Economic Development Department staff proposed switching wage comparisons to QCEW, tightening wage thresholds to 80% of QCEW, capping abatements at 125% of estimated value, creating an economic mobility fund (5% of abated project revenue), and introducing R&D and TOD incentives; data centers would be ineligible.

City economic development staff asked meeting participants to revisit Chapter 380 incentive guidelines, including the $10,000,000 minimum-investment threshold and job-based tiers, and sought examples and recommendations for alternatives to better serve service providers and smaller projects.

Council leadership proposed making redevelopment incentives assignable, adding a ‘catalytic project’ designation with criteria (e.g., waterfront or mixed-use, $20 million+ investment, documented financing gap) and temporarily increasing incentive caps so projects can be financeable before the CRA sunsets; staff was asked to model fiscal impacts and return with options.

An LFC tax-expenditure assessment presented to the Legislative Finance Committee found that while aggregate economic impact is narrowly positive, the fiscal return to the state is negative for nearly all economic-development tax incentives; staff recommended sunsets, caps, better reporting and targeting to distressed areas.

HB 1387, conditioning Department of Commerce incentives on employer labor practices such as card‑check recognition, was reported favorably after extended public testimony from union representatives, construction trades workers, and proponents who said the measure protects secret‑ballot elections.

Team Volusia reported recent outreach successes and named Amazon, Aura Aero and Boeing among recent arrivals; staff briefed the board on reduced developable land and urged reworking incentive programs to help smaller employers if large parcels are no longer available.