Florida's population falls for the first time in 63 years
For as long as many of us Floridians can remember, we have been reminded by politicians, trivia buffs, realtors and even the DMV that 1,000 people a day move to Florida. And depending on the source of that reminder, its utterance was often meant to reinforce a.) how fortunate we are to be living in a place where others continue to flock daily, b.) why a businesses could justify relocating to the Sunshine State to serve a booming population, or c.) how the constant influx of warm bodies would only push housing demand and median home prices higher. Now University of Florida researchers are painting a clearer, less rosy picture of state migration patterns. In other words, if 1,000 people a day are still moving to Florida, apparently 1,159 are leaving. Not surprisingly, the report says the recession, plunging tax revenue and rising unemployment are all to blame.
Feedback: Did you recently leave Florida or are you contemplating a move contingent on another major life event (ie, selling your home, losing your job). If you already left, where did you move and how are things going?
9 comments:
I did move out and moved to NYC . Florida Is going to be a dump for many years to come.
Agreed. I moved my family to Dallas. The job market here is much better than what we were dealing with in South Florida.
It seems that everyone that leaves Florida is moving to the Upstate of South Carolina (esp. Anderson, SC)
If you move out because you need a job and have no money! You do not matter to Florida economy!
Florida can use less strain on it's resources
I left to Boston as there are no jobs in Florida... I left two houses behind. I could not sell them and did not want to put my life on hold. Florida has some hard work ahead of itself to replace the construction/real estate industry. Best move I could have made. I now vacation in Florida and love it!
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-slow-growth-fla-20091106,0,2285820.story
Not about this particular post, but WHERE R U?? You have not written in the Blog for so long and I miss the posts! Please come back.
Sincere thanks for your post and for the compliment. I thought "Leaving Florida" would be an appropriate final post considering I, like many of my closest friends, left Florida in August for greener pastures and greater opportunities. For some of them it was Boston, for others the Carolinas. In my case it's Argentina.
I still love the Sunshine State (and my alma mater UF), but I don't see how Florida will move beyond its traditional role of dependence on tourism, retirees and large-scale development. I hope the leadership in Tallahassee will work closely with the private sector and entrepreneurs to find ways to diversify the economy and make Florida a magnet for what Richard Florida calls "the Creative Class," talented individuals seeking centers of excellence and innovation. For now, I'll have to leave that up to Floridians much smarter than I.
I may wade back into the Bath occasionally if particular news items seem worthy of sharing with the readers, many of whom I now consider friends. They shared with me via e-mail their stories of foreclosures and frustration, struggles and short sales, and in that sense I'm glad HousingBath was able to provide a forum for them to ponder the housing collapse and simply vent.
For now, I'll keep moving forward with business in Argentina, and if you ever want to drop me a line, please do so at housingbath (at) gmail (dot) com.
Cheers,
Patrick
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