Two news items caught my eye this week about trouble in Florida. The first article from newgeography discusses the economic problems that Orlando is seeing as a result of it's super-specialization as an entertainment and leisure destinations. Since the economy has suffered a downturn, fewer people are headed to Orlando for vacation and, most importantly, for conferences and that means big trouble for a non-diversified city like Orlando.
The second item in the news is that Florida's population decreased from April 1, 2008 to April 1, 2009 for the first time since World War II. The University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research made the announcement that Florida lost 58,294 people in one year. The speculation of the cause is that due to the economy and retirement issues, fewer people were able to retire to Florida, limiting population growth.
Comments
It is not necessarily a bad thing that the population of Florida is not growing. We have clean water problems that are not well known and with a stable population for a few years would allow us to plan for the future. We have been (from what I read) just taking too much water from our aquifer. In some parts of Florida the wells have been closed because of saltwater intrusion — sea water will creep when freshwater aquifers drop too low.
Granted the employment in the Orlando area is heavy on the entertainment side, but it is well diversified in other areas and I am sure there are many States that would love to have their “problems”.
Can’t wait to see Minnie Mouse on I-95 hitching a ride to Vegas to work as a cocktail waitress…
I’ve always liked Orlando for conferences. Lots of space, very affordable, and there is no shortage of rooms. The Convention Center there is actually brilliant in my opinion.
The city needs a bit of a lesson in branding. Send one message to families and another to businesses and government.