PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BOCA RATON AIRPORT AUTHORITY
U.S. Customs and Border Protection building at Boca Raton Airport
of Labor Statistics, compared with the state unemployment rate of 3.9 percent. The median annual household income for 2014 in Boca Raton was estimated at $71,867, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010-2014 American Community Survey. For information on labor issues, jobs and benefits, contact the Palm Beach County Workforce Alliance Administrative Office at 561/340-1060.
TRANSPORTATION culture results in an elevated level of economic and community development. Strong governmental support helps elevate the city’s business climate, with county and state resources available to companies in Boca Raton. Through a strategic partnership, the Boca Chamber works closely with the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County to assist in the retention, expansion and attraction of high-quality jobs to this area. The BDB is a private not-for-profit board that serves as Palm Beach County’s official economic development organization. Boca Raton’s growth has been carefully managed, thanks to sound ordinance and land-use measures. The city created the Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency more than a decade ago to develop and promote a long-range downtown land-use plan. The agency guides growth through the development of a regional impact master plan and capital facilities plan, ensuring that future downtown development and public services will go hand in hand. Businesses seeking to grow their operations
can receive information from the BDB on county/state grants, tax abatements, available commercial real estate, permitting assistance and demographic data. For more information on the Business Development Board, call 561/835-1008 or visit bdb.org.
DEVELOPMENT Major developments are underway or now complete as Boca Raton’s downtown continues to evolve into the true heartbeat of the city. Boca Raton’s 2017 Annual Report to Downtown Property Owners stated that more than 1,200 residential units, 318 hotel rooms and nearly 9,000 square feet of office space have been approved and will be completed in a three-phase process.
LABOR The continued improvement in the city’s unemployment reflects a gradual yet steady recovery in the area’s economy. The unemployment rate in Boca Raton as of June 2018 was 3.4 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau
Boca Raton is midway between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, with easy access to airports, train stations, bus stations and seaports. The area also provides easy access to two duty-free zones and the two busiest container ports in the state, including the Foreign Trade Zones at Palm Beach International Airport and the Port of Miami. The freight lines of Florida East Coast and CSX Railways run through the area, complemented by Amtrak and Tri-Rail passenger services. The privately managed Brightline high-speed train from West Palm Beach (and soon from Orlando) to Miami does not stop in Boca, but in 2018 the city created Quiet Zones within the city limits that silence train horns at all 10 railroad crossings and necessitated fortified crossing gates built at Brightline’s expense. Boca Raton’s airport serves the recreational and business aviation needs of the community, averaging more than 60,000 operations annually with a runway of 6,276 feet (by 150 feet) and a full-length parallel taxiway. There is an FAA Contract Tower on the field staffed by a team of highly trained air traffic controllers, and there are two full-service Fixed Based Operators (FBOs) that
Opposite page, the Lynn Insurance building; Above left, Office Depot headquarters and the Palmetto Promenade mixed-use development in Boca Raton aimed at meeting housing and retail demand in the growing city. BOCA CHAMBER ANNUAL 2019
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