Source: NY Times – Florida Ponders Direction of Development
Gov. Charlie Crist acknowledged the problem in an interview: “Imagine a state where the dominant part of the economy is automobiles as it is in Michigan. That puts them in a difficult spot, just as real estate does for Florida.”
Commentary: Florida has serious fundamental issues with its economy. It is not just an issue of over development. It is an issue of relying too much on development to pay the bills and support its population. We currently have elected officials that don’t seem to understand that providing leadership in areas critical to our economic well-being is part of their job description. Mayor Pam Iorio, in particular, has shown little ability to grasp complex economic issues or desire to develop a plan to attract next generation, sustainable business to the city.
It is interesting that Gov. Crist uses Michigan as an example to compare to Florida. Florida clearly has many advantages to Michigan in attracting people and companies, yet, certain communities in Michigan have done an admirable job in generating job growth and new industries, to replace lost opportunities in the auto industry. The Tampa Area (primarily St Pete and Tampa) is facing critical mayoral elections this year and next. It will be of vital importance for the cities to seek out and elect officials that have a coherent and achievable economic development plan and vision for the next generation of Tampa Area residents, which goes beyond the status quo of building and real estate development.
