwest Florida’s geography puts your corporation in the best logistical position of any Southeastern corporate site.