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Focus Area: Infrastructure

Whether you’re bringing in materials or shipping out your product, Northwest Florida gives you easy access to the rapidly growing Southeast United States – and the rest of the world.

Northwest Florida’s three deep-water ports, two of which are designated foreign trade zones, offer access to rail, the interstate system, and airports. Plus, there is an abundance of project-ready available property to meet your business needs.

Our growing airports are less congested and make it easy for executives and employees to fly in and out on a wide selection of airlines as business demands.

Our variety of premier industrial sites offer multimodal access and are positioned to mitigate your risk, time and financial investment to establishing your business in Northwest Florida.

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Deep-Water Ports

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Foreign Trade Zone

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General Aviation and Commercial Airports

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Serve Major Markets Within a Day's Drive

Atlanta, GA4 – 5 hours
Miami, FL7.5 – 9 hours
Jacksonville, FL3.25 – 5 hours
Charleston, SC7 – 8.25 hours
Nashville, TN6.25 – 7 hours
Little Rock, AR8.75 – 9.5 hours
Houston, TX8 – 9.5 hours

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Central & Eastern Time Zone

Airports

Six commercial airports with carriers such as Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways are accessible from:

Plus 17 public general aviation airports.

Rail

Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad runs parallel to I-10 and offers connections to Class I Rail CSX and Norfolk Southern, as well as several shortline railroads. This extensive railway network connects the region to every major population center in 23 states east of the Mississippi River and Canadian Provinces, Quebec and Ontario.

Highway

Northwest Florida is bisected, east to west, with Interstate 10 (I-10), which spans 2,460 miles across the entire southern United States, from Los Angeles, CA to Jacksonville, FL. North/South access via I-65, I-75, I-95 and numerous four- lane highways, allow for quick access to destinations in Charleston, Charlotte, Nashville, Little Rock, Houston and beyond.

The Florida Panhandle offers a centrally located solution to serve markets in the Southeast United States within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 14-hour “driving window” for a drive-time of up to 11 total hours.

Seaports

The region features three deep-water ports:

  • Port Panama City – Located on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway with easy access to the Gulf of Mexico and includes a 200-acre Inter-modal Distribution Center with rail access on Highway 231. It is designated as a foreign trade zone
  • Port of Pensacola - This deep-water port has an area designated as a foreign trade zone and an enterprise zone. Rail service is provided by Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad and Alabama Gulf Coast Railway.
  • The Port of Port St. Joe in Gulf County provides barge access to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico.