Results of the 2023 Community Business Survey

Published on January 27, 2022

The results of the 2023 Community Business Survey were presented to the City Commission on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 during a workshop meeting. The purpose of the Business Survey is to take the pulse of the business community, inform the City on business needs and concerns, and to provide insight as to performance and overall satisfaction. The survey is representative of the business community and helps the City to identify priority items and inform decision making, particularly for funding of future projects and initiatives.

The 2023 Survey was a close duplication of the 2020 business survey to compare satisfaction levels over time. The survey began on May 9, 2023 and was open until July 7, 2023. It was delivered via direct business email, the City’s social media pages, City website and communicated with the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Dunedin Merchants Association (DDMA).

The survey presents varying degrees of findings from very general feelings on City services to granular questions about specific infrastructure needs, feedback on events, and communications. According to respondents, overall there is a 91% satisfaction rating with City services. The ratings of satisfaction for Dunedin as a place to operate a business, a place to work, overall image, quality of life, safety and overall aesthetics, all rate in the mid to high 90th percentile. The City celebrates these great ratings!

Specific Services with high ratings include the Fire/EMS department with a 100% satisfaction, followed closely with Utilities (99%) and Police (94%). Trash pickup, clean streets, and lighting are all also critical to businesses and attracting visitors. For respondents, the top 5 most important services or city efforts includes retaining existing businesses, supporting business growth and development, attracting visitors, easing traffic congestion, and creating attractions and events.

While the survey highlights areas that are performing well, it also provides a glimpse at areas that may need some attention. These include slightly lower satisfaction rating such as Public Transportation (76%), Traffic (67%), Building and Permitting (64%), Affordable Housing (39%), and Parking (62%). Of a list of infrastructure items, parking, development, public transportation, and citywide Wi-Fi are the top areas of concern.

The City strives to provide an attractive environment to attract and retain businesses, which supports our local economy and provides jobs and services to the community. For businesses, the most attractive attributes that encourage opening a business in Dunedin include our low crime rate, attitude of local government towards business, the overall image of the City, the synergy between the business community and tourism.

This year a new series of questions on events were asked to understand how events contribute to City businesses. We found that in many cases businesses experience the same levels of staffing and the majority maintain hours, customer traffic, and sales. 1 in 5 Businesses did note they experience an increase in business following events and the highest rated (most positive) event is the annual Spring Training. We thank all of businesses for their continued support of events, and their involvement either as leaders, attendees, participants, volunteers, or sponsors in notable annual City events.

Surveys such as the biennial Citizen Survey (completed in 2022) and the 2023 Business Survey provide key insights for City leaders on what items need more attention, what services need improvement, and what projects need support. Hearing from this year’s respondents, the City will use the feedback to address any deficient areas and develop an action plan to improve in those needed areas. Through the active business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and the DDMA, and open communication tools in the City, we will strive to provide updated communication on both the results of the survey and the following action plan.

Review the full Survey Report, presentation and supporting documents.

For any questions on the survey (Citizen or Business), please contact Nicole Delfino, Assistant to the City Manager, at ndelfino@dunedinfl.net.