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Relocating a Business 

Why do business in Northwest Florida? Visit Florida’s Great Northwest website to find out!

The Bay County Economic Development Alliance and Opportunity Florida can provide you with information on economic data, incentives, real estate and much more.  
 

Starting a Business in Florida 

Getting started as a small business is an exciting, but often daunting task. For information from people who have succeeded, the booklet: Starting a business in Florida: a Primer is a useful tool. You may also want to check out the following links:

• Small Business Administration
• Florida Department of Revenue or Florida’s Electronic Services for business licenses and tax information
• Gulf Coast Business Finance Center for business financing assistance
• Bay County’s Small Business Incubator or Florida’s Small Business Development Center Network for counseling, workshops, information, and support for small businesses.

Expanding your Business 

If your business is expanding and you need to add employees, the Workforce Center can help.  We can recruit, screen, and assess applicants based on your job description. For mass recruitments, we can continue to provide qualified candidates until you have filled your positions. We can also provide you with space to conduct interviews, pre-screen applicants, or perform assessments. In some cases, we may be able to provide these services at your location. Please contact our Employer Representatives for more information. 

Expanding companies may also be eligible for Quick Response Training, a state grant that provides funding for customized training.  The training is coordinated through local training providers and is available to businesses that

• produce an exportable good or service;

• create new, full-time, high quality jobs; and/or

• require customized, entry-level skills training of 24 months or less.  

For more information, see Workforce Florida. To sign up, contact Kimberly Bodine, Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board at 850-913-3285 and ask about Quick Response Training.  

Tools to Help your Business Thrive 

• Service Corps of Retired Executives or SCORE is the place to find answers & expertise to help you grow your business. The SCORE Association is a national nonprofit organization with a public service mission. SCORE's 10,500 volunteers provide small business counseling and training.
• If your company goes through a temporary slow down, consider using the Short Time Compensation program to avert complete layoffs.
• Keep Informed through the State’s Press Room for Florida business.

Tools for Human Resource Professionals 

• To protect yourself, job descriptions must be clear and thorough.  Visit America’s Career InfoNet to help you write a job description.
• Florida’s Employer Unemployment Compensation system can be accessed online for your convenience.
• When REACT obtains information about a large layoff, we work to assist workers facing wage loss.
• WARN offers protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs. This notice must be provided to either affected workers or their representatives (e.g., a labor union), to the State dislocated worker unit, and to the appropriate unit of local government. You can file a WARN Notice by mailing it to the REACT Team.
• Employer Posters
• Find out what you need to do to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission can help you find out more about discrimination and mediation.
• The Wage and Hour Division of DOL’s Employment Standard Administration can help you to research information on the Fair Labor Standards Act and minimum wage. The department also describes new initiatives under FairPay rules that strengthen overtime protections.
• For information on Employment Eligibility Verifications (I-9s), the US Citizenship and Immigration Service can help.