This Florida TaxWatch Briefing analyzes the significance of public employment in Florida by breaking down the ten largest employers per county (by number of employees) based on whether they are public or private entities. Public entities fall under four levels: federal, state, county, and municipal governments. Of the 670 entities statewide, 280 are public and 390 are private.

Florida TaxWatch did a similar analysis in 2012, and government entities have remained a significant share of the workforce and have grown in recent years. A single government entity is the largest employer in the county in 61 of Florida’s 67 counties; at least one government entity is in the top five largest employers in every county in Florida.