Download this page as a Word Document.This webpage offers details and facts about the State of Florida
and its many advantages as a location for research and investment.
This webpage is divided into sections on overview, geography,
demographics, the economy, government and politics, and education.
Some information is cross-listed, because it relates to multiple
categories. For instance, education as it relates to the economy
might be listed in both sections. At the end of each section you
will also find links to further information, such as websites on
the State government, business, and frequently changing
appropriations bills, for example.
Note: Additionally, a free registration with
www.eflorida.com is
recommended. The site is referenced here many times, and provides
lots of detailed information on Florida. It should prove very
useful.
Overview -- About the State
Florida provides a unique setting for conducting research, with
its diverse and complex mixture of urban and rural populations
with significant ethnic and cultural range. Florida is made up of
highly diverse regions: from the sea and airports of Florida's
Great Northwest, and the longest East-West corridor, I-10, to the
bustling activity of the southeast region with Miami as its center
of international business. The following site provides a snapshot
of reasons why investing in Florida make good sense:
www.eflorida.com/uk/uk.asp?level1=30
With over 1300 miles of coastline, and a combined tourism,
shipping, and agricultural industry income of over $100B a year,
Florida has significant assets for a prospective researcher. Other
key assets include the Kennedy Space Center, nuclear power plants,
multiple key military installations, and offices of huge defense
contractors.
If Florida were a country, it would have the 15th-largest
economy in the world. The largest single source of income in
Florida is tourism, with up to four million tourists in the state
at any one time. Annual visitors exceed 83 million. Tourism
currently generates $60B of income per year.
Florida’s economy is growing and resilient. The state is a
national leader in job creation. With abundant job opportunities,
Florida continues to experience rapid labor-force growth.
Moreover, the State tax system ranked 2nd in the nation on how
friendly it is to businesses.
With its well-developed transportation infrastructure, Florida
is well-connected with anywhere in the U.S. and key international
areas. To handle air travel, Florida has 11 international
airports. In addition, several seaports host shipping as well as
tourism traffic. Moreover, every business in Florida is within 90
miles of one of 14 deep-water ports. Look at
Florida’s
transportation plan, primarily automobile-oriented, through 2020. A broader look at Florida’s planning can be
viewed at
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/policy/.
Florida derives its energy from a variety of sources, which are
detailed in the following report. Its energy is produced, in part,
from five nuclear power plants. Also listed are the emissions from
the electricity industry.
Links of Interest
Geography
Florida offers a variety of natural geographic features that
would provide ideal conditions for the right research project. In
addition, man-made geography – thriving cities, airports,
seaports, highways, and other infrastructure – ensure ready access
to rest of the world.
The following webpage offers a
snapshot of “macro” geographical
facts, such as land area, water area, and river lengths.
For example, Florida offers:
- Total Area - 58,560 square miles
- Land Area - 54,252 square miles
- Total Water Area - 4,308 square miles
- Rank Among States in Total Area - 22nd
- Length North to South - 447 miles
- Width East to West - 361 miles
Coastline
With more than 1300 miles of coastline, Florida has the
second-longest stretch of saltwater land in the U.S. Only Alaska
has more. This coastline includes world-famous beaches as well as
25% of the country’s environmentally sensitive wetlands, all of
which represents a major economic draw for the state’s tourist
industry.
Neighboring Florida to the west, the Gulf of Mexico has the most
offshore oil and gas production in the world, and is responsible
for about 90% of America's offshore production. Also, the
mainland's only coral reefs can be found in the waters off the
shores of Florida and Texas.
Florida’s 825 miles of beaches are a huge draw for tourists and
researchers. A 2003 Florida Atlantic University study found that
for every dollar invested in beach restoration, the State receives
a $6-8 economic return.
Since 1999, Florida has invested more than $300 million to replace
sand and rebuild dunes, including $93.4 million in 2004-05 and
$73.2 million in 2005-06 to repair damage from the eight
hurricanes of the last two years. To date, more than 170 miles of
beach have been restored and maintained through the State program,
according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
See http://www.dep.state.fl.us/ for more on the State’s coastline
efforts.
