JUNO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company's Office of Economic Development today announced the launch of PoweringFlorida.com – a new online resource dedicated to helping businesses start up, expand or relocate their operations in Florida.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120301/FL62738LOGO )

The initiative builds on FPL's existing economic development efforts, which include special discounted electric rates to promote Florida to new and expanding businesses that create jobs for Floridians.

"As the largest electric utility and one of the largest companies in Florida, we believe we have a responsibility to help grow our state's economy and create jobs for our fellow Floridians. When Florida's economy grows, everyone wins," said FPL President Eric Silagy. "A discount on FPL's already-low rates can help businesses set up shop and expand in our service territory, which covers about half the state, but PoweringFlorida.com is designed to help expand the economy across the entire state."

"PoweringFlorida.com showcases the diverse benefits that Florida has to offer and empowers all of our local communities with tools to help them to market the unique values that each corner of the state has to offer," Silagy said.

"Economic development is a team sport. I am grateful to FPL for providing a product to enhance not only the competitiveness of the communities in their territory but also in the entire state. These strategic partnerships are critical to getting Floridians back to work," said Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida Inc., the state's principal economic development organization.

PoweringFlorida.com offers two sets of services:

• One-Stop Shop for Site Selectors: PoweringFlorida.com provides thousands of site-selection experts across the globe with direct access to information about Florida's workforce, available real estate, utility rate options and potential discounts and incentives – all information that is essential to selecting a location for new or expanding business operations.
• Market Resource Center for Local Economic Development Organizations: PoweringFlorida.com also provides local agencies in Florida tailored data about their communities that can help them better market their strengths and target businesses best-suited for their specific economic and workforce profiles.

"Never before has all this information existed in one place," said Lynn Pitts, director of FPL's Office of Economic Development. "It's taken many months to build, but the benefits are limitless."

For the first time together on one site, PoweringFlorida.com integrates independent third-party data from GIS Planning and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI), specialists in location scouting and workforce evaluation, respectively. FPL is providing access free-of-charge for local economic development agencies in Florida that do not currently have these capabilities.

"Across the country, companies looking to expand are demanding reliable and accessible information to guide their decisions, and to maximize their investments," said Del Boyette, president and CEO of Boyette Strategic Advisors, a leading site consulting firm. "PoweringFlorida.com has achieved a first: bringing the best planning and workforce data together in one click. What that means for companies and their site selectors is unfiltered and unparalleled insight – county by county and block by block. What that means for Florida is a competitive advantage for the right types of jobs and investment."

"We greatly benefit from a strong partnership with FPL and its Office of Economic Development. FPL's enhanced marketing efforts and resources provided to economic development organizations and the state are proving to be valuable assets for attracting and expanding business in Florida," said Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.

"FPL is a strong economic development partner in the Northeast Florida region. Beyond providing a discounted rate incentive, the FPL team is aggressively marketing the state to attract economic development projects. We appreciate the assistance and support that FPL provides to our partner counties to grow our region's economy," said Jerry Mallot, president of JAXUSA Partnership of the Greater Jacksonville Region.

PoweringFlorida.com is live now for site selectors worldwide and local economic development organizations in Florida. FPL plans to demonstrate the website's functions to local economic development stakeholders at Enterprise Florida Inc.'s meeting in Tallahassee later this week.

Visit PoweringFlorida.com to learn more.

Florida Power & Light Company    
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while its typical residential customer bills, based on data available in December 2011, are about 25 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company