A new study by Chief Executive Magazine ranks Florida at the top of the list, second only to Texas for the best state to do business. The news is no surprise to CEOs in Pasco County, Florida, many of whom moved to Florida for its low taxes, light regulation and quality of life.

Some of the comments from CEOs in their survey included:

“Florida is becoming a hot bed for key industry clusters such as aviation, life science, corporate HQs and hedge funds.”

“Florida [has the] lowest tax structure, best climate, good governor, focus in reducing unnecessary state and local bureaucracy, improving K-12 education system and great higher education system and access.”

“Florida has a governor who is committed to job growth and lessening red tape.”

It’s true! Florida is one of the BEST places to do business in the nation.

But where is the best place to do business in Florida? Our answer is Tampa Bay. And specifically, Pasco County. That’s right! Pasco County not only touts the incredible benefits that Florida already offers companies looking to relocate, but the County has stepped ahead to provide even more benefits above and beyond what the State of Florida offers.

Pasco County’s local incentives are extremely competitive. Did you know? If a company moves to Pasco and creates 10 or more qualifying jobs with an average wage above $37,000, the County will write it a check for $2,000 per employee. No other county in Florida offers this program.

Are you looking for a new location for your company’s headquarters? Does your company need a southeast division? Look no further than Pasco County. Contact us today for a customized report on the benefits and savings specific to your company.

KaBOOM! selected New Port Richey for its outstanding dedication to play. New Port Richey is working to improve the quality of their current parks, while involving the community in the process. After identifying that residents were often unfamiliar with the location of recreational facilities, the city launched an initiative to raise the visibility of the parks and recreation department in the community through school programming and community events.

Today’s generation of children play less than any previous generation despite the vast benefits of play. The Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive and physical well-being of children.

“Live, Work, Play” is the motto that the City of New Port Richey lives by. The “Playful City USA” organization has only been around for the past 6 years. It has been 5 years in a row that New Port Richey has received the “Playful City USA” recognition.

These Playful City USA Communities are making a commitment to play and physical activity by developing unique local action plans to increase the quantity and quality of play in their community.

Congratulations to the City of New Port Richey for receiving the National recognition of a “Playful City USA Community” for the fifth year in a row.

For more information on the KaBOOM! Playful City USA program, visit www.playfulcityusa.org.

Business leaders, community leaders, students and faculty had the chance to tour the new 135,000 square-foot residence life center at Saint Leo University last week. The $22 million complex consists of two buildings with a shared courtyard, and suite-style dorms housing a total of 300 students.

But, this is no ordinary dorm. You could say it is the difference between staying at a hotel, and staying at a resort with all the amenities you could want! Like something you would see on The Jetsons, the dorms include a hi-tech relaxation room with energy pods, where students can take quick naps to give them an energy boost for their day.  But that’s not all! The new dorms are complete with four large flat screen TVs, a fitness room with treadmills and equipment, and a game room with pool tables, pinball, Foosball and video games.

Fans of the Animal Planet TV show “Tanked” will love the new 2,100-gallon aquarium designed by Wayde King and Brett Raymer, owners of Las Vegas-based Acrylic Tank Manufacturing. The huge fish tank is the centerpiece of the dormitory lounge and will be featured on the TV show in November!

Source: College life goes luxe at Saint Leo University, Tampa Tribune (TBO.com)

Don’t believe it? Take a look for yourself and see what the students are saying about their new digs:

What is PascoCounty.TV? The Pasco Economic Development Council is very soon launching a TV web channel showcasing Pasco County and Tampa Bay as the best place for your business. The video above is just a glimpse of what is soon to come. Look for an announcement later this week!

Silicon Valley in 1953. Source: NPR.org

It all started with lots of land covered with farms and orchards.  No, we’re not talking about Pasco County, we’re talking about Silicon Valley. Due to the buzz about Facebook going public, NPR released a story about how Silicon Valley came to be. We can’t help but look at the history of Silicon Valley and notice the similarities of that California region on the verge of greatness and Pasco County here in Tampa Bay.  Pasco County like Silicon Valley has thousands of entitled acres and instead of vineyards, Pasco has plenty of orange groves, kumquats too! Like Pasco they had the land, now all they needed were brilliant people.

According to NPR’s recent story on the creation of Silicon Valley, Silicon Valley needed four ingredients to begin, first it needed brilliant scientists.  It started in 1956 when William Shockley won the nobel peace prize for his co-invention of a transistor. Since birds of a feather flock together, Shockley soon attracted more brilliant scientists to Silicon Valley.

Over the last few years we have seen brilliant engineers, scientists and the like make the move to Pasco County. Take a look at Power Quality International (PQI) who makes transformers that reduce the power system, load losses, and improve efficiency for engineers. They have a long list of “firsts to invent” and are revolutionizing the transformer industry.

Next to Pasco comes Tim Tangredi of Dais Analytic with “industry-changing” nanotechnology applications that address the growth of global water and energy demand. It put the Pasco-based company in the #2 position on the Top 12 energy companies to watch in 2012 in Forbes Magazine.

Brilliance… we’ve got brilliance.

The second ingredient for Silicon Valley was a spirit of entrepreneuship.

Pasco County is on a trek of entrepreneurship. It started when all of the local non-profits got together in a collaborative effort to create a strong referral network for entrepreneurs wanting to start their own business – the Pasco Enterprise Network. Our PEN Partners provide consulting, counseling, education, and technical assistance in a variety of areas and subjects for those looking to start their own business or grow their small business.

To add to that, Pasco EDC began their own microloan fund this year to help entrepreneurs and emerging small businesses who can’t get traditional financing. It provides an alternative for those who may have a really great idea and the experience to put it in action, but lack the funding.

The spirit of entrepreneurship in Pasco County is at an all-time high!

Could we be raising the next Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Mark Zuckerberg here in Pasco County? You betcha… only time will tell!

Source: A Rare Mix Created Silicon Valley’s Startup Culture, NPR.org, 04/04/12

DID YOU KNOW? Tampa Bay has emerged as the preferred destination for corporate shared services operations – a claim easily backed up with the fact that 10% of the Fortune 50 and 9% of the Fortune 100 have located here.

Tampa Bay hosts more than 40 back office and shared services operations that employ over 40,000 local residents. Major financial firms include:

• Raymond James Financial
• T. Rowe Price
• JPMorgan Treasury Technologies
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• Franklin Templeton
• Citigroup

Other big names in Tampa Bay are:

• Coca Cola Enterprises
• FedEx LTL Administrative Center
• Geico Direct
• Lockheed Martin
• MetLife
• State Farm Insurance

Key decision factors that brought these companies to Tampa Bay:

• Access to human resources talent – particularly four year college trained individuals. There are over 64,000 four-year college students in the area.

• Tampa International Airport – non-stop access to nearly 70 major North American cities with competitive fares.
• Attitude toward business – the local governments and business leaders have a strong interest in supporting the growth of back office and shared services operations in the Tampa Bay area.
• Competitive operating costs – the cost of labor and real estate is substantially less than in New York City. Labor is estimated at 15-20%+ less than in New York City and real estate is estimated at 50-70% less than in New York City.

Why wait?  Why not make the move to Pasco County. We’ve got thousands of entitled acres, I-75 access and a huge talent pool waiting for you!

JPMorgan Treasury Technologies