Key areas
Two key areas are detailed below. For more in-depth coverage, see
www.eflorida.com, which divides the State into 8 regions and
provides such info as population, employment, cost of living, and
high-tech capacity.
Central Florida (from eflorida.com)
Florida’s High-Tech Corridor spans across Interstate 4 from the
Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Space Coast. The
corridor includes Tampa, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Gainesville, and
Melbourne, and is home to a large portion of Florida’s high-tech
companies. The corridor includes a high concentration of firms
specializing in optics/photonics, modeling/simulation/training,
and telecommunications.
The Florida High Tech Corridor Council supports this high-tech
cluster. The Council was created in 1996 and is a partnership
among the University of Central Florida, the University of South
Florida, and the University of Florida, principals of top
high-tech companies, and economic-development professionals that
help promote the growth of the high-tech industry in the 23-county
primary service region of the three universities.
In June 2002, the Florida High Tech Corridor was listed as one of
the Intelligent Community Forum’s “Top Seven Intelligent
Communities” and was ranked with communities such as Singapore and
Seoul, South Korea. This honor is given to communities that are
creating the information and telecommunications infrastructure
needed to gain a competitive edge in today’s economy.
South Florida (from eflorida.com)
Thanks to the presence of multiple internet switching stations and
a host of Internet companies based in South Florida, the state has
been dubbed the “Internet Gateway” to Latin America and has become
a platform for testing and evolving the next generation of the
Internet.
The iCoast organization supports the South Florida cluster. It is
a collection of Internet companies and organizations that work
together to foster Internet and technology growth. The
organization’s mission is to brand southeast Florida as the "iCoast"
and be recognized as a worldwide hub for the Internet.
Links of Interest
Demographics
A rich mix of different cultural, racial, and linguistic
backgrounds among Florida's population is a tremendous competitive
asset in the global economy of the 21st century, uniquely
positioning Florida as the multilingual, multicultural business
hub of the Western Hemisphere. Here you can find
detailed reports on
population by age, race, gender and county from 1970-2030.
Population of Florida
| Year |
Rural |
Urban |
Total |
| 1980 |
2,242,188 |
7,504,773 |
9,746,961 |
| 1990 |
799,413 |
12,138,513 |
12,937,926 |
| 2000 |
1,009,305 |
14,973,073 |
15,982,378 |
2005
(latest estimates) |
1,119,776 |
16,670,088 |
17,789,864 |
Florida is the fourth most populous state in the US, with about
17.8 million people in 2005. The state is growing at over 2% per
year. With an average five-year population growth rate of 10.4%,
Florida's population is projected to outpace the nation for the
next two decades. By 2030, the projected population in Florida is
expected to increase more than 40% from current levels. An
excellent resource for demographic data is
http://fred.labormarketinfo.com/.
More demographic information can be found in the
US Statistical
Abstracts.
Since 2000, Florida has added over 1.7 million residents, an
increase of nearly 11%, compared to 5% for the U.S. as a whole
over the same period. According to U.S. Census Bureau projections,
Florida will overtake New York as the nation's third most populous
state as early as 2020. There are over 3 million individuals aged
65 and over living in the state of Florida. See
http://edr.state.fl.us/population.htm.
Gainesville is located close to many of Florida’s largest metro
areas.
Most Populous Metro Areas (2000):
(Areas in bold are within approximately two hours’ drive.)
1. Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater - 2,396,000
2. Miami - 2,253,000
3. Orlando - 1,645,000
4. Ft. Lauderdale - 1,623,000
5. Jacksonville - 1,100,000
6. West Palm Beach/Boca Raton - 1,131,000
7. Sarasota/Bradenton - 590,000
8. Daytona Beach - 493,000
9. Lakeland/Winter Haven - 484,000
10. Melbourne/Titusville/Palm Bay - 476,000
11. Fort Myers/Cape Coral - 441,000
12. Pensacola - 412,000
13. Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie - 319,000
14. Tallahassee - 285,000
15. Ocala - 259,000
16. Naples - 251,000
17. Gainesville - 218,000
18. Fort Walton Beach - 170,000
19. Panama City - 148,000
20. Punta Gorda - 142,000
Of Florida's 6.3 million households in 2001, 56% had computers and
53% had Internet access. By 2003, about 61% of Florida's
households had computers and 56% were using the Internet.
