With more than 130 CEOs from around the state, the Florida Council of 100 (FC100) hosted its Fall General Membership Conference in November to discuss the organization’s progress, its plans for the year ahead and welcome a series of speakers to address key topics.

“Having leading CEOs engaging with one another on important issues is how we advance our mission and drive progress,” said Michael Simas, President & CEO, FC100. “With this meeting immediately following the general election, there were timely insights regarding the people and priorities shaping the economic landscape for Florida in the years ahead.”

Among those who presented to the group were State of Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis, previous Florida House of Representatives Speaker Paul Renner, Florida House of Representatives Speaker Daniel Perez and Florida Senate President Ben Albritton. Each provided their perspective on the role and opportunities for the private sector to support the state’s economic growth and their views on legislative priorities. Mayors and local leaders from Miami, Sanibel, Tallahassee and Tampa took part in a panel discussion regarding hurricane resilience and the impacts and recovery from the recent series of storms that made landfall in the Sunshine State, as well as lessons learned since Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992.

In addition to sessions covering education, security and the future of information, a highlight of the conference was the presentation of the 2024 Governor’s Business Leadership Award to Syd Kitson, Chairman/CEO, Kitson & Partners. Kitson, who was named TIME Magazine’s “Dreamer of the Year” in 2023, was recognized for his decades of business success in Florida, including the development of sustainable master-planned communities such as Babcock Ranch in Southwest Florida. He also has served on multiple civic, education and non-profit boards.

“Making a positive difference for Floridians today and in the future has always been my goal as a developer and businessman,“ Kitson said. “I share this award and my success with an incredible team of associates, clients and investors who have supported me and my business philosophy of giving back to the communities in which we work and live.”

Since its Spring General Membership Conference in May, FC100 has published the Beyond Sunshine report, which provides a roadmap for increasing high-wage industries by focusing on regional clusters of best bets. Successful implementation is projected to add up to 200,000 new jobs in Florida by 2030 and contribute nearly $100 billion of added Gross Domestic Product for the state. Additionally, the FC100 Foundation has continued to make progress on research relating to the organization’s policy priorities that cover economic competitiveness, attainable housing and water policy.

“FC100 is uniquely positioned to leverage the vast experience and expertise of a large cross-section of the state’s top private-sector leaders who are collectively focused on tackling the state’s biggest challenges and making it an even better place for the next generation,” said FC100 Chair Eric Silagy.