Business Environment

In Northwest Florida you'll find a spirit of flexibility, cooperation and appreciation for all businesses, big and small. The area has consistently been recognized by national authorities as a prime area for new plant locations and corporate headquarters.

Within the ten county region, there are 23 fully developed industrial parks and many other developed sites. In addition to water, sewage, electricity and natural gas, most have rail service, airport facilities, deep water port and barge service.

Whatever it takes to power your corporation, it's here and readily available.

The region enjoys an almost limitless supply of fresh water, nearly half of it from a Florida aquifer. Nowhere in the nation is there water of greater purity (99.992 percent).

Northwest Florida's electricity is provided primarily by Gulf Power Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the largest power utilities in the world. Southern Company provides electricity to more than 4.4 million people over a 120,000 square mile area in four states.

Natural gas is supplied to the region through large capacity transmission lines by several national and regional sources.

Import oil terminals are located in two deep water shipping ports.

Northwest Florida has a strong commitment to business. A spirit of cooperation exists among state and local leaders who realize and appreciate what new and expanding businesses mean to the region. One such cooperation is "Florida's Great Northwest", a coalition designed to recruit and expand business in the region.

This attitude ensures government assistance to firms locating in the area.