Florida In The Year 2010

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Florida in the Year 2010:
The Effects that Florida’s Young and Old Will Have on Our Future
As we approach the half way mark in this decade of Florida’s history in the new millennium, we have somewhat of an idea of what is in store for Florida government and it’s constituents. As advances are made daily, we can see vast changes and improvements in the political, social, and economic arenas of our state. But what is to come in the next five years? What exactly will Florida look like as it ends this decade in the year 2010? We can use information that we have collected from the recent past (such as the 2000 census) and reach back into our states rich history to predict what we can expect in the near future for Florida.
Florida would not be what it is today if it were not for the residents that live in it. The people that reside here and their backgrounds and beliefs are the driving forces behind all that makes this state work. Therefore, it is Florida’s population that is the first indicator as to what changes are in store for it’s future. While Florida’s ethnic flare in the south and our historical increase in immigrants from Latin and Southern American countries have been a steady constant in the population, there are two other demographics that are steadily rising and are taking the forefront in Florida’s population shift.
As the products of the “Baby Boom” generation that occurred post World War II are nearing the golden years of retirement, they are migrating south and seeking the warm sunny beaches and communities of Florida as their new homes. The sixty-five years and older demographic has exploded, and in the 2000 census this age group consisted of 17.6 % of Florida’s total population (Florida Quick Facts, 2003). These senior citizens are not concerned with being located near urban centers where proximity to a job is of importance, so they have sought out the suburbs of cities such as Tampa, Orl...