Florida Chamber Expands “Free Enterprise Florida” Competitiveness Campaign to Illinois, Names Governor Pritzker a Runner-Up for Florida Economic Developer of the Year

To help America grow our GDP by at least 3% annually, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is expanding its Free Enterprise Florida competitiveness campaign to Illinois, bringing Florida’s economic success story to Illinois with new billboards highlighting the growing gap between Florida and Illinois on population growth, taxable income migration, business relocations, and more.

The Chicago area billboards direct viewers to the Free Enterprise Florida website, where visitors can explore a side-by-side comparison of Florida and Illinois across key indicators and explore why people and businesses continue choosing Florida. Our goal isn’t to have Illinois fail; it’s to have America win.

States that are losing populations, losing taxable income, and have more businesses leaving than arriving are in a death spiral, and Illinois meets all three criteria.

“Florida is competing every day for the people, businesses and investment that will shape our future,” said Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “The numbers tell a compelling story. People and businesses have choices, and they are choosing states where they have the opportunity to grow and succeed. Florida has created an environment where free enterprise and innovation can thrive, and that gives us a competitive advantage.”

The Florida Chamber’s comparison highlights significant differences between Illinois and Florida:

• Business relocations: Florida ranks #1, while Illinois ranks #48 (Illinois has more businesses leaving than moving in).
• Population growth: Florida’s population has grown 7% (1,871,193 people) over the past five years, while Illinois’ population has declined 0.6% (-76,207).
• Taxable Income migration: Florida ranks #1, with $20.6 billion in net income moving into the state. Illinois ranks #49, with a $5.9 billion net loss (Illinois loses over $673,000 every hour).
• New business startups: Florida ranks #1 with over 640,000 annually, while Illinois ranks #6 with over 187,000 annually.
• Migration: Florida gains an average of 551 net new residents per day, compared with 13 in Illinois.
• Debt Per Capita: Florida ranks #3 at $963, while Illinois ranks #28 at $3,363.
• Personal income tax: Florida has no personal income tax, while Illinois has a 95% top personal income tax rate.
• Income moving to Florida: Illinois is the second-highest contributor of federally taxable income to Florida, with a net $2.4 billion in income moving from Illinois to Florida.
• Higher Education: Florida ranks #1, while Illinois ranks #35.

“Competition is good for everyone because it forces us to keep improving,” Wilson said. “Florida has to continue making the choices that attract investment, encourage entrepreneurship and give job creators the confidence to grow. That is what free enterprise does, and our campaign goal is to encourage Illinois to stop pushing bad policy and follow the Florida Model.”

The expansion into Illinois builds on the Florida Chamber’s August launch of the Free Enterprise Florida campaign in Times Square, where the viral billboard introduced the campaign’s central message, “Free Enterprise Wins,” and introduced viewers to our focus on helping America grow its GDP by comparing Florida’s economic performance with New York’s.

The campaign is designed to bring Florida’s competitiveness message beyond the state’s borders and highlight the economic choices that are driving growth, attracting talent, and creating opportunity. America wins when we grow the private sector.

Guided by the Florida 2030 Blueprint, the Florida Chamber continues working to strengthen Florida’s competitiveness and position the state as a top-10 global economy by 2030-currently #14.

For more information about the Free Enterprise Florida competitiveness campaign and to explore how Florida compares with other states, visit FreeEnterpriseFlorida.com.