FPL
President Eric Silagy said, "as the largest electric utility and
one of the largest companies in Florida, we believe we have a
responsibility to help grow our state's economy and create jobs for
our fellow Floridians. When Florida's economy grows, everyone wins."
JUNO
BEACH, Fla., Jan. 31, 2013 -- Florida Power & Light Company's
Office of Economic Development today announced the launch of
PoweringFlorida.com
- a new online resource dedicated to helping businesses start up,
expand or relocate their operations in Florida.
The
initiative builds on FPL's existing economic development efforts,
which include special discounted electric rates to promote Florida to
new and expanding businesses that create jobs for Floridians.
"As
the largest electric utility and one of the largest companies in
Florida, we believe we have a responsibility to help grow our state's
economy and create jobs for our fellow Floridians. When Florida's
economy grows, everyone wins," said FPL President Eric Silagy.
"A discount on FPL's already-low rates can help businesses set
up shop and expand in our service territory, which covers about half
the state, but PoweringFlorida.com is designed to help expand the
economy across the entire state."
"PoweringFlorida.com
showcases the diverse benefits that Florida has to offer and empowers
all of our local communities with tools to help them to market the
unique values that each corner of the state has to offer,"
Silagy said.
"Economic
development is a team sport. I am grateful to FPL for providing a
product to enhance not only the competitiveness of the communities in
their territory but also in the entire state. These strategic
partnerships are critical to getting Floridians back to work,"
said Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope, president and CEO of
Enterprise Florida Inc., the state's principal economic development
organization.
PoweringFlorida.com
offers two sets of services:
• One-Stop
Shop for Site Selectors: PoweringFlorida.com provides thousands
of site-selection experts across the globe with direct access to
information about Florida's workforce, available real estate, utility
rate options and potential discounts and incentives - all information
that is essential to selecting a location for new or expanding
business operations.
• Market
Resource Center for Local Economic Development Organizations:
PoweringFlorida.com also provides local agencies in Florida tailored
data about their communities that can help them better market their
strengths and target businesses best-suited for their specific
economic and workforce profiles.
"Never
before has all this information existed in one place," said Lynn
Pitts, director of FPL's Office of Economic Development. "It's
taken many months to build, but the benefits are limitless."
For
the first time together on one site, PoweringFlorida.com integrates
independent third-party data from GIS Planning and Economic Modeling
Specialists Intl. (EMSI), specialists in location scouting and
workforce evaluation, respectively. FPL is providing access
free-of-charge for local economic development agencies in Florida
that do not currently have these capabilities.
"Across
the country, companies looking to expand are demanding reliable and
accessible information to guide their decisions, and to maximize
their investments," said Del Boyette, president and CEO of
Boyette Strategic Advisors, a leading site consulting firm.
"PoweringFlorida.com has achieved a first: bringing the best
planning and workforce data together in one click. What that means
for companies and their site selectors is unfiltered and unparalleled
insight - county by county and block by block. What that means for
Florida is a competitive advantage for the right types of jobs and
investment."
"We
greatly benefit from a strong partnership with FPL and its Office of
Economic Development. FPL's enhanced marketing efforts and resources
provided to economic development organizations and the state are
proving to be valuable assets for attracting and expanding business
in Florida," said Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the
Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.
"FPL
is a strong economic development partner in the Northeast Florida
region. Beyond providing a discounted rate incentive, the FPL team is
aggressively marketing the state to attract economic development
projects. We appreciate the assistance and support that FPL provides
to our partner counties to grow our region's economy," said
Jerry Mallot, president of JAXUSA Partnership of the Greater
Jacksonville Region.
PoweringFlorida.com
is live now for site selectors worldwide and local economic
development organizations in Florida. FPL plans to demonstrate the
website's functions to local economic development stakeholders at
Enterprise Florida Inc.'s meeting in Tallahassee later this week.
Visit
PoweringFlorida.com
to learn more.
Florida
Power & Light Company
Florida
Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida
and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States.
FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a
leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees. The
company consistently outperforms national averages for service
reliability while its typical residential customer bills, based on
data available in December 2011, are about 25 percent below the
national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest
emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs
among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach,
Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information,
visit http://www.FPL.com.
Media
Contact:
FPL
Media Line
Florida
Power & Light Company
700
Universe Blvd.
Juno
Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
For
more information, visit: http://www.poweringflorida.com
