[sunrico90]

This will be a great opportunity to develop or engineer plans for the rest of the state to grow and bring a diversified industries to the state. Maximizing the resources and allowing all areas of the state to become more independent based on their local economy will be of great value.

Look for natural resources that will benefit the state residents

Develop a comprehensive Hurricane Recovery Center that works

[bale002]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

Maximizing the resources and allowing all areas of the state to become more independent based on their local economy will be of great value.

Look for natural resources that will benefit the state residents

Florida should be a powerhouse in solar power. Spain and Germany are ahead of the United States in solar power, but the House has recently passed legislation that should help the US catch up and Florida should, at least in principle, spearhead this movement going forward.

Spain is also a power house in certain agricultural products, such as olives and olive oil (a worldwide force) and oranges (more at the European level).

It is a shame that many of Florida´s regions have lost their status as agricultural powerhouses, either regional or national. My understanding is that the state is no longer self-sufficient in milk production and I know that orange production is way down from its heyday of the 1960s and 1970s.

Even the sugar production of Palm Beach County has mostly a regional reach. Uhmm, I wonder if they stepped up production if it could contribution to ethanol production to complement Brazil (sugar-based ethanol) and other regions of the US (corn-based ethanol).

But actually, ethanol is not efficient, much better solar and wind power, and better to leave agricultural to feeding local populations.

Shouldn´t Florida also be self-sufficient in at least certain types of seafoods? Yet I don´t notice much local production in the seafood section in most supermarkets.

[sunrico90]

This is from September 12, 2006 October Is Seafood Month -- Catch The Wave

Seafood is an important part of our state's heritage and economy. Florida is a source of excellent seafood, aquaculture and marine life products. Florida's fishermen harvest 98 different species on a commercial scale with 2005 cash receipts totaling more than $165 million. Florida aquaculture producers farm a vast array of products with sales totaling $95.5 million in 2003. Tropical fish, aquatic plants and clams are the top three aquaculture operations. Florida seafood and aquaculture has an economic impact estimated at more than $1.3 billion annually.

Not bad at all...

[tallrick]

The lack of self-sufficiency has been a main concern of mine for a while now. Everything has taken a backseat to developing residential and retail properties, with no thoughts of sustainable agriculture, and few thoughts of industrial production. The abundant sunshine and periodic winds of Florida seem like a good source of 10-15% of the State's energy if they are scaled for home use. Too bad self-centered HOA's and county codes work against these forms of alternative energy. Everything has been geared for maximum profits in real estate speculation, period. Tidal energy holds promise, but it would spoil the views of the "investors". The real estate bubble had held back Florida for several decades and may contain the seeds of its own destruction.

Another positive for Florida, the mortgage meltdown and bursting bubble will spur new investment in production, agriculture and energy technology. If real estate does not make people rich, they will have no choice but to build real wealth.

[sunrico90]

Agriculture in Florida's Counties

Agricultural information for each county in Florida can be found by clicking on the links below. On each county’s page is a list of major crops and livestock found there, along with contact information for agricultural organizations that can provide information about the specific county. The organizations listed include: the area USDA Farm Service Agency office; the IFAS County Cooperative Extension Service office; the county Farm Bureau office; the State Farmers’ Market that serves the county, if applicable; the area Soil and Water Conservation District office; and agricultural growers groups that represent specific commodities grown in the county.
Agriculture in Florida's Counties: Marketing Florida Agriculture

[bale002]

Originally Posted by tallrick

... Tidal energy holds promise ...

I know that Portugal, probably with the help of German technology, has one of the world's most advanced tidal wave projects ... image that, the US behind Spain and Portugal in some of the most cutting-edge sectors of the energy industry ... not to mention being decades behind Europe and Japan in high-speed electricity-generated public transport ... the best the US can do in the meantime is send troops half way around the world to languish in a vain attempt to control the supply of oil to tank up their SUVs and Hummers.

[bale002]

I appreciate the information on seafood (actually $165 million a year doesn't sound like a lot) and I am aware of the agricultural links. But I still don't notice a prominent presence of Florida seafood in the basic supermarkets (maybe I'm not looking carefully?), though I do make a point of shopping for produce at local farmer's markets (with substantial savings), though even there one finds a noticeable proportion of imported fruits and vegetables.

[sunrico90]

I was not aware of the definition of Tidal Power, see below...

Tidal power, sometimes called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that exploits the rise and fall in sea levels due to the tides, or the movement of water caused by the tidal flow. Because the tidal forces are caused by interaction between the gravity of the Earth, Moon and Sun, tidal power is essentially inexhaustible and classified as a renewable energy source. In fact though, the ultimate energy source is the rotational energy of the Earth, which will not run out in the next 4 billion years, although the Earth's oceans may boil away in 2 billion years[citation needed].

Although not yet widely used, tidal power has great potential for future electricity generation and is more predictable than wind energy and solar power. In Europe, tide mills have been used for over a thousand years, mainly for grinding grains.

Tidal power can be classified into two types:

* Barrages make use of the potential energy from the difference in height (or head) between high and low tides, and their use is better established. These suffer from the dual problems of very high civil infrastructure costs and environmental issues.

* Tidal stream systems make use of the kinetic energy from the moving water currents to power turbines, in a similar way to underwater wind turbines. This method is gaining in popularity because of the lower ecological impact compared to the second type of system, the barrage.

A factor in human settlement geography is water. Human settlements have often started around bays rivers and lakes. Future settlement may be concentrated around moving water, allowing communities to power themselves with non-polluting energy from moving water.

[MrTudo]

Originally Posted by bale002

I appreciate the information on seafood (actually $165 million a year doesn't sound like a lot) and I am aware of the agricultural links. But I still don't notice a prominent presence of Florida seafood in the basic supermarkets (maybe I'm not looking carefully?), though I do make a point of shopping for produce at local farmer's markets (with substantial savings), though even there one finds a noticeable proportion of imported fruits and vegetables.

It's NOT a lot. I was appalled that the Publix on Tamiami Trail is selling GROUPER from China. How pathetic is that?

Support your troops.

Hahaha

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by MrTudo

It's NOT a lot. I was appalled that the Publix on Tamiami Trail is selling GROUPER from China. How pathetic is that?

Support your troops.

Hahaha

What's pathetic? If you eat out, who knows where your "grouper" comes from, or even if it IS "grouper." It has been scarce lately, it is overfished. And anyway, did Publix tell you it was from China? How do you know? Is it because they said so?