Clarence Birdseye (businessman) – 1886
Jean de Brunhoff (author of Babar books) – 1899
Kirk Douglas (actor) – 1916
Redd Foxx (actor) – 1922
Dame Judi Dench (actress) – 1934
Beau Bridges (actor) – 1941
John Malkovich (actor) – 1953
Donnie Osmond (entertainer) – 1957
Jesse Metcalfe (actor) – 1978
Simon Helberg (actor) – 1980
A state report this week found Fla. with 22.6M residents – 1.61% more than it had a year earlier. But they also predict growth will slow over the next several years.
By Ryan Dailey
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida continues to grow as it attracts people from other parts of the U.S., but that growth is projected to slow in the coming years as groups that have been moving to Florida in droves get older, according to state economists.
The Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research released a report this week that showed the state’s estimated population in April was 22,634,867, an increase of nearly 359,000 people, or 1.61%, from a year earlier.
The increase was bolstered by the number of people moving to Florida from elsewhere in the U.S. being “the highest number it’s ever been,” according to Stefan Rayer, population program director with the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida.
“Population growth is still growing strong in the state. Slightly more than the year before, but still, if you compare long-term averages which have been just under 300,000, it’s been really remarkably strong,” Rayer said during a Nov. 28 meeting that led to this week’s report.
A likely growth slowdown
Population projections through 2028 show growth could begin to taper off, however. The rate of growth is expected to slow to 1.51% next year, 1.37% in 2025, 1.3% in 2026, 1.24% in 2027 and 1.18% in 2028.
But while the rate would slow, the population would still increase by an average of about 300,000 people a year during the period. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo called attention to that in a Nov. 9 memo to senators announcing plans to make changes in the health-care system to try to accommodate anticipated demand.
“In fact, our estimates suggest that over the next five years, our population will grow by almost 300,000 new residents per year, over 800 per day. That is like adding a city slightly smaller than Orlando, but larger than St. Petersburg every year,” Passidomo wrote.
Key to understanding the potential slowing growth rate is looking at who has been moving to the state.
In 2022, the 60-to-69-year-old age group represented the largest share of people moving to Florida from other states, according to the data, taken from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The second-largest age group moving to Florida was people ages 50 to 59.
Margaret Snyder, a representative of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office at the Nov. 28 meeting, said people in the 20-to-39-year-old age range “have consistently not shown the same desire to move to Florida.” Snyder said people ages 50 to 69 have driven numbers of residents moving from other parts of the U.S. – but a change could be coming.
“When it comes to domestic migration, we have relied heavily on the older population, especially ages 50 to 70. With baby boomers about to leave this age group, we believe in the next several years these numbers will start to decline, or at least not grow at the levels we’ve seen over the past five years,” Snyder said.
If that trend were to continue, the annual growth rate could dip below 1% in the 2030s, according to state economists.
“The end of the decade continues to be an inflection point with the entry of the final baby boomer cohorts into retirement. Annual growth drops below 1.00% thereafter,” an executive summary of the report said.
Mark Hoeft ~ 850-525-2765 ~ Mark@TheFloridaCoast.com ~ The Florida Coast Realty ~ PO Box 493 Gulf Breeze Florida 32562
Welcome to TheFloridaCoast.com; I would like to introduce myself, my name is Mark Hoeft I am a Florida Real Estate Broker & Owner of The Florida Coast Realty Pensacola LLC in Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, & Gulf Breeze Florida, I also the proud owner of The Florida Coast Realty West Palm & The Florida Coast Realty Destin Florida. It would be my honor to help you find your slice of Florida's beautiful Emerald Coast that you've been searching for. Whether you are looking for your primary home, a second home, or investment property for your Real Estate portfolio on Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast. I specializing in Beach Homes, Condos, and Townhouses. I use my 20 years of knowledge and dedication to hard work to make your real estate transaction as smooth as possible. I've become a leader in buying and selling Pensacola Real Estate, Scenic Gulf Breeze Homes, and Pensacola Beach Condos & Homes. I pride myself in my professionalism and expertise. I've closed over 350 real estate transactions and have totaled more than $40,000,000.00 in sales during the past 20 years.
Paul Simon (5-term Democratic congressman and 2-term senator from Illinois who ran unsuccessfully for presidential nomination in 1988) – 2003
Georgia Gibbs (singer) – 2006
Gene Barry (actor) – 2009
Florida
The name Florida comes from a Spanish phrase meaning “Feast of Flowers.”
Robert Cushman gave first known sermon in the United States, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts– 1621
Noah Webster established The American Minerva, NY’s first daily newspaper– 1793
Canada’s first coin club, Numismatic Society of Montreal, formed– 1862
Lincoln letter sold for $748,000– 1935
First Heisman Trophy awarded to Jay Berwanger– 1935
Quebec adopted a new coat of arms– 1939
British troops opened their first major offensive in North Africa during World War II– 1940
Bob Waterfield became the first professional football player to kick 5 field goals in one game– 1951
Public debut of the computer mouse, in San Francisco– 1968
Marguerite d’Youville became first Canadian-born saint– 1990
Twin polar bear cubs were born at the Hellabrunn Zoo, Munich, Germany– 2013