Starting A Business in Florida?

In reply to an email.......

To put it in a nutshell, Florida like other areas wants to encourage economic growth and they have programs that encourage people to have businesses - especially in areas where the community is very economically disadvantaged.

Going from your comments above I would concentrate first on the fact that you want to employ the disabled as there are programs for that.  Since you have not "officially" started your business there are steps that you are going to have to take in order to apply for these programs - the most important being some sort of business plan structure because the funding organization will want to know what the money will be used for.

How you structure your plan will decide on what funding programs that you will be qualified to apply to/for and those funding the programs will be the state's own agencies.  As far as applying for funding it is the state's agencies that you will be applying to.

P.S. - Florida offers a start-up kit for those that want to start a business in Florida and it contains information on the specifics of what you will need as far as licenses other important requirements are concerned.