Business Climate

Strategic Location

The Gulf Coast’s most popular tourist destination boasts a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem across 24 municipalities, a driven and trained workforce, robust infrastructure, and regional and global connectivity via Interstate-275, two international airports in St. Pete-Clearwater and Tampa, and the largest port in Florida. Anchored by the urban markets of Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Pinellas has the third largest base of manufacturing employment in Florida, generated 1/5 of all state of Florida economic activity in medical devices, and is a top location for aviation and aerospace and other industries. An extensive network of suppliers, service-providers and business associations support businesses both large and small. The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area ranks as a top tech hub among the top 20 southern metro areas with populations of more than 200,000 based on factors such as technology job density, median earnings, and overall quality of life.

Industry Giants & Innovators

Six major industry clusters contribute to a diversified and robust economy and a talented workforce. Industry giants and Fortune 500 companies Raymond James Financial, Jabil Circuit and TD Synnex are headquartered in Pinellas County. Companies like Foot Locker, Inc., ValPak and KnowBe4 firmly support Pinellas County’s big data sector. Technical innovation and industry disruption in Pinellas has attracted companies like ARK Invest and Dynasty Financial Partners. Opened in 2023, the County’s new incubator, The ARK Innovation Center, operated by the prestigious Tampa Bay Innovation Center, is a 45,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility to catalyze future startups and technology companies in the Tampa Bay region.

Ample Support for Business Growth

Businesses can move to or start up in Pinellas and expect to begin growing immediately, and new and established businesses will find ample support for sustained growth through the community’s financing and investment tools, and programs like Pinellas County’s $90+ Million Employment Sites Program to prepare modernized sites for jobs of the future.

To keep our economy thriving and encourage entrepreneurship, Pinellas County Economic Development teams with our local Chambers of Commerce. Pinellas’ chambers are your resource for networking, advocacy, information, growth strategies, and education. We hope you’ll join our chambers and become an active member of our business community.

Workforce Collaboration & Partnerships

Pinellas County has a diverse and growing workforce as a result of a strong foundation in education, starting from Pinellas County Schools to higher education institutions such as St. Petersburg College, University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus, Eckerd College, and a multitude of training and workforce programs. Employers in Pinellas have access to a wide variety of programs and resources to meet talent needs as industries and technologies grow and change.