Did you know the Florida Chamber of Commerce began in 1916 as “The Florida Cattle Tick Eradication Committee?” It’s true. Since then, the Chamber has been fighting for Florida’s economy for more than a century, addressing challenges and providing support in agriculture, aerospace, tourism, health sciences, military and defense and more. The Florida Chamber of Commerce is a tremendous asset for our economic well-being, and it continues to step up its game. Recently, the Chamber released “Florida 2030” and “The Florida Scorecard” through the Florida Chamber Foundation.
The Florida 2030 report was borne from a two-year research program that engaged business and community leaders in each of Florida’s 67 counties. Florida 2030 identified key state and local trends and the factors that drive regional economies. This work is critical because by 2030, Florida will be home to a projected 26 million people, creating a need for more than 1.5 million new jobs. The Florida Chamber is working to prepare for this growth with strategies that develop high wage employment, diversify economies across the state, and boost our international and domestic competitiveness.
The Florida Chamber Foundation structured its recommendations what they called “The Six Pillars.” These six goals are vital to state economic success. They are also critical considerations for local economies like Charlotte County (just substitute “Charlotte County” whenever you see “Florida” and you can visualize our future economic challenges):
FLORIDA 2030: THE SIX PILLARS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH
- IMPROVE FLORIDA’S TALENT PIPELINE FOR A BETTER WORKFORCE
- PREPARE FLORIDA’S INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SMART GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
- MAKE GOVERNMENT AND CIVICS MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE
- CREATE GOOD JOBS BY DIVERSIFYING FLORIDA’S ECONOMY
- BUILD THE PERFECT CLIMATE FOR BUSINESS
- CHAMPION FLORIDA’S QUALITY OF LIFE
THE FLORIDA SCORECARD
To support “Florida 2030,” the Florida Chamber Foundation published the “Florida Scorecard.” It’s an interactive tool that provides local business and civic stakeholders with the metrics they need to measure progress in their communities, matched against state totals. These metrics include:
- Third grade reading scores
- Poverty rate
- Percentage of residents over 25 with an Associates Degree or better
- Florida’s chances of a recession
- Florida’s Industry Diversification ranking
- Florida’s high school graduation rate
You can learn more about The Florida Scorecard at https://thefloridascorecard.org/
To explore Florida 2030, go here: https://www.flchamber.com/florida-2030/
It’s important that we understand these visionary reports and metrics and do our best to apply them to Charlotte County. Now, if you really want to geek out, here are the drilled-down, detailed goals for the Six Pillars from the Florida Chamber Foundation.
- IMPROVE FLORIDA’S TALENT PIPELINE FOR A BETTER WORKFORCE
- More than 80% of Florida’s workforce has essential employability skills
- More than 60% of Floridians 25-64 have a high-value postsecondary certificate, degree, or training experience
- 95% of entering high school students graduate within 4 years
- 100% of Florida 8th graders read & perform math at or above grade level
- 100% of Florida 3rd graders read at or above grade level
- 100% of children are ready for kindergarten
- PREPARE FLORIDA’S INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SMART GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Diverse, attainable housing to meet future demand
- Every resident has access to public and private mobility services
- All major population and economic centers connected to regional, national, and global markets by high-capacity corridors
- World’s most capable spaceport; top tier airports, seaports, and surface transportation hubs in U.S.
- 100% of Florida residents have access to high-speed communications connectivity
- Diverse and reliable energy, water, and waste management resources to meet future demand
- All Florida residents protected by resiliency plans
- MAKE GOVERNMENT AND CIVICS MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE
- 100% of state agencies aligned with Florida 2030 goals
- 100% of regional economic development plans aligned with Florida 2030 goals
- 100% of Florida residents covered by regional visioning processes
- Increased size and impact of nonprofit and philanthropic sectors
- Doubling the rate of Floridians who volunteer and participate in civic and public service, moving us from the bottom to the top quartile
- CREATE GOOD JOBS BY DIVERSIFYING FLORIDA’S ECONOMY
- Top state for gross domestic product and top quartile most diversified state economy
- #1 state for overseas visitors
- Goods exports double and services exports triple
- Top 5 state for manufacturing jobs
- Top 3 state for technology jobs
- #1 state for business startups
- Top 3 state for venture capital investments
- Top 3 state for research and development funding and patents issued
- Rural county share of Florida gross domestic product doubles
- BUILD THE PERFECT CLIMATE FOR BUSINESS
- Actuarilly sound property insurance rates based on actual risk and competition
- #1 business tax climate in the nation
- Regulatory, labor, and operating risk environments rated among top 5 in the nation
- Environmental permitting and local land use processes rated among top quartile in the nation
- Occupational licensing laws among top 5 in the nation
- Legal climate improves to top quartile in the nation
- CHAMPION FLORIDA’S QUALITY OF LIFE
- Top 5 state for overall well being
- Florida’s brand and reputation as best place to live, work, raise a family, visit, learn, play, relocate, and compete remains top in the nation
- Less than 10% of Florida children live in poverty and 100% have a pathway out
- Less than 10% of Florida residents live in housing-cost burdened households
- Crime rates rank among the lowest 10 states
- Florida protects and enhances the value of its arts, culture, heritage, and sense of place