Florida.Careers.org
Fast Facts: Tallahassee is the state capital and Miami is the largest metro area.
Florida Careers: As of 2008, Florida - which has no state income tax and an average temperature of 72.66 degrees in October - noted a population of almost 18.4 million, a significant increase since 2000. Forbes recently ranked Florida the 8th “Best State for Business.”
Florida Career Education: Florida ranked 33rd in a 2009 K-12 “Academic Achievement” study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Florida Economy: Through the hard work of a small mouse, Walt Disney World continues to lure more visitors than any other single attraction throughout the world.
For details and sources, click the “Career Information” tab below.
Fast facts:
Location, Location, Location...: Located in the southeastern region of the U.S., Florida Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the U.S.
Cities: Tallahassee is the state capital and Miami is the largest metro area. Residents of Florida are understandably known as “Floridians.”
Behind the Name: Florida is nicknamed the “Sunshine State” for readily apparent reasons – subtropical in many regions of the state, with true tropical climate in the far southern portions near Key West.
A Closer Look: Florida, over the years has become one of the world’s strongest tourist magnets, with sun soaked beaches (closely observed sun bathers) and crystal springs.
Did You Know? Through the hard work of a small mouse, Walt Disney World continue to attract more visitors than any other single attraction in the world.
Florida Careers and Employment:
Population: 18,328,340 (14.7% increase since 2000) – 50.9% Female, 49.1% Male (2008 U.S. Census Bureau).
Business Environment: Ranked 8th in Forbes Magazine’s “Best States for Business,” 2008.
Top Industries: In terms of paid employees, according to a 2008 U.S. Census Bureau study: (1) administrative and support and waste management and remediation services; (2) retail trade; (3) health care and social assistance; (4) accommodation and food services; and (5) construction.
Taxes: No Income Tax and Sales Tax, 6% (Federation of Tax Administrators).
Cost of Living: 103.6 in relation to the “National Average” of 100 (Federal Cost of Living Index).
Quality of Life: Ranked 27th of 50 states by CNBC, 2009.
Weather: Average Temperature (In °F) – Jan: 58.09; Apr: 69.29; July: 81.60; Oct: 72.66 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).
K-12: Ranked 33rd of 50 states in “Academic Achievement” by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2009.
Florida Economics:
In General: The service industry offers the most career opportunities in Florida’s economy, while other notable sectors include manufacturing (8%), military and government services (12%) and farming (2%).
Service Industry: The community, business and personal services sector ranks first in the critically important service industry in Florida, with private health care, law firms, hotels and amusement parks, and repair shops. Ranking second is Florida’s finance, insurance and real estate industry. Rapid growth in the Sunshine State resulted in growth in real estate (homes, stores, offices) development, insurance and finance including investment firms.
Agriculture: Farming continues to be critical to Florida’s economic well-being. The main crops of Florida include citrus fruit and sugarcane. In revenue, Florida’s top five agricultural products are greenhouse and nursery products, oranges, cane for sugar, tomatoes, and cattle and calves.
Manufacturing: Citrus fruit processing (fresh fruit juice, canned fruit juice, canned fruit) leads the way in the Florida manufacturing sector. Jellies, marmalades and frozen vegetables are processed, in addition to coffee, dairy and seafood. Electrical equipment manufacturing (military communications systems, broadcasting components and telephone equipment) ranks second behind the food processing industry.
Mining: About four-fifths of the country’s phosphate rock (often used in fertilizer) is produced in Florida, making it the state’s most important mined product.
Did You Know? The service industry employs a whopping 77% of the people in Florida, a percentage far higher than most states.
Florida Education:
In General: The weather makes Florida a ‘hot’ place to pursue academic interests as students abound throughout Florida, from big cities like Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale, to much smaller towns both inland and on the coast. [Ed. Note: We are not only referring to Florida’s renowned “spring break.”] Florida has 40 public and 129 private institutions of higher learning throughout the state, in addition to the Florida Community Colleges system that manages and funds 28 community colleges.
In the Rankings: U.S. News and World Report rankings: University of Florida (#49), University of Miami (#51), Florida State University (#102); Liberal Arts Rankings – New College of Florida (#94).
Online Education: There are myriad accredited online universities offering degrees in the state of Florida.
A Closer Look: An influential coalition of business and education leaders recently attracted attention with their recommendations regarding Florida’s higher education. The Business/Higher Education Partnership, drawn in part from the Florida Council of 100 (a prestigious business group), released the highly publicized report, The Emerging Catastrophe And How to Prevent It, that called attention to issues facing higher education in Florida and proposed an agenda for solving the problems.
Did You Know? How about ‘spreading’ the wealth? Entering the 2009 college football season, the Florida Gators had won two of the previous three NCAA football championships. In an effort to level the playing field, perhaps they should consider ‘teaching’ their famed spread offense to a few other schools.
Sources: In addition to specific citations noted in this “Career Information” section, supplementary source materials include: the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service; Netstate.com; Education-Portal.com; USCollegeSearch.org; and Wikipedia.com.