Other Resources
The Florida Statistical Abstract provides a comprehensive
collection of the
latest statistics available on the social, economic and political
organization of Florida. It is available from the Bureau of
Economic and Business Research, Warrington College of Business.
(392-0171, ext. 219) See http://www.bebr.ufl.edu/. The abstract is
available on CD for $25.
See the
United States Statistical Abstract. It
offers statistical abstracts of almost any imaginable kind about
the social, economic and political organization.
The Marston Science Library (352-273-2851) also provides extensive
demographic data.
Links of Interest
The Economy
Florida has one of the world's largest and most dynamic economies,
with growth rates in recent years surpassing those of most other
U.S. states and the world's largest countries. In fact, if Florida
were a country, it would have the 15th-largest economy in the
world.
Both in terms of gross state product (as the broadest measure of
economic output) and personal income, Florida has been enjoying
healthy gains even in the face of the recent global economic
slowdown. Florida's GSP accounted for 5% of the nation's GSP in
2004, and has grown by 21% over the past five years, compared to
14% for the U.S. economy as a whole. Florida’s total merchandise
trade is over $95 billion.
Florida also has great access internationally. Every business in
Florida is within 90 miles of one of 14 deep-water ports. Also,
there are more direct flights from Florida airports to Latin
American and Caribbean destinations than from all other cities in
the United States combined. Miami is second only to New York as a
U.S. center for international banking. More than 300 financial
institutions – including 50 international banks – operate in
Florida.
For what other reasons should individuals do business in Florida?
The following website offers a
wide range of reasons and
supporting facts, such as worldwide connectivity, technology
leadership, and workforce talent, among others.
An excellent and current online news resource, Florida Trend
magazine reports “what you need to know about Florida today.”
http://www.floridatrend.com/
Its sister site --
http://www.floridasmallbusiness.com/ -- links
to what small-business people need to know to begin operating and
flourish in the state.
More economic information can be found in the
U.S. Statistical
Abstracts and at http://www.bebr.ufl.edu/ -- the Bureau of
Economic and Business Research provides reports.
Employment and Jobs
Florida is a national leader in job creation. With an abundance of
job opportunities, Florida continues to experience rapid
labor-force growth. From 2003 to 2004, Florida's labor force has
increased at a rate over four times that of the nation as a whole,
and it now has the fourth-largest labor force and the
seventh-lowest unemployment rate.
Growth in Florida's total employment, non-agricultural employment
and private employment all continue to increase at rates higher
than the nation's. An excellent and highly recommended resource
for economic and labor info is
http://fred.labormarketinfo.com/
Florida’s average cost of labor is 11% lower than the national
average, and Florida is one of only eight states with a
right-to-work provision in its state constitution.
Annual unemployment rates in Florida have also consistently been
below the U.S. average. Unemployment rates in Florida have
generally fared consistent with, or better than, the national
average. Over the past several years, Florida's unemployment
pattern exemplifies the state's resilient and diversified economy.
The largest single source of income in Florida is tourism, with up
to four million tourists in the state at any one time. Annual
visitors exceed 83 million. Tourism currently generates $60B of
income per year. This document
details the tourist
economy, listing the who, what, when, where, why, and how of
Florida travelers.
A quick look at tourist statistics can be found
here.
Well-known for its agriculture, Florida produces vast quantities
of crops from its many farms.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/FL.htm
provides a state fact sheet, with demographic data, lists of top
exports, and farm characteristics and incomes. Also useful is
Agricultural Statistics, which is published each year to detail
Florida’s agricultural production, supplies, consumption,
facilities, costs, and returns. See
http://www.usda.gov/nass/pubs/agstats.htm.
