…for most superficial view of technology and business in Florida … Brent Britton weighs in with his view of why Florida is the new rising star for tech. Based on research from the AeA, an industry organization whose statistics use a very wide definition of tech and tech workers, all is well in our home state. This is great news for TBTF and the prediction that Tampa will be a top tech town by 2015.

Drinking from the same bucket of koolaide as state and local economic development clones, this type of “We’re #1″ group-think breeds stupidity, complacency and a willingness to throw good money after bad as we desperately try to attract the next Scripps or Draper Labs.

This old school economic development model makes all the politicians and university presidents misty when they think about the next big fish. They scramble to setup incubators (FSU), state run venture-like funds and other superficial “we’re as good as the other Bay area” type bait to make all the marketing brochures look sexy. At the same time we are handing out huge relo and tax incentive packages for this type of wishful thinking job creation, we starve our schools of funds and ignore home grown tech entrepreneurs to the point where they pack up their ideas and head to friendlier climates.

As the tourism and retirement bubbles burst, Florida seeks to create a whole new breed of snowbird. Instead of some pasty retiree from Wisconsin in plaid  shorts and high black socks, the new snowbird is a big name company that is based in Boston, San Fran, etc. that will gladly take a handout of cheap land, “research” grants, tax incentives and the promise of willing (cheap) grad students hungry for internships. And like the traditional Florida snowbirds, these folks will never spend as much as promised, they will soak up local resources paid for by our taxes and as soon as the weather shifts (or the incentives dry up) they will pack their UHaul and head back to the mothership.

Jolly well done, just ignore the fact that the economic development emperor is naked and focus on the suitcase full of cash in one hand and a Florida travel brochures in the other.