The year 2030 is just around the corner for Florida, so addressing challenges on a statewide level requires immediate action. That’s what the Florida Chamber Foundation has done with its report titled “Florida: 2030.”
It's clear that Florida will be a dramatically transformed state by 2030. Some examples:
•The population will continue to grow; Florida will have about 5 million new residents.
• About 1 in 4 Floridians will be 65 or older.
• Non-ethnic whites will become a minority by 2030, and nearly 1 in 5 Floridians will be foreign-born.
• People will pack the cities. Rural areas will account for 86 percent of Florida’s land area but just 10 percent of its population.
• Millennials will take over as the dominant age group, but they will be dealing with massive amounts of student loan debt (outpacing credit card and auto loan debt).
Floridians are confident — sort of
So are we actually ready for 2030?
At 83 town hall meetings to discuss Florida's path ahead — sessions that involved more than 10,000 Floridians in all 67 counties— 87 percent of the respondents said they were optimistic about Florida’s future.
But most of the respondents said their own communities weren’t “positioned for global competitiveness, prosperity and vibrant and sustainable communities.”
That’s an odd answer since usually people are more optimistic about what's happening closer to home. For example, people tend to re-elect their member of Congress while also disliking Congress as a whole.
Housing will be an issue
The most critical challenge identified by Floridians in the town halls was "affordable housing." The problem is that Florida has long had an identified revenue stream to deal with affordable housing, but the Legislature continues to sweep much of the money into the general fund.
The Sadowski Fund uses a portion of documentary stamp revenue paid on home sales for affordable housing; it is shared on a per capita basis in Florida counties. The structure of the fund is brilliant: as home sale values increase, so does the doc stamp revenue for affordable housing. Yet the Legislature is not allowing the money to be fully used for its stated purpose.
Is there any wonder why many of the Floridians taking part in the town halls listed “responsiveness of government” as one of the state's weaknesses?
A trained workforce will be key
What’s the key to Florida’s future? It’s simple. A well-trained and growing workforce.
What happens if Florida’s workforce isn’t prepared for the challenges of 2030?
“We would struggle to gain a foothold in emerging industries and our economy would miss out on next-generation opportunities ... ,” according to the Chamber Foundation report.
Clear environmental challenges
The Chamber report, as detailed as it is, must be paired with a report by a coalition of Florida environmental groups titled “Trouble in Paradise.” The report calls for acquiring and protecting land to protect drinking water, fisheries and recreation.
The challenges posed by sea level rise and storm surge contain billion-dollar price tags; just look at what Hurricane Michael has done to the Panhandle. The best way to deal with storm surge and sea level rise is by protecting our wetlands.
“A protected flood plan contains no property to be damaged and acts as a permanent safety valve for flooding, reducing destruction of developed areas downstream,” according to the "Trouble in Paradise" report.
Resilience is the key. Prevention is cheaper than repair damage.
In addition the Floridan Aquifer, Florida’s precious underground water supply, is going to be stressed as millions of new residents pack into coastal communities— so the springs that need the Aquifer must be protected.
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