Be glad were not California.
Florida has been knocked out of the top five rankings of the best states in which to do business by Chief Executive Magazine, but it still holds a spot in the list of the top 10 business-friendly states. And its high above California, which has held the bottom spot on the list for the last several years.
After canvassing more than 651 CEOs nationally, the magazine reported in its current issue that Florida fell from third to sixth place, just above Georgia, in its Best and Worst States for Business 2010 survey.
Ive just gotten off of the phone with reporters from states that would have killed to be in the Top 10, said Marshall Cooper, CEO and publisher of Chief Executive Magazine.
Florida is in good company in the rankings. Texas and North Carolina continue to hold onto their respective first and second place rankings from last year. They are followed by Tennessee, Virginia, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Utah and South Carolina.
The sixth annual listing of business-friendly states, and Washington, D.C., rates the states on regulation and taxation, quality of the workforce and living environment.
In an analysis, Chief Executive Magazine, which has about 40,000 CEO readers, noted that Texas continued to perform the best of all states because of its pro-business government that offers reasonable regulation and low taxes. California, on the other hand, is "anti-business with anti-business regulations."
Floridas lower rank doesnt mean the state is doing terribly,because its still in the Top 10, said Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. But it is a sign that it's not competing well with other states vying to attract jobs in the recession.
Its not that Floridas getting much worse, Wilson said. Its that other states are more serious about job creation.
Wilson said, to rise in the rankings, Florida needs to concentrate on reforming its education system and removing regulatory hurdles to business development. The state needs to stay out of job creation and make it easier for the private sector to create jobs.
Our next governor is going to have to make Florida more competitive for businesses, he said.
Robert Weissert, spokesman for the pro-business, nonprofit Florida TaxWatch, said that Florida often performs pretty well because of its lack of a state income tax and reasonable state taxes. But,unlike other states, high local taxes count for half of the property tax, and they discourage migration and development in the state, he said.
Florida should pass legislation that will authorize Internet and out-of-state vendors to voluntarily collect sales tax on purchases to bring in more state revenue and lessen the cost of living here, Weissert said. It also needs to capitalize on its proximity to the Panama Canal in preparation of the canals widening to allow larger boats. That project isscheduled for completion in 2014.
We need to make sure were looking ahead, he said.
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Top 10 states
State Current Ranking 2009 Ranking
Texas 1 1
North Carolina 2 2
Tennessee 3 5
Virginia 4 7
Nevada 5 6
Florida 6 3
Georgia 7 4
Colorado 8 10
Utah 9 15
S. Carolina 10 9
Reach Alex Tiegen at Alex.Tiegen@gmail.com or (561) 329-5389.