Defense also comprises a hefty portion of the gross state product.
Fiscal year 2002 defense-related spending is directly or
indirectly responsible for $44 billion, or 9.8%, of Florida’s
gross state product (measured in 2003 dollars). Fiscal-year 2002
defense-related spending accounted for a total of 714,500 jobs
(138,875 supported directly.) Of this $44 billion, the military
spent $22 billion.
More figures are detailed here.
With nearly 20,000 high-tech companies employing over 265,000
workers, Florida has the fourth-largest number of high-tech jobs
among U.S. states. Florida also ranks third in the nation in
high-tech exports. (from eflorida.com)
The cruise-ship industry in Florida generates more than $5.5B a
year in revenue operating out of 3 main seaports -- Ports of
Miami, Everglades and Canaveral.
Also of economic note: Neighboring Florida to the west, the Gulf
of Mexico has the most offshore oil and gas production in the
world, and is responsible for about 90% of America's offshore
production.
Research and Innovation
Research Areas
Florida has a history of hosting key technological advances. With
the current ranking status as the 4th largest “Cyberstate” (AeA
2006 Cyberstates Report) for high-tech employment, Florida has
always been at the cutting edge of technology and innovation.
According to eflorida.com, Florida's strengths lie in the
following key sectors:
- Life sciences (including biotechnology, medical-device
manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, health care). Florida is ranked
the 10th-largest biotechnology center in the nation by Ernst &
Young. High-fliers include the Burnham Institute for Medical
Research, the Scripps Research Institute, and Torrey Pines
Institute for Molecular Studies, which are detail below.
- Information technology (including IT products/services, software
development, modeling/simulation/training,
photonics/lasers/optics, microelectronics, telecommunications).
Florida is home to the National Center for Simulation and several
skilled simulation/modeling/training professionals that develop
applications for industries ranging from aviation to medicine to
entertainment.
- Aviation / aerospace – The State hosts such big names as Harris
Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Siemens Westinghouse, and Pratt &
Whitney of United Technologies. See their
Federal funding in
Florida.
- Homeland security / defense – Those doing business in Florida
include Harris Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Siemens Westinghouse,
and Pratt & Whitney of United Technologies
- Financial / professional services
- Manufacturing
Extensive descriptions on the state of these industries in Florida
is available at the eflorida.com website. Look for the key sectors
tab on the left-hand side.
See https://www.eflorida.com/keysectors/.
Florida has recently become a host for several big names in the
biotech field. Key players in life-science research include:
- Burnham Institute for Medical Research -- Burnam recently
decided to collaborate with UF at a new Orlando facility. The
collaboration is expected to include the construction of a joint
UF-Burnham research facility on the property that Burnham will
occupy. The most likely research areas for UF investigators
include diabetes, aging, genetics and cancer.
http://www.burnham.org/.
- Scripps Research Institute – UF and La Jolla-based Scripps are
collaborating on biomedical research in a new 350,000-square-foot,
state-of-the-art facility located in Jupiter, FL. See http://www.scripps.edu/florida/
and http://rgp.ufl.edu/scripps/.
- Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies – The firm pursues
research to understand and treat medical conditions such as AIDS,
multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and others. The
company has opened a new facility in Port St Lucie, which will
eventually become its headquarters. See
www.tpims.org.
The Economy and Education
In Florida, the education infrastructure supports research and
innovation with 11 state universities, 4 major medical schools,
and numerous independent colleges and universities. In 2005,
Florida universities performed more than $1.5 billion in sponsored
research. For a list of independent colleges and universities, see
www.icuf.org.
In 2003, nearly $5.2 billion was spent in Florida on R&D. From
1999 to 2004, over 15,000 patents were issued to Florida
residents, an average of over 2,500 per year. Exactly 649 Small
Business Innovative Research Awards were granted to Floridians.
See the Technology Entrepreneurship Resource Database for a
listing of Florida venture capital firms and tech-transfer
programs, and more:
https://www.eflorida.com/intelligencecenter/.
