Statewide Initiatives
Driving Florida's Innovation Economy Through Strategic Campaigns and Research
About The Florida Council of 100 and its Foundation
The Florida Council of 100 is an exclusive network of business leaders who work together to enhance the economy and quality of life for all Floridians. The Council represents more than 200 CEOs whose companies employ over 1.3 million Floridians. Through its Foundation, the Council conducts extensive research and advances strategic initiatives to address the state's most pressing challenges.
Beyond Sunshine: Advancing Florida's World-Class Economy for the Next Generation
Overview
In June 2024, The Florida Council of 100 Foundation launched Beyond Sunshine, a comprehensive economic strategy developed in partnership with McKinsey & Company. Over the past few decades, Florida has blossomed into a conglomerate of unique regional economies with specialized industry clusters—from financial services and IT & Tech to aerospace & defense, biotech, and advanced manufacturing.
Beyond Sunshine examined Florida's six regional economies and identified the industries generating higher-wage and resilient jobs, providing a data-driven roadmap to harness this economic dynamism and ensure continued growth. The strategy focuses on increasing jobs in higher-wage industries, promoting high-priority economic clusters in each region, and positioning Florida as the best place to start a career, build wealth, and raise a family.
The Objective
Ensure Florida is not only growing, but building the industries that will drive the next phase of economic leadership. The work is already having impact—the Florida Department of Commerce's 2025 Target Industry Report explicitly references Beyond Sunshine and reflects many of the sectors identified in the Council's strategy. This alignment demonstrates the role the Council plays in shaping Florida's long-term economic priorities.
From Strategy to Execution
Following the release of Beyond Sunshine, the Foundation focused on translating strategy into action — launching regional accelerator programs (Ambition Accelerated) and the Gold Coast campaign designed to attract high-growth companies and scale the key industries identified in the report.
Resilience Reimagined: Modern Policy and Innovation for a Stronger Florida
The Resilience Reimagined Report, released by the Florida Council of 100 in January 2026, is a forward-looking action plan to strengthen Florida's economy, communities, and infrastructure in the face of increasing severe weather. It outlines policy solutions and innovation strategies to help the state better prepare for and recover from storms, flooding, and other natural hazards. The report positions resilience as a key driver of long-term economic competitiveness, not just risk mitigation.
Purpose
Guide policymakers and business leaders in turning resilience into a foundation for sustained growth and investment.
Resilience as Competitive Advantage
Every $1 not invested in hurricane preparedness costs more than $7 in lost economic activity
Every $1 not spent on flood protection results in more than $25 lost in the future
CEO Economic Outlook Index
The Florida Council of 100 CEO Economic Outlook Index, launched in 2025, is a quarterly survey of our members that captures how Florida's business leaders are thinking about the economy and where they are investing next. The index tracks expectations for sales, capital investment, and hiring over the next six months and is modeled after the nationally recognized Business Roundtable index.
What It Measures
Each quarter, it provides a real-time snapshot of how CEOs across the state are planning for growth, expansion, and workforce needs. To date, results show consistent confidence among Florida CEOs, with strong alignment around continued investment and long-term economic growth.
Why It Matters
The CEO Economic Outlook Index provides critical intelligence on business sentiment and investment trends across Florida's innovation economy. This data helps inform policy decisions, guides strategic investments, and provides founders and investors with insights into where Florida's business leaders see the greatest opportunities for growth.
