FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that Sixt North America, a global auto rental company, has selected Fort Lauderdale as the location for their new, expanded North American headquarters. The expansion will create 300 new jobs and invest $10.4 million in the local community. The company chose Fort Lauderdale over other potential sites in Georgia, Texas and California. Sixt Rent-a-Car has more than 2,000 locations in over 100 countries.

Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Sixt North America has selected Florida over Georgia, Texas and California for their new and expanded North American headquarters. This expansion will create 300 new jobs for families in South Florida and is a major win for our state. Over the past six and a half years, we have worked to cut taxes and make our state more business friendly so Florida can outcompete other locations for new opportunities. By using the newly establish Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, we will continue to encourage businesses to grow and create jobs in our state.”

Sebastian Birkel, Sixt North America Co-President, said, “We looked at a number of locations in carefully selecting our new U.S. headquarters, and, at the end of our search Florida clearly came out on top. The state went out of its way to work with us, encouraging Sixt to plant even deeper roots here. We were extremely pleased with the process, and are proud to be opening our national headquarters here in the near future. Back in 2011, Florida warmly welcomed our first U.S. location at Miami airport—now our flagship location in the U.S.—and we have been impressed with the resources available here. We are able to attract first-class talent, and enjoy the state’s competitive business environment. That’s why Florida is Sixt country.”

Daniel Florence, Sixt North America Co-President, said, “We want to thank Governor Scott for his leadership in this process, he deserves great credit for the numerous jobs that will be brought to this state as a result of our being here, and growing here. Sixt is expanding rapidly all over the U.S. in major markets as fast as we can to meet surging customer demand, and as we do so, what we are doing here in Florida will remain the foundation of how we approach our business around the country.”

Sixt cited the strength of Fort Lauderdale’s diverse, educated and multicultural workforce, vibrant tourism market, proximity to the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport (Sixt’s largest rental locations), and a competitive business environment as strategic reasons for headquarters location.

Alan Becker, Enterprise Florida board member, said, “The expansion of Sixt North America in Fort Lauderdale highlights the strong and diverse workforce that Florida can offer thanks to the hard work of Governor Scott to make Florida the most business friendly state. We look forward to continuing to show companies looking to expand or relocate that Florida is able to meet and exceed their expectations as the best place to work and raise a family.”

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Sixt North America chose Florida to expand its North American operations over several other states. Sixt recognizes our business-friendly environment and the talented workforce we have in the Fort Lauderdale area, and we are proud that it is bringing hundreds of jobs here to the Sunshine State.”

Mayor Jack Seiler of the City of Fort Lauderdale said, “We are proud that Sixt is dramatically expanding and investing in its North America headquarters. Fort Lauderdale’s strategic location, robust business climate, and outstanding quality of life all make our city the perfect place for Sixt to grow and prosper. We wish the company continued growth and success.”

Bob Swindell, President and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance said, “Congratulations to Sixt North America, and thank you for choosing to expand in Greater Fort Lauderdale. We appreciate the significant investment the company is making in our community and the addition of 300 new high-wage jobs.”

Sixt has its registered international headquarters in Pullach, Germany, near Munich, and is a leading international provider of high-quality mobility services for business and corporate customers as well as private travelers. With representation in over 100 countries worldwide, Sixt is continually expanding its presence. The company’s strengths lie in the high proportion of premium cars in the vehicle fleet, its employees’ consistent service orientation and a good price-performance ratio. Taken together, these strengths have given Sixt an excellent market position. Sixt was founded in 1912 and maintains alliances with renowned brands in the hotel industry, well known airlines and numerous prominent service providers in the tourism sector. The Sixt Group generates revenues of EUR 2.4 billion/US 2.8 billion (2016). http://about.sixt.com/

Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for Florida. EFI facilitates job growth through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses. EFI launched “Florida – The Future is Here” to promote the state as the nation’s premier business destination.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance is Broward County’s official public/private partnership for economic development.  Its mission is to lead Broward County in building a stronger and more diverse economy by stimulating the creation of new jobs and capital investment while facilitating the growth and retention of businesses in Broward County. Services offered by the Alliance include assistance with business relocation or expansion and site selection; incentive programs and information; market research; and serving as a liaison for workforce development between CareerSource Broward, educational institutions and the business community.