Retailing is Florida's second-largest industry.  As the fabric of our economy, a healthy retail environment is essential for overall economic health.
 

Florida's 100,000+ plus retail businesses employ nearly 20 percent of the state's workforce, pay more than $33 billion in wages annually and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales and retail related taxes for Florida's government.  The economy is stimulated further by retailers' impact on manufacturing, distribution, construction, e-commerce and other industries that benefit from a thriving retail market.

Retailers are at the forefront of community giving endeavors, contributing millions of dollars, merchandise and thousands of hours of people power to philanthropic causes each year.  FRF represents all sizes and types of retailers and businesses, including retailing centers.  In 2005, the most recent statistics available, approximately 11.7 million adults shopped monthly at one or more of Florida's 3,839 retailing centers.  These centers provided jobs for more than 1 million individuals and generated more than $170 billion in center-inclined sales resulting in approximately $10.2 billion in state sales tax revenues.

My Fox Tampa Bay reported, December 15, 2008, that FRF is encouraging Local Shoppers to do business with Local Businesses and STOP spending their money outside of Florida, namely the Internet.