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Florida’s business and state leaders are pitching a large-scale manufacturing push they say has already lifted the state’s output to $87.4 billion and aims to add 750,000 net new jobs as part of a broader plan to boost the state’s economy by 2030. The campaign — promoted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and FloridaCommerce — frames a mix of tax policy, fast permitting and workforce investment as the engine for expanding advanced manufacturing across the state.
“We now know Florida is the 14th largest economy in the world,” Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, told Fox News Digital, arguing the state has diversified beyond tourism and agriculture into life sciences, aerospace and manufacturing. Wilson and other state officials say manufacturing output in Florida has grown roughly 60% from $54.4 billion to $87.4 billion, a figure cited by FloridaCommerce Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Chief Manufacturing Officer Jason Mahon in an interview with Fox News Digital.
How officials say Florida is attracting industry
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State leaders and corporate executives interviewed by Fox News Digital point to several factors that they say are drawing manufacturers: no individual state income tax, broad corporate exemptions, repeated tax cuts since 2011 and streamlined local and state permitting. According to the Florida Policy Institute — cited in the original reporting — Florida is one of nine states without a personal income tax and between 99% and 99.9% of businesses anchored in the state owe no state corporate income tax.
Mahon told Fox News Digital that some industrial projects have moved from groundbreaking to production in under six months, a pace he contrasted with longer timelines in traditional manufacturing hubs. He also said the current administration has invested $12 billion directly in workforce education focused on trades such as precision machining, electrical work, welding and pipe fitting.
Private companies weigh in
Two finalists in the Florida Chamber and FloridaCommerce “Coolest Thing Made in Florida” competition — Naples-based medical device maker Arthrex and defense contractor Northrop Grumman — described why they continue to expand in the state. Northrop Grumman Vice President and site leader Randy Bradley told Fox News Digital the company has more than 8,000 employees across three Florida locations and praised local infrastructure and partnerships with state government for supporting defense production.
Michael Karnes, director of foot, ankle and trauma product management at Arthrex, said the company’s TightRope PRO device was designed, prototyped, tested and manufactured in Florida and highlighted the high-skill jobs required to bring such products to market. Arthrex and Northrop Grumman are the finalists for the competition; the winner will be announced Oct. 28, the announcement said.
Jobs, wages and economic ripple effects
State business leaders point to wage and multiplier effects as justification for the manufacturing push. Mahon cited FloridaCommerce data showing average annual wages in state-designated target industries such as advanced manufacturing at $107,261, and Wilson said median wages for manufacturing jobs in Florida exceed $82,000 a year. The Economic Policy Institute data quoted in the reporting estimates that every 100 direct durable-goods manufacturing jobs sustain about 744 indirect jobs.
Officials framed a long-term goal of moving Florida into the global top 10 economies by 2030 and into a top-five ranking among U.S. states for manufacturing employment — targets that state business leadership has promoted publicly. Florida’s overall gross domestic product is described in the reporting as exceeding $1.8 trillion, a figure state leaders use to compare the state’s economy with countries such as Spain, Mexico and Australia.
Executives also cited quality-of-life and talent retention as advantages. Bradley noted the Space Coast’s launch activity and aerospace ecosystem, while Karnes said investing in local education and workforce development helps keep families and skilled workers in the region.
All of the above reflects statements and figures provided by state officials and corporate representatives to Fox News Digital and by the organizations named in those interviews and cited data sources, including the Florida Policy Institute, the Economic Policy Institute and FloridaCommerce.
