The Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation on Tuesday identified housing affordability, workforce development, infrastructure capacity and rural investment as major growth areas for Florida’s economy as it released a midpoint assessment of its long-range plan to make the state one of the world’s 10 largest economies by 2030.
In its Florida 2030 Blueprint Halftime Report, the Florida Chamber Foundation said the state has made measurable gains since the initiative was launched in 2018, despite global and national disruptions during that period. The report said Florida has already achieved two of the blueprint’s 39 goals ahead of schedule, is on track to meet eight more and is making progress toward 14 others.
“The Florida 2030 Blueprint was never about short-term wins; it was about building a long-term economic game plan,” Mark Wilson, president and chief executive of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Foundation, said in a statement. “The Florida Chamber Foundation’s analysis shows Florida competing and winning, but it also tells us exactly where we must double down to ensure every Floridian has the opportunity to benefit from our growing economy.”
The report said Florida is now the fourth-largest economy in the United States and ranks 15th globally, up from 18th when the blueprint was introduced. It also said the state has already met its 2030 targets for business startups and overall brand reputation as a place to live, work and compete.
At the same time, the report pointed to several pressures that business and civic leaders said could slow future growth if left unaddressed. Housing affordability was identified as the top risk to achieving the blueprint’s vision, with the report saying more than 36% of Floridians live in housing cost-burdened households, including 56% of renters.
The report also cited workforce development and retention as a continuing challenge, saying the state’s competitiveness will depend on how well education and training systems align with employer needs. It called for greater focus on talent development, innovation, manufacturing and stronger ties between research institutions and private industry.
Beyond identifying the risks, the foundation said progress will depend on closer alignment among state, regional and local economic strategies, renewed use of its network of goal leaders, and a more concentrated push on affordable housing, workforce alignment, manufacturing, rural development, early childhood education and poverty reduction.
The report also recommended pilot efforts at the regional and local level to test strategies for closing gaps on lagging goals.
The foundation said Florida’s continued expansion will also require attention to transportation, broadband, energy and water infrastructure, particularly as leaders weigh how to support growth in rural communities.
It added that more than half of Florida’s children in poverty live in just 15% of the state’s ZIP codes, underscoring the need for targeted economic strategies in areas that have lagged behind broader statewide gains.
