News

Coming off the heels of the nearly 500 fintech jobs announced last month in Jacksonville, Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference in the city this morning to announce directives that will capture more of the industry opportunities for the state. The financial technology market has been thriving in Jacksonville and continues to see immense growth.

As part of the announcement, Gov. DeSantis called for a partnership between state government, state colleges and universities, and the corporate community to develop workforce development programs in the form of “fintech academies” to provide accelerated curriculum in the field. The academies could be formed throughout the state, but especially in Jacksonville, which, as he stated, is a “natural place” for them, adding, “a place like Jacksonville is tailor-made to take the financial technology sector to the next level.”

To remove barriers to business growth, the governor instructed state agencies Enterprise Florida and the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to expedite reviews of Florida Job Growth Grant Fund applicants who seek to provide the industry training.

With the Florida legislative session starting in January 2020, the governor’s office also plans to pursue legislation that will create a “regulatory sandbox” for the fintech industry which would ease any outdated burdens and create flexible regulatory requirements that would spur innovation for the state.

For more information, read the article in Jacksonville Business Journal.