Bay County is committed to industrial development and is proud to be the home of some 131 + small and large manufacturers. Companies seeking a productive southeast location for new manufacturing facilities can achieve a number of important operating advantages in Bay County. This is based on economic and key plant location variables such as labor, transportation, markets, support services, business climate and life-style considerations.
Industrial park sites are readily available and conveniently located. The Hugh Nelson Industrial Park, Port Panama City, the Bay Line industrial Park and the Bay Industrial Park feature complete utilities and offer easy access to Bay County’s excellent transportation network. Four-lane highway, rail, deep water port (with a foreign trade zone status), intracoastal waterway and airport facilities are utilized by numerous transportation companies to move goods in and out of Bay County. Raw materials and finished products can be easily moved to and from regional, national and world-wide markets.
The Panama City/Bay County area is actively seeking new business and industry. The Bay County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Council serves as Bay County’s economic development coordinating agency and welcomes inquiries concerning new business ventures.
Florida is a right-to-work state, one of only 20 in the US. Under this provision, both the closed shop and the union shop are prohibited. Furthermore, Florida’s right-to-work provision is contained in its Constitution...a characteristic shared by only six other states. The advantage a constitutional right-to-work provision has over a merely statutory one is that a public referendum rather than a legislative vote is required in order to change it. This makes Florida’s right-to-work law among the strongest in the nation.
Union membership in Florida is lower than in many other areas of the US. In terms of the percent of manufacturing employees having membership in a labor union during 1989, Florida was 8.97 percent. The comparative figure for the nation as a whole was 18.27 percent.
Union Jobs
3.6 percent of a total 53,222 people employed are union with the majority coming from the public sector, school system, law enforcement, etc.
Active Bay County Unions
Organization: Association of Bay Co. Educators Employer: Bay County School District Unit: Instructional Personnel No. of Employees: 890 Organization: Bay Educational Support Personnel Association Employer: Bay County School District Unit: Non-Instructional Personnel No. of Employees: 1009 Organization; Big Bend Police Benevolent Association Employer: Town of Cedar Grove Unit: Law Enforcement PBA No. of Employees: 4 Organization: Professional Fire Fighters of PC, Local 3216 Employer: Panama City/Bay County Regional Airport Unit: Fire Fighters No. of Employees: 9
Generally, wage levels in Florida compare extremely well to other areas of the US.
* Florida ranked seventh lowest in average hourly earnings for production workers in 1991 with an annual average wage rate of $9.29 per hour. This was $1.05 per hour below the national average of $10.34
* In terms of the annual average pay for all industries, Florida is considerably below major manufacturing and high technology states in the Northeast, Midwest and Far West. Overall, it is among the mid-range status and only 89.1 percent of the national average. For 1991, Florida equaled $21,032 while the US reached $23,602.
Bay County Medium Wage Rates
Occupation Mean Medium Min Max Wage Wage Wage Wage Automotive Mechanics 12.53 10.50 7.00 17.41 Forklift Operators 9.28 11.70 5.50 11.70 Industrial Production Managers 19.29 20.03 10.00 28.25 Janitors & Cleaners 5.19 5.03 4.50 5.87 Machine Tool Operators 7.56 7.00 5.00 11.85 Machine Maintenance Mechanics 16.13 17.41 6.96 17.41 Machinists 12.04 12.10 5.00 17.41 Production Workers, General 12.82 12.58 4.75 17.83 Secretaries 9.78 9.55 5.15 13.11 Truck Drivers, Light 5.99 5.50 5.00 8.09 Warehouse Sups 8.82 8.00 6.00 12.25 Welders & Cutters 9.74 10.50 5.00 13.50
Just as in most states, the Florida employer must provide unemployment compensation insurance and workers’ compensation insurance.
Unemployment Compensation Insurance
Florida’s unemployment compensation insurance program is acknowledged as one of the nation’s best, and it has become a model for other states.
* In 1992, Florida had the nation’s third lowest average employer’s contribution rate: 0.5 percent of total wages compared to 0.8 percent of total wages nationally.
* In Florida, the tax is imposed on the first $7,000 of wages paid to each employee during the year. At least 35 other states use a greater wage base.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance
An employer with four or more employees is required to have workers’ compensation coverage (the number differs from construction firms).
* In Florida, the employer may either obtain a workers’ compensation insurance policy through a private insurance company or qualify with the Department of Labor and Employment Security as a self-insurer.
Two or more employers may enter into agreements to pool their workers’ compensation liabilities for the purpose of qualifying as a group self-insurer’s fund.
* Under this provision, the fund is liable for 80 percent and the employer member for 20 percent of the medical benefits due for a compensable injury up to $5,000. Over this amount, 100 percent of the benefits due shall be paid by the pool.
Florida lawmakers have taken steps over the last several years to keep workers’ compensation costs down for Florida employers. Nationwide, most states are experiencing problems with rate increases. To confront this situation in Florida, substantial reforms were enacted during both the 1989 and 1990 Florida legislative sessions. These reforms addressed those factors which have influenced recent cost increases such as the rising cost of medical care, increasing attorney involvement in workers’ compensation cases, and the cost effectiveness of rehabilitation.