Tampa Bay Business Journal Online
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area is advancing up the ranks of communities that attract the most corporate relocations.
The Tampa metro ranks No. 4 among the South Atlantic states on Site Selection magazine’s list of new and expanded corporate facilities in 2017, with 49 total projects last year. That’s up one spot from 2016.
The Tampa metro was the highest-ranking Florida metro in the South Atlantic, surpassing Miami, No. 6 on the list with 42 projects.
Overall, Florida did not have a strong showing in Site Selection’s yearly analysis, which is regarded by corporate real estate analysts as “the industry scoreboard,” a press release said.
Texas and Nebraska won the 2017 Site Selection Governor’s Cup, which recognizes the top states and metros for economic development. Georgia was the top state in the South Atlantic region, and Atlanta was the top metro in the region, with 131 projects.
Among metro areas with a population of 1 million or more, the Chicago metro was No. 1, with 402 projects, while two Texas metros — Houston and Dallas — came in second and third places, respectively. Houston had 196 projects and Dallas had 192 projects.