Fewer northerners are relocating to Florida
Sep 11, 2012
The following article was published in the Tampa Bay Business Journal on September 11, 2012:
Fewer northerners are relocating to Florida
In recent years, 30 percent fewer out-of-state residents have applied for Florida driver’s licenses. There were 585,000 applications in 2003 and just 410,000 in 2008, according to MSNBC.
New York, Florida’s traditional number one feeder state, sent 34,000 fewer of its citizens. The next biggest drop came from its northern neighbor, New Jersey, where 11,000 fewer people left for Florida.
Florida appears to be suffering more than other states that are big draws for newcomers. United Van Lines said that Alabama, Arizona, Nevada, the Carolinas and Texas continued to see significantly more people moving in than leaving last year. But Florida saw just about equal numbers of shipments entering and leaving.
As recently as 2003, the moving company reported it hauled three shipments into Florida for every two that left. Possible reasons for the drop off include higher property insurance costs and hurricanes.
Population increases have traditionally been the economic engine in Florida as new residents, lured by subtropical weather and relatively inexpensive housing, added to the tax base and created demand for new development of all kinds.
View the original article here: http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/blog/morning-edition/2012/09/fewer-northerners-are-relocating-to.html