Florida may be best known for beaches, theme parks, and warm weather, but it is also a major business destination. From Miami and Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and the smaller markets scattered throughout the state, business travelers can quickly find themselves covering a surprising amount of territory.
That creates a challenge: Florida looks much smaller on a map than it feels when you’re driving across it.
We spoke with an avid business traveler with Truman Mox, a nationwide machinery and equipment appraisal firm whose assignments regularly take its appraisers to businesses throughout Florida and the rest of the United States. After enough flights, rental cars, hotels, and early-morning appointments, he’s developed a few rules for making Florida business travel easier.
Don’t Automatically Fly Into the Biggest Airport
One of the biggest mistakes a business traveler can make in Florida is booking a flight before looking closely at the final destination.
Florida has an unusually large aviation network. The Florida Department of Transportation reports that the state has more than 125 public-use airports, including 21 offering commercial service.
That gives business travelers options.
If your meeting is in Naples, for example, flying into Southwest Florida International Airport near Fort Myers can make considerably more sense than flying into Miami. Sarasota-Bradenton can be convenient for assignments around Sarasota, while Palm Beach International may work better than Miami or Fort Lauderdale for destinations farther north along Florida’s southeast coast.
The Truman Mox traveler gave us a simple rule: “Pick the airport based on where you’re working, not which Florida airport has the cheapest flight.”
Saving $75 on airfare doesn’t accomplish much if it adds three hours of driving to the trip.
Florida Drive Times Can Be Deceptive
Another lesson: don’t underestimate Florida.
Miami to Orlando is roughly a 3½-hour drive under favorable conditions. Miami to Key West can also take approximately 3½ to four hours. Traveling between the Panhandle and Central or South Florida can consume a substantial portion of a day.
For business travelers, that means appointments should be scheduled based on realistic driving times rather than mileage alone.
Traffic around Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and Orlando can also change an otherwise reasonable itinerary.
If you have an important 8:00 a.m. appointment, consider staying near the client the night before rather than relying on a long morning drive.
The hotel might not be as exciting, but neither is calling a client from I-4 to explain why you’ll be 45 minutes late.
Understand the Rental Car Toll Program
This is one of those Florida travel details that is easy to ignore until the rental-car bill arrives.
Florida has an extensive toll-road network, and many toll roads use electronic tolling. SunPass is Florida’s prepaid toll program, and many rental-car companies have their own programs for processing electronic tolls.
Before leaving the rental-car facility, understand exactly how your rental company handles tolls.
Frequent Florida business travelers should also determine whether using their own compatible transponder makes sense. SunPass advises travelers using their own transponder in a rental vehicle to register the rental’s license plate and to remove the transponder when returning the car.
Five minutes of research before the trip can prevent a confusing collection of tolls and administrative charges afterward.
Consider the Train for Certain Florida Business Trips
Renting a car isn’t always necessary.
For trips to and from Orlando and Southeast Florida, Brightline has created another option. The passenger rail service connects Orlando with South Florida destinations including West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami.
For the right itinerary, that can eliminate several hours behind the wheel.
This is especially useful if meetings are concentrated near downtown areas and you don’t need a vehicle once you arrive. If the assignment involves an industrial facility, construction site, or remote location, however, a rental car will usually remain the more practical option.
Pack for Florida Weather — and Florida Air Conditioning
Florida’s reputation for warm weather can create another business-travel mistake: assuming you don’t need an extra layer.
Outside may be hot and humid, while a conference room, office, restaurant, or hotel meeting space can feel considerably cooler.
Keeping a lightweight jacket or quarter-zip in your carry-on is a small thing that can make a long day much more comfortable.
And if your business requires visiting industrial facilities or job sites, keep your field clothes separate from what you wear to meetings.
Showing up in Florida prepared for the weather is important.
Showing up prepared for the client is more important.
Build Some Flexibility Into the Trip
Perhaps the most useful advice from our Truman Mox traveler applies in Florida and everywhere else:
Don’t create an itinerary where everything has to go perfectly.
If the meeting is important, consider arriving the evening before. If you’re driving several hours across Florida, leave additional time. If you have a choice between an early flight and the final flight of the day, the earlier flight generally gives you more recovery options if something goes wrong.
Business travel isn’t about constructing the theoretically perfect itinerary.
It’s about constructing one that still works when your flight is delayed, traffic backs up, the rental-car line takes 40 minutes, or your meeting runs longer than expected.
Leave a Little Room for Florida
Finally, business travel doesn’t have to consist entirely of airports, hotels, rental cars, and conference rooms.
One of Florida’s advantages is how close business destinations can be to places you’d actually want to visit. VISIT FLORIDA notes that travelers arriving at the state’s four major hub airports can generally reach a beach within about 45 minutes, and in some locations the coast is considerably closer.
If your schedule allows, don’t fly home immediately after the last meeting.
Have dinner near the water. Take an early morning walk on the beach. Occasionally stay an extra night when your schedule permits.
After all, if work is going to send you to Florida, there are worse places to spend a business trip.