THE NEXT FLORIDA

“The whole peninsula of Florida was weighted down with regret. Everyone had left behind a real life.”

Cynthia Ozick, “Rosa”, 1984

Fact: Florida is Future America

Florida’s population is tracking ahead of the US in growth of nearly every racial and/or ethnic group. It is the trendsetter.

Florida US • White +13.2% +5.7%

• African American +28.4% +12.3%

• American Indian/ +33.5% +17.4%Alaskan Native

• Asian +70.8% +43.3

• Native Hawaiian/ +42.4% +35.4%Other Pacific Islander

• Other race +42.8% +24.4%

• Two or more races +25.6% +32%

Increase in Spanish-speaking Population

Florida+57.4%

US +43%

Population 65+

US 12.9%

Florida 17.2%

Broward County 14.0%

Miami-Dade County 14.4%

Sarasota County 30.5%

Palm Beach County 21.5%

% Below Poverty Level

US 13.2%

Florida 13.3%

Broward County 12.0%

Miami-Dade County 16.5%

Sarasota County 9.9%

Palm Beach County 11.7%

Recession-Proof Riches and Poverty

• Miami/Ft. Lauderdale is richest city in the United States– World’s Fifth Richest City in Individual Purchasing Power (UBS Study 2009)

• Poverty rate unchanged since 2000 (US Census)

• Gap between Rich/Poor “Recession Proof”

• Largest % foreign-born population of any city in the world – Miami

• Largest % of foreign-born in the United States – Miami Ft. Lauderdale

• 18.7% of all Floridians were foreign-born vs. 12.4% US Average

The 2009 Civic Health Index ranks Florida 44th.

“It is, in fact, one of the worst in the nation.”

Florida’s Civic Health

The Civic Health Index: Florida vs. Other States

Voter Turnout

Florida55.1%

Minn.

71%

Volunteering

Florida19%

Utah43%

Attend a Public

Meeting

Florida<10%

Utah20.2%

Work with others to

solve problems

Florida6.3%

Utah18%

Florida’s Weak Civic Culture

Most of Florida’s communities fall well below the national benchmarks, especially since the collapsing housing market and

recession.

Sarasota-Bradenton ranked 70 out of 75 on voter turnout, volunteering and working with others.

70% believe their communities are turning inward.

Florida 44th in nation in % of citizens who contributed at

least $25 to charity.

Economic indicators have taken their toll:

11% said they or someone in their household has been laid off or lost a job.

6% said that they or someone in their household has fallen behind with mortgage payments or suffered foreclosure.

19% (1 in 5) said that they or someone in their household have had difficulty affording food or medicine.Since 2007, South Florida has lost all of its economic gains from the previous decade.

Si Se Puede?

• 600,000 Hispanics eligible to vote but not yet registered: highest percentage in nation

Only the old vote? • In 2010 only 8% of Floridians under 30 voted.

Voting

Yes We Could?• In 2008 Florida ranked 34th in average voter

turnout..

First Findings

• 26% of adults used their smartphones to learn about or participate in the 2010 midterms.

• 71% of cell owners said they voted in 2010 compared to 64% of all adults.

• Miami-Ft. Lauderdale the most transient region in the United States

• West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ranked 3rd

• Orlando is listed as 5th

• Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater are next at 20th

• Jacksonville ranks 23rd

• Miami is a city that is a hotel: both elites and the poor check in, use the facilities and check out again.

• They show little interest in their neighbors.

• They do not invest in social relations, they come with a sense of entitlement, and they have no stake in the future of the place…

Will Miami mature over time?

Miami's character is built on transition.

• Florida’s population grew by 17.3% between 2000-2009, compared to the US at 8.8%

• Florida lost more people to other states –nearly 10,000 more – than it gained for the first time in recent history.

• Can Florida succeed if social capital is located in small enclaves, not across larger communities?

• Can Florida succeed if our population is voting and following elections in Haiti, the Dominican Republic or Brazil?

• Do new and different public spheres and places, such as foreign language media, social media and immigrant institutions help or hurt?

Do we lack social capital or is it just hidden?

In the past, identity was tied to place; but in the modern “transnational” region, is our identity multi-dimensional, in flux, and not tied to place?

We’re a mix :• Locals (20%) – those who consider their region a

“hometown,” • Exiles (45%) – Florida isn’t home, nor is the U.S. • Mobiles (35%: Hybrids, Cosmopolitans) – who

move across cultures, jobs, geographies throughout the state.

Is Florida’s problem disengagement

or a transitory population?

Are we still two Floridas which require different strategies?