Deep in the heart of Florida

Florida's star continues to shine bright in a leading national survey on the best states to do business in from Chief Executive magazine.

The Sunshine State came in second place in the survey, behind Texas. It was the second straight time Texas and Florida were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the survey. But Florida improved its quality of living ranking, the magazine says, and is getting closer to the top spot.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott tells the magazine the state has learned from Texas how to tell its story better. Scott also tells the magazine that Florida has reaped the benefits of what “Good to Great” author Jim Collins calls the flywheel effect: More big relocations and expansions entice other big relocations and expansions. Scott, in the article, specifically cites companies like Hertz in Lee County and Amazon in Hillsborough County.