While many younger professionals consider leaving Southwest Florida, a new survey contends this is the place to be for young entrepreneurs.

The Sarasota-Manatee region topped a list of Florida’s best cities for young people to start their own business ventures, according to MoneyRates.com, a personal finance website.

Charlotte County tied for seventh, one of the six Florida communities to make the top 10 list.

The ratings scored high population growth rates, education attainment, young adult affluence and the business tax environment. It did not consider such factors as affordable housing and job opportunities, two often-discussed sore spots among the region’s millennials.

Sarasota-Manatee and Charlotte were cited as places where an entrepreneur’s investment might have the best chance of success.

“A common link is the state’s favorable tax environment, which the Tax Foundation ranks as the fourth best in the nation,” MoneyRates said of Sarasota-Manatee. “This particular community won the top spot overall by also finishing in the top 10 in each of the other three categories, including a third-place ranking in young adult affluence.

“Another beneficiary of Florida’s favorable business tax environment, Punta Gorda (metro area) was also in the top 10 for young adult affluence and growth rate,” the report said.

The high rating for young adult affluence might puzzle some here, where long-stagnant wages are just beginning to show some growth. But MoneyRates said young adults in the region are earning good enough incomes to be economic forces in the market, and have some money left over for savings.

However, for many younger workers here, attainable housing remains key. Last year a survey by the Young Professionals Group, a council of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, found nearly half of the respondents said they considered moving from Sarasota because of the lack of housing they can afford.

The Villages, a fast-growing retirement mecca in central Florida, was fourth on the list. Cape Coral/Fort Myers was right behind at fifth, while Sebastian/Vero Beach came in ninth and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford finished 10th.

Herald Tribune June 16, 2017