From Growth by Chance to Growth by Design: Florida's Blueprint for Economic Development скачать в хорошем качестве

From Growth by Chance to Growth by Design: Florida's Blueprint for Economic Development

Our summer journey into Florida’s economy continues this month as we welcome Michael Simas, President & CEO of the Florida Council of 100. The Council was established in 1961 at the request of Governor Farris Bryant to provide advice on key policy issues from the business community’s perspective. Today, it boasts more than 150 businesses that employ over 1.3 million Floridians. Mr. Simas will discuss the Council’s latest report, “Beyond Sunshine,” that he said is a first-of-its-kind economic development strategy. “We've done a lot of work in identifying high wage, resilient job sectors in each of the regions of the state, including rural Florida, and kind of the toolkit we need to aggregate resources around those to help start to scale them so that people can kind of catch up,” Mr. Simas told Club Officers on a recent conference call. “We don't expect the cost of living to drop given the popularity of the state. So how do you counter that? You bring higher wage jobs into the state and start to scale where we can.” He’ll also discuss the Council’s focus areas (economic competitiveness, talent, health, housing, and water), and of course, answer questions from our Club members. Mr. Simas came to Florida three years ago from New York City, cognizant of the challenges that come with rapid population growth. He served as Executive Vice President of the Partnership for New York City, the city’s most powerful business association that includes many Fortune 500 CEOs. While there, he forged groundbreaking alliances between many of the state’s largest companies and top elected officials to increase talent, infrastructure, and sector-driven investments in New York’s emerging industries. His accomplishments include spearheading the creation of the $1.2 billion Excelsior Jobs Program, and leading initiatives that generated $2.7 billion in savings over 10 years for city businesses, including negotiation of New York’s first business tax changes in nearly two decades. He has also held private-sector leadership positions in the financial services and technology industries. Mr. Simas earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Rhode Island. He was recognized as one of New York’s 40 Under 40 Rising Stars by City and State Magazine. Mr. Simas will be introduced by former Club Chairman Dominic M. Calabro, President & CEO, of Florida TaxWatch.