Economic Development

City staff is available for one-on-one consultations to discuss and understand your business needs.

• Listen to your proposed business plan and explain the requirements for obtaining a business tax receipt, zoning approvals and building permitting.
• Provide an overview of organizations that can provide management, marketing, financial and employment training and recruitment assistance to help your business grow.
• Coordinate a meeting with the Land Development Group to discuss your project and provide an overview of the City's development process.
• Serve as a facilitator with your development team and the Planning & Zoning, Public Works, Utilities Services and Building Departments to ensure continued communications throughout the development process.
• Work with your development team and City staff to identify and resolve issues in the development process to ensure the project remains on schedule.
• Serve as your guide throughout the development process.

The City of Port St. Lucie offers new and expanding businesses, site location consultants and commercial and industrial realtors a wide variety of services, including:

• Available sites as well as retail, office and industrial buildings in the City of Port St Lucie.
• Information on State, County and City incentives and assistance with submitting applications.
• Coordinate with the St Lucie Economic Development Council and the St Lucie County Chamber of Commerce to facilitate peer-to-peer meetings with local business leaders.
• Access to labor market information and training assistance.

We are here to help your business grow in the City of Port St Lucie. Call 772-873-6374 to learn more about services the City offers.

Why Port St. Lucie?

The City's rapid growth is due in part to our high quality of life, abundance of market rate housing, our low crime, quality education system and business friendly environment. Port St. Lucie is conveniently located half way between Miami and Orlando and is served by Interstate 95, the Florida Turnpike, Florida East Coast Rail, Port of Fort Pierce and the Treasure Coast Airport.

Even with a population of over 1.6 million people within an hour's drive time of the City, the Port St. Lucie MSA is largely free of the traffic congestion and overcrowding common in most Florida metropolitan areas. This is largely due to an abundance of available land, a diverse and affordable housing market, good schools and a proactive local government committed to infrastructure improvements.

The City of Port St. Lucie is the ideal location for new and expanding businesses due to our market strength, competitive business costs, affordable livability and our well trained workforce. Allow our team of experts help your company grow and thrive in the City of Port St. Lucie.

Expedited Site Plan Review and Fast Track Permitting

Qualified companies are eligible for expedited site plan review and fast track permitting. Our Land Development Team will coordinate with your company to streamline the development review and permitting process to ensure your development is completed on schedule.

Florida Power & Light

Florida Power & Light incentives are available to new and expanding businesses creating 25 new jobs per 350 kW of new electric demand. Eligible companies receive declining discounts on their standard base energy and demand charges over four years. The discount increases to five years if the company moves into a vacant, existing building.

Impact Fee Mitigation

The economic development impact fee mitigation program is to mitigate any real or perceived disadvantage occurring from the imposition of impact fees to certain Qualified Target Industry businesses. The program is intended to provide the City Council the opportunity, in its sole discretion, to grant impact fee mitigation to Qualified Target Industry Businesses.

Job Growth Investment Grant

St. Lucie County offers the Job Growth Investment Grant for new and existing businesses that are eligible under Florida's Qualified Targeted Industries. The Board of County Commissioners may grant awards in the range of $1,500 to $3,000 per new job with a minimum of 10 new jobs created. A salary requirement of 107% of the County's current hourly wage is also required to be eligible for this program.

Capital Investment Tax Credit

The Capital Investment Tax Credit is an annual credit, provided for up to twenty years, against the corporate income tax. Eligible projects are those in designated high-impact portions of the following sectors: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, biomedical technology, financial services, information technology, silicon technology, transportation equipment manufacturing, or be a corporate headquarters facility. Projects must also create a minimum of 100 jobs and invest at least $25 million in eligible capital costs. Eligible capital costs include all expenses incurred in the acquisition, construction, installation, and equipping of a project from the beginning of construction to the commencement of operations. The level of investment and the project's Florida corporate income tax liability for the 20 years following commencement of operations determines the amount of the annual credit.

High Impact Performance Incentive Grant

The High Impact Performance Incentive is a negotiated grant used to attract and grow major high impact facilities in Florida. Grants are provided to pre-approved applicants in certain high-impact sectors designated by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO). In order to participate in the program, the project must: operate within designated high-impact portions of the following sector - advanced manufacturing, clean energy, corporate headquarters, financial services, life sciences, semiconductors, and transportation equipment manufacturing; create at least 50 new full-time equivalent jobs in Florida in a three-year period. Once recommended by Enterprise Florida and approved by DEO, the high impact business is awarded 50 percent of the eligible grant upon commencement of operations and the balance of the awarded grant once full employment and capital investment goals are met.

Quick Response Training

Quick Response Training is an employer-driven training program designed to assist new value-added businesses and provide existing Florida businesses the necessary training for expansion. A state educational facility - community college, area technical center, school district or university - is available to assist with application and program development or delivery. The educational facility will also serve as fiscal agent for the project. The company may use in-house training, outside vendor training programs or the local educational entity to provide training. Reimbursable training expenses include: instructors' and trainers' wages, curriculum development, and textbooks/manuals. This program is customized, flexible, and responsive to individual company needs.

Incumbent Worker Training

Incumbent Worker Training is a program that provides training to currently employed workers to keep Florida's workforce competitive in a global economy and to retain existing businesses. The program is available to all Florida businesses that have been in operation for at least one year prior to application and require skills upgrade training for existing employees.

On-the-Job Training

On-the-job training offers participants an opportunity to earn as they learn, while employer benefits by receiving a partial wage reimbursement during the new employee training period. Companies receive a 50% reimbursement of a new employee's wages while training on the job. CareerSource Research Coast provides no-cost access to a screened pool of available talent and assessment testing. Companies set the qualifications of the candidates, interview and select the individuals for employment.