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Transcript/ScriptFlorida Growth-TV)
HEADLINE: How Florida Became the Fastest-Growing State in America
TEASER: According to the U-S Census Bureau, the population in the southeastern
state now tops 22 million people
PUBLISHED: 03/14/2023 at 11:30am
BYLINE: Dora Mekouar
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Orlando, Florida
VIDEOGRAPHER: Adam Greenbaum
PRODUCER: Dora Mekouar, Adam Greenbaum
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, SJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Original VOA,
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:57
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: A web story will accompany this pkg ))
((INTRO))
[[More people than ever are moving to Florida, making it the fastest-growing state in
America, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The population in the nation’s third-
largest state now tops 22 million people. Florida is known for its hot weather, and once
air-conditioning became more common in the 1950s, its population exploded. VOA’s
Dora Mekouar [meh-kwar] has more from Orlando, Florida.]]
((NATS – beach))
((NARRATOR))
Ask people why they moved to Florida and there’s one answer you’ll hear a lot.
((Kathy Bonini, Grew up in Pennsylvania))
“Because I hate being cold. Everybody loves sunshine and palm trees.”
((Nancy Sikes-Kline, Mayor of St. Augustine, Florida))
“Sunny weather. You know, we call ourselves the Sunshine State.”
((Kevin Pierre, Moved from Boston, Massachusetts))
“My parents are from the Caribbean, so they're used to warm weather. They got tired of
the cold weather up there.”
((NARRATOR))
But there’s more to it, says economist Sean Snaith. He points to Florida’s robust labor
market. And the fact that – unlike most U.S. states – Florida has no state income tax.
((Sean Snaith, University of Centra l Florida Economics Professor))
“Depending on where folks are moving from, that might be an extra 8, 9, 10% of your
pay that you get to keep that previously went to pay state taxes.”
((NATS – Train))
((NARRATOR))
U.S. Census numbers show that more than 700,000 people moved to the state between
April 2020 and July 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A time when many remote
workers could live wherever they wanted. Census data shows that, in recent years,
most people came to Florida from New York, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
California.
((Aaron Dan, Moved to Florida During COVID Pandemic)
“Time to kind of get out of California with the wildfires and the high cost of living, You
can get a lot more for your dollar around here lower taxes, obviously. So I think just, you
know, the cost of living is very attractive, as well as the opportunity for growth.”
((Kathy Bonini, Grew Up in Pennsylvania))
“It’s just a little bit more relaxing. It just seems like it's a little bit more slow-paced down
here. Where up north, like, everybody's in a rush all the time.”
((NARRATOR))
And then there are those coming from outside the United States.
((Sean Snaith, University of Central Florida Economics Professor))
“We've had a lot of international in-migration to the state, you know, from a variety of
locations. You know, it's not just one or two countries, it's Central America and South
America, Caribbean”
((NATS – Sharon Wooten: “I like your location to the front of the subdivision”))
((NARRATOR))
Realtor Sharon Wooten is a Florida native. Over time, she’s seen orange groves give
way to housing developments.
((Sharon Wooten, Realtor))
“It’s changed a lot. The farmland is gone.”
((NARRATOR))
But she’s OK with change. If it’s done right.
((Sharon Wooten, Realtor))
“I think if we take care of our natural resources, and we don't grow too fast, it's OK. And,
I think, if we are choosy about what comes in. As long as it's good growth, it's OK. You
know, it's brought in a lot of opportunities for people in this area that they may not have
ever had.”
((NARRATOR))
Economist Snaith looks to the upside of population growth.
((Sean Snaith, University of Central Florida Economics Professor))
“Every new household that moves to Florida needs a place to live. They need all the
things that consumers buy. So, you know, population growth is one side of the coin. The
flip side of that same coin is economic growth.”
((NATS – Street noise))
((NARRATOR))
And that, he says, is nothing but good news for the Sunshine State’s bottom line.
((Dora Mekouar, VOA News, Orlando, Florida.))
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