Smart Start Palm Beach

Incentives

Palm Beach County offers relocating and expanding companies incentives that are competitive with other major metropolitan areas and states. These incentives are flexible and apply to may different industry sectors and activities.
 

The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County has an expert team to help you facilitate a wide array of expansion and relocation incentives through state and local government agencies. Our staff is experienced in navigating the tax abatement and grants processes and has established working relationships with the appropriate professionals throughout Palm Beach County. 

NEW!

For More Information Contact: Becky Magaw at the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County at 561-835-1008 or via email

Workforce and GrowFL team up to offer training to Second-Stage companies, bolstering their growth! $250,000 in Incumbent Worker Training Funds set aside to help businesses with potential for growth, added economic diversity

As partners in improving Florida's economy and its quality of life, leaders of Workforce Florida Inc. and the Florida Economic Gardening Institute (FEGI) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) making available $250,000 in Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Grant funds to second-stage companies participating in FEGI's GrowFL initiative. The MOU complements Workforce Florida's ongoing efforts to strengthen and grow Florida's talent pool as well as GrowFL's state-funded efforts to provide technical assistance and business resources to as many as 1,000 Florida companies. Second-stage companies have grown past the startup stage but have not yet reached maturity. An estimated 5,000 of these companies account for 8 percent of the state's businesses and employ as many as 250,000 Floridians.

"Workforce Florida and GrowFL are collaborative partners in improving Florida's economy and, ultimately, the quality of life for Floridians," said Chris Hart IV, Workforce Florida President and CEO. "This new element of connectivity among workforce, economic development and education stands to strengthen growing Florida businesses and bolster the talent of the people who go to work every day for those companies."

The GrowFL program supports the growth of Florida businesses by providing a free suite of economic gardening support services, as well as unique access to market research and technology.

"Together with Workforce Florida, GrowFL will now be able to help growing companies retain employees and increase competitiveness through skills-upgrade training-a service that typically is only available to larger companies," said Dr. Tom O'Neal, executive director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute and associate vice president for the University of Central Florida's Office of Research and Commercialization. "This program demonstrates how the state of Florida is focusing on economic gardening strategies to help growing businesses get to the next level."

The new partnership between Workforce Florida and GrowFL will facilitate the development of a mutual referral network for participants of either program that meet eligibility requirements of the other, increasing the resources available to participating companies.

About the Florida Economic Gardening Institute
The Florida Economic Gardening Institute was created by the 2009 Florida Legislature as the Economic Gardening Technical Assistance Program to stimulate investment in Florida's economy by providing technical assistance for expanding businesses in the state. Qualified companies must be engaged in the following sectors to receive no-cost technical assistance: Manufacturing; Finance & Insurance Services; Wholesale Trade; Information Industries; Professional, Scientific & Technical Services; Management Services; and, Administrative & Support Services. Additional information is available at www.GrowFL.com.

About Workforce Florida
Workforce Florida Inc. is the state wide workforce investment board led by business and government leaders and charged with overseeing Florida's workforce system, which includes the Agency for Workforce Innovation and 24 Regional Workforce Boards. Its mission is to develop strategies that help Floridians enter, remain and advance in the workforce while supporting economic development priorities and strengthening the state's business climate. Florida's workforce system provided services including job search, referral and placement assistance as well as training to more than 1.7 million job seekers and employers last year. Learn more about Florida's workforce resources and solutions at www.EmployFlorida.com.

About Incumbent Worker Training
The Incumbent Worker Program, administered by Workforce Florida Inc., provides grant funding for customized training for existing, for-profit businesses. Since 2000, more than 1,200 IWT grants have been awarded to Florida companies to provide more than 109,000 workers with customized skills training. A recent study of the wage gains found that, within one year, IWT participants experienced wage increases of 23 percent. IWT requires eligible businesses to have only one full-time employee and is popular among small businesses. IWT is a key contributor to Florida's reputation among businesses, site selection consultants, economic developers and others for having some of the best workforce training programs in the nation. Visit www.WorkforceFlorida.com for more information.
 

Download the Business Development Board's Business Assistance Guide

Incentives at a Glance
Your company relocating or expanding in Palm Beach County may qualify for certain incentives depending on the wage scale and number of jobs created. Local and State government provide various types of assistance to new and expanding businesses that create employment. The level of assistance depends on the number of jobs created and the wage/benefits provided.

State of Florida business Incentives and Financial Assistance Programs

• Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Program
• Quick Response Training
• Incumbent Worker Training Program:
• Enterprise Zones

Launch Your Project

The Business Development Board has a team of experts to assist you with your business relocation and expansion needs in Palm Beach County. Contact us with your needs and let us show you why, in Palm Beach County, Innovation. Starts. Here.

Where can you get more information?

Contact: Business Development Board of Palm Beach County

310 Evernia Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO

(561) 835-1008, Email

Gary Hines, Senior Vice President, Administration

(561) 835-1008, Email

Andrew Duffell, Senior Vice President Business Recruitment, Retention & Expansion

(561) 835-1008, Email

Becky Magaw, VP, Business Retention and Expansion

(561) 835-1008, Email