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»  Palm Beach County Snapshot
»  Palm Beach County Demographic Data

Why Palm Beach County? Palm Beach County has experienced rapid economic growth over a 20 year period, beginning in the 1980s. This has positioned the County as a top choice by corporations to expand operations in Palm Beach County. The caliber and diversity of companies located throughout our County illustrates its attractiveness to growing industries. Geographically, Palm Beach County provides access to vast populations within Florida, the Southeastern United States, and key overseas markets. A number of regional and international companies have established their corporate address in Palm Beach County.

Business Infrastructure. Of major importance to an area’s ability to acquire, retain and enhance business growth and development is the existing infrastructure. It enables companies to supercede barriers to communication. Numerous changes have occurred regarding the capacity and connectivity of Palm Beach County’s infrastructure, and the trend for more change in the coming years is anticipated. Ongoing and planned road construction projects will increase the capacity for carrying additional residents. Dwellings are being built to house them. Electric companies are building new power plants to increase energy capacity. A new convention center under construction offers T-1 connectivity for conventioneers, and business travelers have been welcomed to the County with expanded port and airport facilities. Internet network access points have been added to service this region. These improvements are conductive to Palm Beach County experiencing further business growth.

Port Access. Palm Beach County’s Port of Palm Beach is located between the communities of Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach in the central coastal portion of the County. It is the fourth busiest container port in Florida and the 18th busiest in the continental United States. In addition to intermodal capacity, the Port is a major modal point for the shipment of bulk sugar (domestic usages), molasses, neo-bulk, cement, utility fuels, water, perishable products, breakbulk and various grades of aggregate materials.

The Port of Palm Beach is geographically located 80 miles north of the City of Miami in Dade County and 135 miles south of Cape Canaveral (Kennedy Space Center). Vessel entrance is through the Palm Beach Inlet, a 300 foot wide channel. The Port has two slips, four marginal wharves and two ro/ro ramps for a total of 5,200 linear feet of berthing space.

If located within the Port's Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), a company may import, repackage and export agricultural products, while benefiting from the exemption of custom duties and excise taxes. The FTZ is viewed as an important resource providing cost-effective solutions for local business and industry for the manufacture and distribution of a wide variety of products.

Rail Access. CSX Freight Lines and Florida East Coast (FEC) Railroad Line provide daily service to the Palm Beaches. They were Palm Beach County's first method of mass transportation. The FEC Railway Company services the Port’s docks and piers through the Port's industrial rail switching operations. It is the only facility in South Florida operating a rail system with pier-side box, hopper and intermodal cars operating 24 hours a day. Located on Port property are six miles of trackage for intermodal transfers and handling. As many as 100 rail car unit-trains can be assembled for double-stack operations without aerial obstructions.

Airport Access. Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA) is strategically situated in the urbanized central coastal area of Palm Beach County. It serves the air transportation needs of nearly six million passengers each year in Palm Beach County and the four surrounding counties. It is located 2.5 miles west of downtown West Palm Beach, adjacent to I-95. Boca Raton is 20 miles south and Jupiter is only 15 miles north, both of which are considered to be two highly desirable communities to reside and work in. PBIA transports more than 15,000 tons of air cargo annually. It is the 58^th busiest airport in the nation, and creates an economic impact of more than $1.9 billion. More than 30 airlines offer non-stop service to 49 cities nationwide.

A recent passenger survey of 35 airports ranked PBIA number one in appearance and passenger appeal. Coquina walls, tile floors and an extensive art collection provide the ideal backdrop to start or end an airline flight. In 1988, a new state of the art terminal building was dedicated and is a superb example of a user-friendly, congestion-free, modern airport. PBIA has 25 aircraft gates, with the potential for 24 additional gates.

Communications, Fiber & Cable. Towards the end of the 1990s, a South Florida regional movement, called the InternetCoast, has been instrumental in supporting the development of Network Access Points (NAPs) and fiber installation throughout the tri-county area of Palm Beach, Broward and Dade Counties. This effort, supported by more than 2,800 companies, has focused national attention on the area’s high-tech growth. Companies joined forces to work together in making these infrastructure capabilities possible. Florida Power & Light Company's FiberNet division recently completed the installation of 2,600 miles of underground fiber optic networks covering the West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville areas. This was part of a three-year, $350 million expansion to connect major carrier hotels, central offices, cable heads and NAP locations. It also provides quick access and connectivity to the InternetCoast’s new BellSouth MIX and NAP of the Americas. BellSouth serves the Palm Beach County area with local land line service. Cable service is provided through Adelphia Cable.

Education Highlights. The School District of Palm Beach County is governed by a non-partisan elected School Board and operates under the direction of a School Board-appointed superintendent. Palm Beach County is the 4th largest school district in Florida and the 14th largest in the nation with students enrolled in 156 schools. Education numbers as of June 2000, show a total enrollment of 176,335: public school 149,764 (85%); private school 23,863 (14%), and home school 2,708 (1%). Approximately 6,000 new students enter Palm Beach County schools each year.

Schools in Florida are graded based on student achievement, and those in Palm Beach County are among the highest-rated in the state. For 2001, 51 schools earned As, 23 schools earned Bs, and 35 schools earned Cs. There are more than 8,000 students in the Gifted Program. There are also nearly 40 Magnet Programs and 13 Choice Options open to qualifying students from a broad geographical area. Programs include a diversity of skills like math and science, visual arts, language, technology, finance and global business, pre-medicine, pre-law, teaching, hospitality and film production.

The elementary, middle and high school International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs provide students a world-class education in the kindergarten through 12th grade. These programs have won recognition for being among the best IB programs in the world.

The existing colleges in Palm Beach County offer a broad spectrum of higher education. Over 28 percent of all the County's adults are college-educated. Florida's first public community college, Palm Beach Community College, has four campus locations that offer associate and vocational/technical degrees, non-credit courses and workshops. With two campuses, Florida Atlantic University offers undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs. Palm Beach Atlantic University is a four year liberal arts college with a Christian environment. Northwood University specializes in business and management degrees. Other colleges in the area include Barry University, Lynn University, College of the Palm Beaches, and Nova University.

Media. Palm Beach County is served by three major daily newspapers, The Palm Beach Post, The Miami Herald and The Sun-Sentinel along with many locally published weekly newspapers. Palm Beach County has five major local television stations that are affiliates of NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and PBS.

Quality of Life. Palm Beach County’s quality of life has enticed many local and national businesses to relocate offices or open branches in the area. Our 37 municipal and unincorporated areas offer the best in attractions, resorts, festivals, natural preserves, world-class shopping, cultural venues and sporting activities. The area touts more than 2,000 restaurants, and local residents enjoy a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities.

Government Assistance Packages. Palm Beach County strives to attract and retain business investment and high quality jobs in Palm Beach County through corporate relocations, expansions and international trade. Palm Beach County and the State of Florida offer attractive financial incentives to relocating and expanding companies. Elected officials have demonstrated their commitment to economic development through the adoption of assistance packages based on job creation, quality of wages and total economic impact of the project.

(rev. 8-5-03)