What this guide covers
Publicly funded support structures, free to any business established in Florida whatever its ownership. They are largely underused by foreign founders, who often do not know they exist.
What exists
The Florida SBDC
A network funded by the federal government and the university system, present in every region. Free one-to-one support: business plan, financing, government contracting, export.
SCORE
A network of volunteer executives and former executives. Free individual mentoring, by appointment, with active chapters on the corridor.
County economic development agencies
Funded by counties to attract and retain businesses. They know the available premises, the local incentives and the prime contractors of the territory.
University incubators
The corridor’s universities host incubation programmes, often attached to their laboratories, open to outside companies.
What surprises people arriving from Europe or Quebec
These programmes are open with no condition on the nationality of ownership, as long as the business is established in Florida. A European founder often dismisses them assuming they are for Americans only, they are not.
Where it gets complicated
The quality of support depends on the adviser you meet, and the first appointment is not always the right one. These networks run on volunteering or public funding: they are uneven, and it sometimes takes persistence to reach the competence you need.
Official sources
What French Executive Network can do
Introduce you to the French-speaking business lawyers, accountants and tax advisers in the network who handle this subject, and to the members who have already been through it.