[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Overview of the St. Petersburg, FL Economy
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[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Strategically located on Florida’s Gulf Coast, is St. Petersburg, the State’s fourth largest city. It is also the gateway to Florida’s High Tech Corridor and the hub of one of the most progressive regions in the United States for business. The “Sunshine City”, as it is known, has a long tradition of thoughtful planning, outstanding infrastructure, rich cultural amenities and cooperative government. This tradition is what makes business owners flock here and residents beam with pride. St. Petersburg, roughly 58 square miles and surrounded by sparkling blue water on three sides, has 234 miles of exquisite shoreline. With an average temperature of 73.7º and an average of 361 days of sunshine a year, there’s no question about why this is the “Sunshine City”. But this sub-tropical paradise is also home to a diverse and resilient industry base and strong, supportive job market.
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[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]St. Petersburg’s major industries, marine science, light manufacturing, financial services, information technology, and medical technology, have all found the City an inviting and invigorating business address. The vibrant Tampa Bay area is home to over 2.3 million people, making it the largest metropolitan area in Florida and the 13th largest metropolitan area in the United States. The region’s gross metropolitan product, almost $80 billion, has grown by 97.1% since 1990 making it the 25th largest economy in the United States.
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[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]St. Petersburg is one of the easiest and most inexpensive places to conduct your business and a place where you can take advantage of the hottest labor market in the U.S. The City’s greatest attribute is without a doubt, its workforce With over 1.2 million people, the region’s workforce pool is highly productive. St. Petersburg is part of the #1 metro area in the U.S. for job growth, with a job growth rate two times the national average and was named #1 market in the Southeast for job announcements by Southern Business & Development magazine. In addition to this, the County has the highest workforce to population ratio in the region (51.32%) and Florida is a right-to-work state by constitutional provision. Poised to become the nation’s next major market, the Tampa Bay area was ranked the #1 Best Place for Business and Careers in Florida by Forbes magazine and the Milken Institute (#17 in the United States), the #1 Mega-Market of the Year by Southern Business and Development Magazine and the #19 Hottest City for Manufacturing Expansion and Relocation by Expansion Management Magazine.
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[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]The City’s superb transportation, telecommunication and utility infrastructure allows business to get done efficiently and quickly. In fact, nearly half of all U.S. freight destinations are within a day’s drive of St. Petersburg. The City is within minutes of three international airports, two deepwater ports, rail lines and an extensive network of easily accessible interstates, expressways and major highways. All this activity makes the Tampa Bay area, the second largest and wealthiest market in the Southeastern U.S. (SMM), a favorite of commerce, but it is equally a favorite of those in pursuit of the highest possible quality of life[/font]