Business Resources and Groups

LEE COUNTY

Lee County Job Opportunity
Program for High-Wage Jobs: Up to $2,000 per full-time job
created (15 percent more than average wage); additional $1,000 per full-time job located in an enterprise zone or community redevelopment area.

Industrial Development Revenue Bonds: Tax-exempt bonds ranging from $3 million to
$10 million.

Economic Incentive Reserve Fund in Cape Coral: Up to $1,500 per full-time job created.

Impact Fee Incentive Program in Cape Coral: Defers impact fee; amounts vary.

Lee Target Industries
>> Aviation and aerospace
>> Information technology and software development
>> Customer support, shared services and back-office processing
>> Manufacturing
>> Corporate headquarters

State and Federal Incentives

Qualified Targeted Industry Tax Refund: Tax refunds of up to $3,000 per new job created through expansion or by new business in targeted markets; increases to $6,000 per job if the company locates in an enterprise zone.

High-Impact Performance Incentive: Negotiated grant to attract and grow major, high-impact facilities in Florida.

Capital Investment Tax Credit: Program to attract and grow capital-intensive industries in Florida; annual credit, provided for up to 20 years, against the corporate income tax.

Qualified Defense Contractor Tax Refund: Designed to give Florida’s defense contractors a competitive edge in consolidating defense contracts, acquiring new contracts or converting to civilian production.

Incumbent Worker Training Program: Grant for customized training of existing employees to keep firms and workers competitive; averages $400 per employee; no minimum wage requirement; grant goes directly to company; no restrictions on type of training.

Quick Response Training Program: Grant for customized training to new or expanding businesses; averages $600 per employee.

Employed Worker Training Program: Grant funding for customized employee training to existing businesses to remain competitive.

Economic Development Transportation Fund: "Road Fund" grant provides up to $2 million to local governments for the construction or improvement of transportation infrastructure needed to accommodate new or expanding industry.

Industrial Development Authority Revenue Bonds: Tax-exempt bond pool used to make low-interest loans for new facilities or expansions.

Enterprise Bond Program: Tax-exempt, low-interest bonds ranging from $500,000 to $2.5 million for manufacturing and 501(c) 3 nonprofit organizations through Florida Development Finance Corp.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit: Federal income tax credit encourages employers to hire targeted groups of job seekers. It can reduce federal tax liability by as much as $2,400 per new hire and is designed to help those most in need of employment gain on-the-job experience and move toward self-sufficiency.

COLLIER COUNTY

Fast Track Regulatory Process Program: Designed to expedite qualifying companies’ permits and applications through the local regulatory process.

Advanced Broadband Infrastructure Investment Program: Reimburses companies up to $25,000 for costs associated with the initial installation or upgrade of advanced broadband infrastructure in commercial and industrial buildings.

Fee Payment Assistance Program: Offsets all or a portion of the county impact fees for new construction.

Property Tax Stimulus Program: An alternative to Fee Payment Assistance Program allows companies to be reimbursed 100 percent of the value of the property taxes paid in that
fiscal year.

Job Creation Investment Program: Cash incentive based on the number of new jobs created by the company; for example, $2,000 per new job for companies locating in eastern or western Collier County, and $3,000 for those in Immokalee Enterprise Community.

Enterprise Zone

State enterprise zones in Southwest Florida include
Immokalee and Everglades City in Collier and Fort Myers in Lee County. Incentives include job tax credit, property tax credit, building equipment and material sales tax refund, community contribution tax credit program and sales tax exemption for electricity. Immokalee is a Foreign Trade Zone and a Foreign Entrepreneurial Investment Zone, which offers other incentives as well.

Collier Target Industries

>> Corporate headquarters
>> Manufacturing technology
>> Aviation technology
>> Biomedical technology
>> Information technology

CHARLOTTE COUNTY

Economic Development Incentive Program: Offers $1,500 for jobs created with salaries equal to or greater than the Florida annual wage plus 100 percent ($61,532); $1,000 for jobs with salaries equal to or greater than the Florida annual wage plus 50 percent ($46,149); and $750 for jobs with salaries equal to or greater than the Florida annual wage plus 15 percent ($35,381).

Capital Incentives: Based on specified levels of capital investments—new buildings, fixtures and improvements to land, building and fixtures. Land improvement incentives rate is $1,000 per $100,000 of real property value added to the county tax roll; personal property incentives rate is $1,000 per $100,000 of value added to the tax roll.