The site also includes detailed information on technology and
research parks, business incubators, and venture-capital firms.
Two Florida schools ranked among the top 20 universities in the
nation for number of U.S. patents issued in 2004. The University
of Florida came in 10th in the nation with 53 patents, and the
University of Central Florida 19th with 39 patents. See
links to
technology-transfer programs at Florida’s universities.
Centers of Excellence
To maintain its competitive edge in high-tech fields, Florida has
established a Technology Development Fund to create new Centers of
Excellence in the state. The Centers are designed to bridge the
gap between academia and industry and give university-produced
innovations a helpful push toward commercial viability. The
program benefits industry by providing a stream of innovation from
R&D resources normally too expensive for private enterprise.
Meanwhile, university programs reap benefits in the form of
royalties, new workforce options (for graduates), training, and
potential funding for future projects.
The following website details the
Centers of Excellence across the
state.
Investment/ Foreign Investment
In the global economy of the 21st century, Florida has emerged as
a hotspot for foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2003 (most
recent data), foreign direct investment in Florida reached $34.2
billion, sustaining an estimated 285,600 jobs. This makes Florida
the ninth-largest recipient of foreign direct investment in the
nation. Also in 2003, Florida ranked fifth nationally in terms of
employment by foreign-affiliated firms. See
www.eflorida.com for
more.
With its share of the nation's total venture capital pie averaging
about 2% from 2000-2005, Florida is among the top recipients of
venture capital funding in U.S. states. Although 2005
venture-capital funding remained much lower than the tech-led boom
levels seen around the turn of the millennium, Florida has been on
an upward trend since 2003.
In 2003 total holdings in Florida by companies at least 10%
foreign-owned totaled $34.2 billion, ranking Florida 9th among all
states. Florida ranked 5th nationally in 2003 in terms of
employment by foreign-affiliated firms, which provided jobs for
some 282,000 Floridians.
Meanwhile, total holdings in Florida by firms at least 50%
foreign-owned reached $29.5 billion in 2003. These companies
employed 248,900 Floridians, ranking the state 5th in the nation
in terms of employment by majority-foreign-owned firms.
Business Development and Commercialization
Florida has business incubators all across the state. The
following website details and links to many incubators across the
state.
Some 44 biotech companies are located in Alachua County, which
offers a nearby incubator to prospective researchers -- the Sid
Martin Biotechnology Development Incubator. Located 20 minutes
north of Gainesville, this 40,000-square-foot facility offers wet
labs, office space, conference rooms, a pilot fermentation
facility, a climate-controlled greenhouse, extensive scientific
and business equipment and support services for biotech startups.
http://www.biotech.ufl.org/
The Florida Business Incubation Association also reports its
incubation efforts at http://www.fbiaonline.org/
The University of Florida has been particularly efficient at
commercializing technology, as reported by the Milken Institute
Technology Transfer and Commercialization Index. Overall, UF
ranked fifth, but was the top individual public school. For more,
see http://news.ufl.edu/2006/09/20/milken/. The detailed rankings
are available at
www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/m2m2006_uni_tech.pdf
Federal Government Spending for R&D
The Federal government invests substantial money for R&D and
defense in Florida, with a number of defense contractors, research
labs, and public institutions. Approximately $3.2 billion of
federal R&D funds are spent each year in Florida, ranking it
seventh in the nation. In 2000, the Department of Defense supplied
almost two-thirds of Florida’s federal R&D funds, while NASA was
the second-largest federal source of R&D funds in Florida.
See http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/fl00.pdf for a breakdown of where
funding went and which agency provided it in 2000. Here's a
more-current
update on Federal R&D spending in Florida.
Also useful is this
report that details which corporations
received funding.
