Enterprise Florida

Laura DiBella serves as the Secretary of Commerce and President & CEO, confirmed in October 2024. She reports to a Board of Directors largely appointed by Florida's governor, meaning strategic direction is heavily aligned with the current administration. DiBella succeeded J. Alex Kelly, who had served in an interim capacity.

Enterprise Florida acts as the central case manager. A company considering expansion or relocation works through a project manager who navigates state-level programs like the Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund or the High Impact Performance Incentive. The agency then packages these with county and city-level abatements, presenting a unified proposal to the company.

The organization is a direct policy arm. Its Board is appointed by the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker, and its CEO serves as a cabinet-level official. This means the agency's international trade missions and corporate recruitment targets often mirror the governor's explicit economic priorities, a dynamic that can cause funding volatility during political transitions.

Generally, no. Enterprise Florida administers a State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) which funnels limited federal funds through partner lenders, but it is not a direct investor. Its core offering is performance-based tax incentives and infrastructure grants, not cash infusions from an investment fund.

The agency played a central role in facilitating the relocation of financial firms like Bridgewater Associates and Citadel to South Florida, coordinating state-level tax incentives and workforce training funds. It is also credited with major aerospace expansions, including multiple Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman facility builds along the Space Coast.

Enterprise Florida receives funding through a combination of state budget allocations and private contributions from member companies. Its budget became a major political flashpoint in 2017, when the Florida House nearly eliminated it, arguing the incentive programs were corporate welfare. The agency survived but remains a perennial subject of budget scrutiny.

Yes. It maintains a network of international trade offices in regions including Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Through this network, it offers Florida-based small and mid-sized companies export counseling, trade-show grants, and international matchmaking services, operating as the state's official export promotion arm.