Texas cleaned our clock. North Carolina ate our lunch. But Florida managed to rank fourth among 50 states for business attractiveness in a 2008 survey of 281 U.S. corporate executives.

It's an improvement over the last survey done by marketing firm Development Counsellors International in 2005, when Florida had dropped out of the top 5.

About 15 percent of respondents named Florida as the state with the best business climate, generally defined as a strong labor market, low operating costs and pro-business governance. Texas ranked tops with 40.8 percent of survey takers, North Carolina was second with 30.4 percent and Georgia third with 20.4 percent. Executives placed California, New York and Michigan last.

"Whether accurate or misguided, perceptions about a location's business climate often play a crucial role in... where companies invest money and create jobs," DCI President Andrew T. Levine said.