State shines in national rankings

The past few weeks have been good times for Florida when it comes to national rankings of business climates and the factors that make a state good for economic growth. Recent highlights include:

State was voted the second best in the country for business in a survey of corporate executives compiled by Development Counsellors International, a New York City-based economic development consulting firm.

Florida, with 18% of the votes from 356 respondents, pushed North Carolina out of the No. 2 spot. Texas ranked first, with 49.7%, while North Carolina and Georgia were tied for third place. South Carolina and Tennessee were the next two states. Executives who voted for Florida cite the state's tax climate and “pro-business environment,” the survey states.

One more parcel of good news from that survey is Enterprise Florida, the state economic development arm, ranked sixth in a DCI poll of “best in class” regional economic development organizations. The survey, “Winning Strategies in Economic Development Marketing,” has been conducted every three years since 1996.

State has the fifth-best tax climate in the U.S., according to the 2015 State Business Tax Climate Index, an annual report from the Tax Foundation.

Florida ranked fifth in the index last year, too. The report from the nonpartisan foundation measures a state's tax code in multiple variables of five categories: corporate, individual income, sales, property and unemployment insurance taxes. States are flagged for complex and burdensome levies and are rewarded for transparent and neutral tax codes.

In earning its fifth place ranking, Florida scored first in individual income tax structure; third in unemployment insurance tax structure; 12th in sales tax structure; 14th in corporate tax structure; and 16th in property tax structure.

State ranked 12th in Site Selection magazine's 2014 top state business climate rankings.

That's up one spot from last year, yet the state lags behind many others in the south. The top three states in Site Selection's survey are Georgia, Louisiana and North Carolina. Other top 10 states include South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama.