Forget what you think you know about Orlando. There’s a renaissance happening in Central Florida and it’s taking place miles from the theme parks. With a growing population, Orlando now has a workforce of one million..
This growth is thanks in part to the unique community of Lake Nona. Built as a 17-square mile “Living Lab,” it serves as a real-world proving ground for companies to develop, test and deploy innovative solutions at scale. It is the nation’s first CISCO Iconic Smart+Connected city and features an infrastructure wired with a growing 5G network, ready for the future.
This planned community is the creation of the Tavistock Group, an international private investment organization. Its individual hubs dedicated to healthcare, human performance, wellbeing, education and business facilitate this community built based on a vision of entrepreneurialism, collaboration and innovation.
Contiguous to Lake Nona is Orlando International Airport, forming an Aerotropolis. This provides businesses and residents with close proximity to Florida’s busiest airport and direct connections to more than 150 cities around the globe. Soon, the nation’s first vertiport will offer quick and convenient regional transportation via electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Locally, autonomous shuttles whisk passengers throughout Lake Nona, connecting the many office, medical, dining and entertainment districts located in the community.
Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of Lake Nona is the highly educated population that calls it and its surrounding areas home. These tech-forward early adopters make up the workforce of the industry leading businesses located here, including Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, the U.S. Tennis Association, Nemours, GE, Guidewell, Signet, Siemens, Verizon and more.
You don’t have to look far for the next generation of innovators either. With more than 500,000 college students within a 100-mile radius, Lake Nona businesses have access to a deep talent pool. The University of Central Florida is the largest university in the country by enrollment and awarded over 17,000 degrees in 2020. Lake Nona is also home to the UCF School of Medicine and teaching hospital, University of Florida’s Academic Research Center, and Valencia College.
Lake Nona benefits greatly from Florida’s welcoming business climate, with a low corporate income tax and no state property tax. Orlando’s already enticing tax policy can be further bolstered by incentives available to qualifying companies that are relocating or expanding to the area. The dollar goes further here too, as the cost of living is 6.3% below the national average.
While Lake Nona looks toward the future, we’re open for business now. With robust transportation infrastructure, an educated workforce, a low cost of living combined with a high standard of living, we’re partnering with businesses to create a destination where tomorrow’s innovations are happening today.
To learn more about Lake Nona and how your business can thrive here, please fill out the form below.