Florida state lawmakers have agreed to a sales tax exemption for manufacturing equipment, something medical device makers had clamored for to help keep the state's manufacturing base competitive domestically and internationally. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Florida companies were to celebrate the accomplishment this week at St. Petersburg's Florida Medical Manufacturers Consortium gathering. They're trying to nurture a medical device industry in the state that includes nearly 662 companies and counting and 21,000 employees. It turns out medical device manufacturing in Florida is behind only California and neck-and-neck with New York, according to the story. Story