The EDF has had a long track record of success. Since it’s inception we have attracted 117 corporations to the City, assisted in the expansion of 19 others and helped retain 5 more. This performance translates into the creation and absorption of over 6.8 million square feet of office and industrial space in 14 years of service to our community. In 1993 we set a long-term goal to double the FY 1992 non-residential tax base, which was $475 million, by build out (currently scheduled for FY 2009). Incredibly, we have more than doubled the commercial tax base reaching the $1.5 billion mark for FY 2007, which is 186% of our original goal.
   
Achievement of this goal is so important to our community because the more successful we are in economic development, the less pressure there is to raise City property taxes to fund continued expansion and improvement of City services. In fact, since the EDF has been in business the City has not increased it’s operating tax rate!
   
There is still more to come. The City has reached residential build-out and is very close to commercial build-out. There are many new opportunities presenting themselves in economic development. We have recently completed One Charter Place, phase 1 of our "Downtown Coral Springs" redevelopment project. We are beginning to look at other redevelopment opportunities with the City, including the Corporate Park of Coral Springs, located south of NW 39th Street and Brokenwoods Country Club. The EDF orchestrated the first work force-based partnership titled "Coral Springs College and University Partnership (CSCUP)." The partnership is currently between the City, Broward Community College, Barry University and Nova Southeastern University's Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship. In FY 2007, CSCUP served 895 students and we anticipate to enroll over 1,000 students during FY 2008. The EDF is also very instrumental in providing corporate sponsors for interns at the Coral Springs Charter School ACE Academy. During FY 2008, we will continue to bring economic development to new levels of service and comptitiveness that will significantly increase our leverage and our ability to recruit new companies to Coral Springs.
   
Come take a look and you will see why the City of Coral Springs is the two-time winner of the Governors Sterling Award, has AAA and Aaa bond ratings from Fitch-IBCA and Moody’s Investors Service respectively, and just recently received a site visit from the Malcom Baldrige Award committee!