Lukasik and Phillips each say their offices have evolved from traditional marketing into strategic destination management organizations.“ We’ re not just focused on attracting visitors, but on shaping the overall visitor experience, supporting community priorities, and ensuring tourism growth aligns with quality of life and long-term sustainability,” Lukasik said.
Healthcare
Changes in healthcare are being driven by two kinds of growth: innovations in medical technology and sheer population growth.
Rob Deininger, President and CEO for AdventHealth’ s East Florida Division, said,“ The biggest change over the last decade has been the pace of growth across our region. Communities are expanding quickly, and the need for physicians, hospital care and specialty services grows right alongside them. Our responsibility is to stay ahead of that curve so families can receive care within their community rather than having to travel elsewhere.”
AdventHealth has responded with significant expansion. In 2023, it opened the 100-bed AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway hospital, doubling Flagler County’ s
AdventHealth launches new clinic in St. Johns County
inpatient capacity. The company has also expanded AdventHealth Fish Memorial in Orange City and AdventHealth Daytona Beach.
Deininger said AI“ is already playing an important role in how we deliver care, but we approach it thoughtfully. Technology should support caregivers and strengthen the connection between physicians and patients – not replace it.“ In our East Florida Division, AI tools review nearly 50,000 imaging scans each year to identify early-stage cancer... often before symptoms appear. That’ s especially important because lung cancer rates in our region have historically been higher than the state average.”
Halifax Health is also tracking population growth alongside gaps in services and technology.“ Ultimately, our goal is simple: to ensure our residents have access to high quality healthcare close to home,” said Jeff Feasel, President and CEO.
Over the last decade, Halifax Health“ has undergone major growth in partnerships, infrastructure and clinical innovation,” Feasel said. Halifax Health first partnered with UF Health to bring heart and vascular surgeons to the hospital, and now that partnership also includes 12 UF Health specialties such as neurosurgery, trauma surgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery and urology, among others.
In 2024, Halifax Health earned national recognition as the first health system in the U. S. to treat cancer patients using the Accuray Radixact ® System with VitalHold™ technology. In June 2025, Halifax Health opened its $ 10 million Halifax Health | UF Health Neurosciences Center.
Manufacturing
The contribution of Florida’ s manufacturing to the state’ s Gross Domestic Product( GDP) has surpassed tourism, agriculture and transportation, according to a 2023 report by Florida’ s Department of Commerce.
Leaders from Halifax Health and UFHealth celebrate the opening of the Neurosciences Center
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