LAKE NONA: BUILT BETTER FOR BUSINESS
Long known for being the theme park capital of the world, Central Florida has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. While it still welcomes more visitors than anywhere else in the world, it’s the people who live here – and who are moving here – that have fueled this change.
January 21, 2022
The Orlando metropolitan area has one of the fastest growing populations in the country, and a workforce of over one million strong.
It’s also home to Lake Nona, a 17-square mile “Living Lab” community, providing a real-world test bed for companies looking to test and deploy innovative solutions at scale. Lake Nona is built for the future and an ideal location for cutting-edge companies across a wide-range of industries, including aerospace, healthcare technology, life sciences, medical research, cyber security and more. It is CISCO’s first Iconic Smart+Connected city in the U.S. and features an infrastructure wired with a growing 5G network, ready for what lies ahead.
Lake Nona was created by the Tavistock Group, an international private investment organization. Their vision has built a community of entrepreneurialism, collaboration and innovation, with individual hubs devoted to health, well-being, human performance, business and education.
Contiguous to Orlando International Airport, this Aerotropolis provides businesses and residents close proximity to Florida’s busiest airport with direct connections to more than 150 cities around the globe. Soon, Lake Nona will also boast the nation’s first vertiport, providing regional travel aboard 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 home to a nationally recognized Cyber Security and Privacy program, and is the nation’s #1 workforce supplier to the aerospace and defense industry. Lake Nona is also home to the UCF College of Medicine and teaching hospital, University of Florida’s Academic Research Center, Valencia College and the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico.
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.