SOME FLORIDA FACTS TO CONSIDER

The only value that reigns omnipotent in Florida is —Growth.“ But do Floridians matter?Does the future of Florida matter? SOME FLORIDA FACTS TO CONSIDER: *According to the St. Petersburg Times and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, among the states, Florida is: 40th in median household income 49th in per capita spending on education 47th in state employees per capita 41st in total spending per capita next to the highest crime rate

*Every day Florida‘s population increases by 834 people: Florida‘s population is now greater than 16 million. Florida added 3 million people in the 1990‘s. In 1990 the population was about 13 million; in 1980 it was 9.7 million; in 1970 its was 6.8 million; in 1950 it was 2.7 million; in 1900 it was about 528,000. Florida‘s population is increasing at a faster annual rate (2.35%) than Mexico (1.95%), India (1.8%) and Haiti (1.73%). 85.3% of Florida‘s population growth in the 1990‘s was the result of migration, both from within the U.S. and from foreign countries.

*Every daily batch of new migrants: Daily consumes an additional 140,946 gallons of water Daily converts an additional 417 acres of rural land to urban use Daily requires an additional five new classrooms Daily occupies an additional seven prison beds Daily results in two more miles of roads

SOME FLORIDA QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT: Do Florida‘s long-time residents benefit from this population explosion? Are the benefits and losses of explosive population growth spread evenly throughout the community? Who are the big winners? The big losers?

What has Florida«s obsession with ƒeconomic development≈ and ƒgrowth≈ achieved besides the creation of an ever-growing, ever-needy, under-served, relatively poor, uneducated population? Continuously diminishing municipal services Continuously increasing demand for municipal services Sky-rocketing crime Low tax base Gridlocked roads Over-flowing schools Destruction of rural communities Destruction of wildlife and wildlife habitat Destruction of Florida‘s once abundant water supply Environmental ruin Ever diminishing quality of life for residents

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Understand that —growth,“ as it is practiced and promoted in Florida, does not translate into progress. Demand accountability of your local and state officials. Ask them to demonstrate how their relentless promotion of growth for growth‘s sake makes your life better. Talk to your friends about the necessity to stabilize Florida‘s population, through curtailing of in-migration from other states and reduced immigration from outside the U.S. Demand that the obsession with —growth“ be replaced with a state and local focus on the quality of life of Florida‘s long-time residents.