Mike Simas, President & CEO, Florida Council of 100

Invest: spoke with Mike Simas, president and CEO of the Florida Council of 100, about the organization’s role in shaping policy, how Florida is positioning itself for long-term growth, and why business leadership and government remain closely aligned in the state. “Growth for the sake of growth isn’t the greatest thing in the world,” Simas said.

How would you describe the role of the Florida Council of 100 in shaping Florida’s economic direction today, and where are you seeing the strongest impact from its work?

The Council was created in 1961 by Governor Bryant to be a resource for government and policymakers on behalf of the business community. Its purpose was to develop thoughtful ideas around private sector-oriented public policy and to help elected officials think through issues and challenges by leveraging business expertise. That remains core to what we do today.

We are currently an organization of over 200 CEOs statewide. Our members run companies in every region of the state and in every sector of the economy, but they come to the Council not on behalf of their company or industry, but on behalf of the state of Florida. Our mission requires them to take that company hat off and think through how this organized group of CEOs can help solve problems for Floridians and identify and scale opportunities faster than they could without our involvement.

We do that by developing thought leadership and research, and over the last couple of years, we have also focused more on the execution of these priorities on the ground in different markets around the state by organizing our network and ecosystem to move the needle on things we think are important. A lot of that work is outlined in a report we did with McKinsey called Beyond Sunshine, which looked at all six regions of the state and rural Florida and identified the economic drivers bringing high-wage, resilient jobs to Floridians.

Once we identified those sectors, we began looking at how to organize those ecosystems to compete globally. Florida has grown organically for a long time, but now we are saying that we need to be more aggressive in telling the state’s story as a business climate and a business location for builders to come and scale. That is a big part of what is driving our Ambition Accelerated campaign and our effort to bring Southeast Florida together as one economic force through the Gold Coast concept.

The strongest opportunity for the state is strategic economic development and growth around high-wage, resilient sectors. We also have to stay thoughtful about the challenges that come with growth, including affordability, housing costs, commute times, and all the things we want to avoid so that we do not lose the qualities that make Florida attractive in the first place.

How is the relationship between business leadership and government evolving across the state? What is working, and what still needs to improve?

Business leadership has had a tremendous relationship with government in Florida, and state government has created the environment over time for the economic growth that we are seeing now. The fact that we have a constitutional mandate of no income tax is compelling to people from outside the market. Government here is a true partner to growth.

That matters because in other places, business leaders are dealing with more uncertainty around taxation and regulation. That creates hesitation when companies are thinking about investment. In Florida, the relationship the government has with the business community and the certainty built into our governance infrastructure provide a place where capital can go to market with more confidence.

Government also does a tremendous job supporting the talent pipeline. We have the number one university system in the country, a strong state college system, and CareerSource, which is the linchpin for training and credentialing talent. That infrastructure creates a nimble talent pipeline that is unlike what you see in many other jurisdictions.

What we are not doing as effectively is making sure that investors, CEOs, and founders in other markets understand that environment clearly. That is why we are investing in messaging through the campaign, so people understand the strength of the talent system, the lower cost structure, and the broader opportunity to build and scale in Florida.

How do you align priorities across different industries and companies to move from ideas to implementation?

We rely on our members. The CEOs who are members drive most of our policy work, and we identify challenges by talking to them. We bring our membership together in person twice a year, and we also go to the regions and meet with CEOs to understand the opportunities, risks, and challenges they are seeing.

That is how we developed work such as our resilience report. A lot of what we heard from members was concern around resilience, especially after recent hurricanes and the water damage that affected central business districts on the Gulf Coast. That led us to think about resilience both as a risk and as an opportunity.

Part of that is understanding how Florida gets back to business faster after storms and how we communicate that story better. Another part is thinking about how entrepreneurs and innovators in Florida who are developing the next generation of resilient technology can gain better access to our members, many of whom are major developers and construction firms, so that technology can be deployed, scaled, and eventually commercialized more broadly.

That same model applies in other areas, including affordable housing. We lean on members with expertise and ask how Florida can do a better job helping people purchase or rent more attainable housing so they can live closer to work and participate in the state’s growth. All of that work is driven by what our members are seeing and identifying on the ground.

How is the Council and the state positioning Florida within higher-growth sectors, and what will determine future success?

Florida has a broad and diverse economic opportunity. Across the state, there is strong growth in aerospace and defense, financial services, professional services, healthcare, distribution, agriculture, and other sectors. That diversity is one of Florida’s greatest strengths because it gives the state resilience even when one part of the economy slows.

What we are focused on is identifying which sectors are currently outperforming and then positioning Florida so that the next generation of growth happens here as well. We want to make sure the state is organized thoughtfully so that when those opportunities arise, whether through private sector investment or broader national trends, Florida is on the list for companies looking to build.

We also need to stay strategic because the cost of living in Florida has increased. We need to focus on jobs and industries that will provide higher wages for Floridians so they can continue to live and work here. That is why we are concentrating on sectors that can support long-term competitiveness and higher incomes.

Looking ahead, what does success look like for Florida over the next five to 10 years, and what role will the Council play in bringing this to life?

We are focused on repositioning the state as the place for the next generation of American ambition and the building of great companies. Florida already has strong advantages, but we need to keep telling that story and make sure companies understand that this is a place that will help them scale and grow.

Growth for the sake of growth isn’t the greatest thing in the world. You need to be strategic and make sure you are bringing things to market that are additive to the ecosystem, that help Floridians, and that help the businesses already here. The more focused you are on that effort, the more you can help everyone.

A lot of what the Council is doing now is organizing ecosystems around the economies identified in Beyond Sunshine and making it as easy as possible for companies to come from out of market and build here on top of them. Because our members represent so many industries, we are well positioned to connect those dots and tell one compelling statewide story.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would emphasize that the private sector in Florida is committed to ensuring that the state remains competitive and remains a great place to live, raise a family, and work for the next generation. Our members come together thinking not just about tomorrow’s problems, but about Florida over the next 50 years.

There can be a disconnect in perception between CEOs and people on the ground, but I would make the case that our CEOs think constantly about all of Florida and how to do a better job making sure the benefits their companies have seen from this state are deployed more broadly statewide. There are thoughtful, community-oriented efforts happening across the private sector that are beneficial to Floridians, even if they do not always get much attention.

At a time when people have lost trust in many institutions, I view it as part of our role to be thoughtful about restoring that trust where we can, particularly on behalf of the private sector and private sector leadership.