The list of Federal research facilities is notable and includes
the recent amount of funding:
- Air Force Development and Test Center, Eglin Air Force Base,
($536 million Federal R&D Funds, 2000)
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/nssrm/initiatives/
afdtc.htm
- Munitions Directorate, Eglin Air Force Base ($65 million, 2000)
http://www.eglin.af.mil/afrl_mn/
- John F. Kennedy Space Center (2000 Budget, $246 million R&D
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/. Among others, houses
the Missile Defense Agency’s "Innovative Science and Technology
Experimentation Facility" (ISTEF) for laser radar and imaging.
- Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology
(USDA Agricultural Research Service, Gainesville, FL, $10.1
million split with Crop, Genetic Lab below)
http://www.ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave
- Crop, Genetic and Environmental Research Laboratory, (USDA ARS,
Gainesville, FL)
Gulf Ecology Division, (EPA, Gulf Breeze, FL, $9 million, 2000)
http://www.epa.gov/ged/
- Subtropical Agricultural Research Station (USDA ARS,
Brooksville, FL, $800,000)
http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?
modecode=66190000
- U.S. Sugarcane Field Station (USDA ARS, Canal Point, FL $1.4M,
2000)
Here's a
more extensive list.
Of particular note for defense spending are Florida members of the
U.S. House Defense Appropriations Committee: Allen Boyd and Bill
Young, who is the ranking member of the minority party. See
www.house.gov.
Florida’s two U.S. Senators – Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez – are
also members of the Armed Services Committee, which oversees the
Dept. of Defense. See the government section below for more and
www.senate.gov.
State Budget Information
Florida ranks low in terms of the tax burden placed on residents.
Based on income, property and other state and local tax
collections, the Tax Foundation research organization ranks
Florida among the lowest tax states (Florida ranks #45 among the
50 states in 2004; only five states have a lower tax burden). The
budgets for the past several years are as follows:
- $64.7 Billion (2005-2006)
- $57.3 Billion (2004-2005)
- $53.5 Billion (2003-2004)
- $50.4 Billion (2002-2003)
- $47 Billion (2001-2002)
- $51 Billion (2000-2001 Fiscal Year)
State Spending Per Capita 1998 - Florida Ranks 49th ($2,628)
Further budget information can be found on the governor’s e-budget
website:
http://www.ebudget.state.fl.us/. The site allows you to search by
bill and by agency, among other things. Another useful report on
the budget is the
Three Year Revenue and Expenditure Outlook
through 2008-2009.
Tax Rates
State Sales Tax - 6%
Corporate Tax - 5.5%
State Income Tax – None
Links of Interest
Government and Politics
This section provides links to websites that detail the
functioning of the U.S. and State governments. A key resource is
http://thomas.loc.gov – which provides the names of senators and
representatives, their committees as well as a searchable database
of bills.
Federal government
The current U.S. Senators are:
The current U.S. Representatives are available at
http://www.house.gov/house/MemStateSearch.shtml#fl
Of particular note for defense spending are Florida members of the
U.S. House Defense Appropriations Committee: Allen Boyd and Bill
Young, who is the ranking member of the minority party.
State government
See the main site for the
Florida legislature. The
legislative body is composed of the
House of Representatives and
the Senate. Each site allows you to search bills by number and by
text, and provides a comprehensive list of congressmen.
Budget Information
Florida ranks low in terms of the tax burden placed on residents.
Based on income, property and other state and local tax
collections, the Tax Foundation research organization ranks
Florida among the lowest tax states (Florida ranks #45 among the
50 states in 2004; only five states have a lower tax burden). The
budgets for the past several years are as follows:
- $64.7 Billion (2005-2006)
- $57.3 Billion (2004-2005)
- $53.5 Billion (2003-2004)
- $50.4 Billion (2002-2003)
- $47 Billion (2001-2002)
- $51 Billion (2000-2001 Fiscal Year)
State Spending Per Capita 1998 - Florida Ranks 49th ($2,628)
Further budget information can be found on the governor’s e-budget
website:
http://www.ebudget.state.fl.us/. The site allows you to search by
bill and by agency, among other things. Located on the main
legislature site are such useful reports as the
Three Year Revenue
and Expenditure Outlook through 2008-2009.
