DataSnapshot: School days

The Tampa Bay area and the Sarasota-Bradenton region are relatively good for small businesses — but Cape Coral might be a difficult place to start a company.

That's the word according to a new survey from Thumbtack, a referral website that connects consumers to small businesses. Thumbtack solicited input from more than 13,000 small businesses nationwide to build its rankings, which ascribe letter grades to each state and 80 regions.

Florida received an overall grade of B+ from Thumbtack, driven by its business-friendly tax code, where it scored an A+, and relatively simple regulations for hiring new employees.