Florida may be the top travel destination in the nation, but it offers so much more. The state’s deep-seated roots in American history, diverse mix of people and cultures, and opportunity economy offer locals and visitors an unparalleled quality of life.
The breathtaking backdrops and warm temperatures may get you here, but the state’s favorable business climate will make you stay. Chief Executive magazine rates Florida the No. 2 “Best State for Business” and the No. 1 in “quality of living environment.”
With beauty, brains, a strong economy and a wealth of diversity, there is no place quite like Florida.
HISTORY AND CULTURE
• Home to America’s oldest European settlement, St. Augustine, founded 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymout Rock and still attracting 5 million visitors annually
• A thriving arts scene, including the eclectic galleries/arts colonies of Bradenton, Sarasota, Naples and Key West and renowned works by surrealist Salvador Dali in St. Petersburg, Louis Comfort Tiffany in Winter Park and acclaimed artists of the Americas at the Pérez Art Museum Miami
• The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has a variety of exhibits, artifacts, training modules and attractions on the history and future of human and robotic spaceflight
EDUCATION
• Every Florida resident lives within 50 miles of a postsecondary educational institution
• 11 Florida high schools listed on U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 list of “Top 100 U.S. High Schools”
• 86% of Florida adults have a high school degree or higher
• Third in the nation for percentage of high school students passing at least one Advanced Placement exam
• Three universities among the top 50 worldwide for number of patents awarded
LEISURE
• 1,250 golf courses
• 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and waterways; 2,300 miles of tidal shoreline
• 161 state parks, plus 10 state trails, two national seashores and a national preserve
• Nine of the top 25 U.S. beaches on TripAdvisor’s list of “2015 Travelers’ Choice Awards”
• 10 professional sports franchises in baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer
• Headquarters for many sporting organizations and their world-class events, including NASCAR, the PGA Tour, LPGA and PGA of America, the United States Tennis Association, ATP and WTA tennis tours, and Florida Grapefruit League Spring Training
VALUE
• No personal income tax
• Cost of living below that of comparable states with similar growth and in-migration rates
• Florida offers sales and use tax exemptions to manufacturing industry
HEALTHCARE
• More than 300 medical and surgical hospitals, including Moffitt Cancer Center, a designated National Cancer Institute treatment facility
• 33 Florida hospitals were included on U.S. News & World Report’s list of “Best Hospitals 2015”; six were ranked among the top 50 nationwide in one or more medical specialties