A detailed report of the
higher-education budget
is available.
Tax Rates
State Sales Tax - 6%
Corporate Tax - 5.5%
State Income Tax – None
Links of Interest
- http://www.bebr.ufl.edu/ -- Bureau of Economic and Business
Research provides reports – some free -- on Florida demographics
- http://govspot.com/index.html -- a good general website that
functions as a signpost for government, telling you where to go
for more information in government- or civic-related matters
- http://www.myflorida.com/ -- an overview of Florida government,
business, and citizen-related concerns
Education
The state has a prolific output of college-educated graduates,
which should be a boon to any research project located in the
state. An overview of the university system, its programs, and its
governance can be found at http://www.flbog.org/. No Floridian
lives more than 50 miles from an institution of post-secondary
learning, according to eflorida.com.
An overview of K-12 education can be found at
http://www.firn.edu/doe/.
Here's a
summary of the public-school system. The site
includes detailed info on per-capita expenditures, test scores,
and relative rankings of the State’s schools, among other things.
Of Florida's nearly 11.6 million residents who were age 25 or
older in 2004, 84.5% had at least their high-school diploma and
25.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. This website
provides
county-level education data.
In Florida, the higher-education infrastructure consists of 11
state universities, 4 major medical schools, and numerous
independent colleges and universities. In 2005, Florida
universities performed more than $1.5 billion in sponsored
research. For a list of independent colleges and universities, see
www.icuf.org. Also of note is the extensive community-college infrastructure.
The following site offers an overview of the system:
http://www.fldoe.org/CC/facts_glance.asp.
A
detailed report on the higher-education budget is available.
In the 2002-2003 school year, there were 792,079 students enrolled
in degree-granting college institutions in Florida. This same
year, the net migration of first-time college students into
Florida was 13,991 -- ranked fourth in the nation.
During the 2003-2004 school year, 151,289 post-secondary degrees
were awarded in Florida. This is a 9.7% increase from the previous
school year.
In 2003, Florida ranked 4th in the nation for total number of
science and engineering doctorate degrees awarded (818 degrees, or
3.2% of U.S. total).
Click here for a map of the state’s institutions of higher
learning.
College-Level Research
Florida has 11 state universities, 4 major medical schools, and
numerous independent colleges and universities that performed more
than $1.5 billion (2005) in sponsored research in 2005. Since
2000, these institutions have brought more than $427.4 million in
royalties to the state.
Research is undertaken at a number of centers around the State,
and you can search for the centers, individual experts, or funded
research through Florida ExpertNet, a web-based network of applied
research expertise in Florida's public universities at
http://expertnet.org/subpages/aboutus.htm.
In fiscal year 2004, the University of Florida, with $37.4 million
in earnings from faculty innovations, was the nation's
fifth-highest-ranked university in terms of royalties arising from
the commercialization of academic research.
Florida State University also ranked among the top 15 universities
in the nation for royalty income in FY 2004, adding more than
$14.3 million in royalties to the state’s economy.
Two Florida schools ranked among the top 20 universities in the
nation for number of U.S. patents issued in 2004. The University
of Florida came in 10th in the nation with 53 patents, and the
University of Central Florida 19th with 39 patents.
Patents issued to Florida's universities increased by 7% from 2003
to 2004.
For a listing of technology-transfer programs and offices of
research, see
this website.
Centers of Excellence
To maintain its competitive edge in high-tech fields, Florida has
established a Technology Development Fund to create new Centers of
Excellence in the state. The Centers are designed to bridge the
gap between academia and industry and give university-produced
innovations a helpful push toward commercial viability. The
program benefits Industry by providing a stream of innovation from
R&D resources normally too expensive for private enterprise.
Meanwhile, university programs reap benefits in the form of
royalties, new workforce options (for graduates), training, and
potential funding for future projects.
The
following website details the Centers of Excellence across the
state. The site also includes detailed information on technology
and research parks, business incubators, and venture-capital
firms.
See also the economy section in this document for more on
education.
Links of Interest
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