Florida faced a harsh economic climate between 2006 and 2011, when the housing bubble burst, leaving home prices to sink 47 percent across the state. As a result, Florida businesses faced tough times, and the state had the highest number of business closures in the United States. However, economists predict that Florida’s rebounding economy is growing, with major job growth anticipated over the five-year period beginning in 2014. In 2014, Forbes magazine included three Florida cities on its list of the top 10 cities for future job growth, with Naples ranking first, Cape Coral sixth, and Port St. Lucie eighth.

For the 19,472,900 residents of Florida, the most current median household income is approximately $46,203, with a poverty rate of 17.1 percent. Approximately 26.8 percent of ...