Charlotte Target Industries
>> Manufacturing
>> Professional, scientific and technical services
>> Finance and insurance services
>> Wholesale trade
>> Information industries
>> Management services
>> Administrative and support services

Sources: Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties’ economic development offices.

Employer Identification Number
>>The Internal Revenue Service requires businesses and sole proprietorships with employees to register and receive a federal EIN. A business must register, even if it does not have employees, within seven days after it begins operating.

Information: IRS Form SS-4 is available online at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss4.pdf, or at the local IRS office at 2891 Center Pointe Drive in Fort Myers, (239) 938-7601. The IRS general information number is (800) 829-1040.
For an EIN, call (800) 829-4933. After receiving the ID number, apply for a state unemployment number.

State Incorporation
>> Articles of incorporation must be filed with the Florida Department of State.

Information: Call (850) 245-6052 for those filing as a C-Corporation or S-Corporation and (850) 245-6051 for those filing as a partnership or limited liability company. Visit www.sunbiz.org or www.dos.state.fl.us/doc.

Professional Licensing and Registration
>> Many professions and occupations require a Florida license or certificate of competency. The state regulates more than 35 industries, ranging from architects to veterinarians.

Information: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, (850) 487-1395. State permitting regulations and licensing requirements can be found at www.myflorida.com/dbpr.
License applications and renewals are handled online at www.myfloridalicense.com.

Service Marks, Trademarks and Fictitious Names
>> The Department of State’s Division of Corporations provides trademark and service-mark protection only within the state. Florida’s Fictitious Name Registration law requires that you register the name under which you do business. Fictitious names no longer need be advertised. Service marks and trademarks must be registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Information: For state services, call the Division of Corporations at (800) 755-5111 or visit www.sunbiz.org/help/fichelp.html. For federal services, call the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at (800) 786-9199 or visit www.uspto.gov.

Sales Tax Registration
>> Businesses that sell, rent or lease taxable property must register with the Florida Department of Revenue.

Information: (800) 352-3671, (850) 488-6800, www.myflorida.com/dor/eservices. Local service centers, which often host free educational seminars on tax issues and provide up-to-date tax information, are located at 2295 Victoria Ave., Suite 270, Fort Myers, (239) 338-2400, and 3073 S. Horseshoe Drive, Suite 110, Naples, (239) 434-4858.

Workers’ Compensation
>> Businesses with four or more employees must provide workers’ compensation. Agricultural businesses with at least five regular and/or 12 seasonal workers and all construction businesses also must provide coverage. Construction businesses with one or more part- or full-time employees must purchase coverage.

Information: Call any insurance carrier or the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation at (850) 413-1601, www.fldfs.com/wc.

New Hire Reporting
>> Employers must provide information about new hires within 20 days of the hiring date.

Information: Florida New Hire Reporting Center, (888) 854-4791, (850) 656-3343, www.fl-newhire.com.

The Permitting Process
>> Once federal and state requirements are complete, there are local regulations to follow:

Local Business Tax: Depending on your location, you might need a business tax receipt (formerly occupational license) from the municipality in which your business is located, as well as a business tax receipt from the county. They must be renewed by Sept. 30 of each year or the business will be considered delinquent and will be penalized.

Lee County Municipalities
>> In Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Sanibel, businesses must obtain local business tax receipts from the city before applying for one from the county. (Fort Myers Beach provides this for only a few types of businesses.) In Lee County, fees vary with the kind and size of business.

Information: Forms can be downloaded at www.leetc.com (click on the "Local Business Taxes" tab). The Lee County Tax Collector’s office is at 2480 Thompson St., Fort Myers, (239) 533-6000. Satellite offices are located in Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach, Lehigh Acres and North Fort Myers. Lee County also requires a certificate of use and proper zoning approval. Contact the county’s Department of Community Development at 1500 Monroe St. in Fort Myers, (239) 479-8327, www.lee-county.com/dcd (select "Certificate of Use").

Collier County Municipalities
>> Businesses in Naples, Ever-glades City or Marco Island must obtain local business tax receipts from the city before applying for one from the county. Fees vary with the kind and size of business. Collier also requires an approved zoning certificate from the planning services department and a fire inspection by the local fire department.

Information: Forms can be downloaded at www.colliertax.com (click on "Business Tax Receipts" link). The Collier County Tax Collector’s Occupational License Department is at 2800 N. Horseshoe Drive in Naples, (239) 403-2477.