Snowbirds head north ---- Yea! (Jacksonville, Tampa: rentals, crime, university)

[Pragmaticus]

Wow, I did expect that it will go down to campaign adds to make a point

So, according to the complain add 85 visitors mean 1 job, so 95million tourist created like 1.12 million jobs? Really?

[The Villages Guy]

My wife brought me out for a ride today and it sure didn't look like snowbirds went home. Maybe something to do with people getting ready for Easter?

[Spring Hillian]

Reworded what? I quoted you VERBATIM.


The people who live here full time also require the services you mention. Hey, tourism is a good thing. Keeps me from paying income taxes.

Originally Posted by justNancy

You took sentences out of a post and reworded them to suit your agenda.

Regarding Florida's economy, even Rick Scott would agree with me. He used $100 million dollars to fund "Visit Florida." He also appears on TV commercials promoting Florida tourism. If tourism wasn't so critical, why would such a huge amount of taxpayer dollars be spent to promote it? Here's just one quote from his website:

“With nearly 95 million visitors traveling to the Sunshine State, today’s news that Florida broke another record year for tourism is a victory for Florida families. Every 85 visitors to Florida equals one job in our state – and it is clear that more visitors to the Sunshine State means more jobs for Florida families. That is why my ‘It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget,’ commits $100 million to VISIT FLORIDA so we can grow more job opportunities for Florida families.”

Source

Having worked in retail and service related jobs, I know for a fact that many businesses make the lion's share of their profits during season. Look at all the jobs hotels create from housekeeping to hotel management.

I also know that when snowbirds visit Florida for 4 to 6 months, they require services such as lawn care, house cleaning, auto repair, HVAC maintenance, swimming pool maintenance, and so on. They also go out to eat, shop, go to hair salons, play golf, etc. So, yes, I believe tourism is very important to Florida and its economic survival.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Reworded what? I quoted you VERBATIM.

A person can be quoted and the words or sentences can still be taken out of context. It's done in politics and on TV news all the time.

Not long ago, I was standing in a hotel in Georgia waiting to check out and mentioned I couldn't get internet in my room. A man overheard me and started talking about the evils of computers, that he didn't own one and never will, and then he began quoting the Bible. I feel just as silly debating about the impact tourism has on Florida's economy.

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by justNancy

However, I doubt if the former owners and employees of the many stores and restaurants that closed because they weren't getting enough tourist business when the economy was tanking are laughing very hard. Apparently you never worked in a restaurant or salon and relied heavily on tips, or sold cars or furniture on commission where you made most of your income during the winter months.

So, let me get this straight:

-There are local businesses that stay open year round without the snowbirds flocking to them.
-These places are the places that rely heavily on snowbird traffic.
-The places that close are the ones that don't get enough in snowbird traffic.

So, in your words, no business would be able to survive in Florida without snowbirds? I should inform some of the local places around here that have been open for a decade now. I'm sure they'd appreciate the heads up.

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by justNancy

A person can be quoted and the words or sentences can still be taken out of context. It's done in politics and on TV news all the time.

Not long ago, I was standing in a hotel in Georgia waiting to check out and mentioned I couldn't get internet in my room. A man overheard me and started talking about the evils of computers, that he didn't own one and never will, and then he began quoting the Bible. I feel just as silly debating about the impact tourism has on Florida's economy.

Your argument probably wouldn't come off as ridiculous if Florida had more than three cities that pull in tourists. Essentially, you're stating that the other cities only survive because of the three big ones.

[BruSan]

Originally Posted by MAniacTHW

So, let me get this straight:

-There are local businesses that stay open year round without the snowbirds flocking to them.
-These places are the places that rely heavily on snowbird traffic.
-The places that close are the ones that don't get enough in snowbird traffic.

So, in your words, no business would be able to survive in Florida without snowbirds? I should inform some of the local places around here that have been open for a decade now. I'm sure they'd appreciate the heads up.

Again; you're taking things way out of context.

May I offer up an example for you of just golf courses as mentioned by an earlier poster. Nearly every golf course in central to southern Florida relies upon snowbirds and their infusion of cash over the winter to sustain them through the summer of relative inactivity. During the crash years many of those course simply dried up and blew away.

Floridians enjoy decent golf courses throughout the year due to a glut of money pouring in during one season only. Many premium courses are today offering discount rates over internet sales sites BECAUSE the struggling middle class has chosen to give up golfing and corporate memberships have dwindled but they struggle on knowing that come winter all those retirement communities will once agin be on the phone booking regular weekly tournament "T" times.

Now let's move on to restaurants and discuss how Floridians enjoy more restaurant selections due to them making the profits they do for a six month period only. They stay open through the summer by laying off staff and cutting menue choices to the bone but they stay open in anticipation of those six months of full tables throughout every day and evening seating.

As your typical snowbird having bought a home there in 2009 we immediately furnished it's two bedrooms and living room with all new purchased items out of Florida stores, bought a car to leave down there, golf clubs to leave down there. Everything from cooking utensiles to toiletries had to be purchased locally. Sliding windows for the Lanai area were in the neighbourhood of $7K alone, and I can tesitfy the guy who installed them was more than gratefull to this snowbird for the business that he otherwise would still be power WASHING driveways in competition with a kajillion other power washers had he not got that business.

Are you so deluded you don't take note of how easy it is to negotiate a better response from your A/C repair guy or your roofer because he NEEDS the work and is not saying to you over the phone "I am busy but I can book you for the second week of March"? It's already been noted getting into restaurants and onto golf courses becomes so much easier but try and put it into the context that the reason you have such a variety and choice in restaurants and "T" times is due to the massive infusion of wealth during a six month window. Were that not the case you'd be left with nothing more than Mc"D's" and Golden Corrals for your dining experience and far fewer golf courses with weeds for greens and gravel in their sand traps.

Try talking to the local business owners and simply ask them what they'd do IF tourism stopped coming to Florida. I believe you'll be surprised, if honesty rules their answer.

Here's another option you might try; visit a local Chamber of Commerce meeting in any town you choose in Florida and listen to how much time is spent discussing how to mitigate the damge caused by seasonal income fluctuations. You'll get your eyes opened.

Your very first railroad line into southern Florida was built to service money'd tourists from New York NOT to ship items needed for the non existant manufacturing or the agriculture or fishing sector. It has ever been thus. Suck it up buttercup, YOU enjoy YOUR lifestyle in Florida due in a very large part to those annoying snowbirds and their seasonal infusion of cash.

[Roscoe Conkling]

Originally Posted by BruSan

Again; you're taking things way out of context.

May I offer up an example for you of just golf courses as mentioned by an earlier poster. Nearly every golf course in central to southern Florida relies upon snowbirds and their infusion of cash over the winter to sustain them thrugh the summer of relative inactivity. During the crash years many of those course simply dried up and blew away.

Floridians enjoy decent golf courses throughout the year due to a glut of money pouring in during one season only. Many premium courses are today offering discount rates over internet sales sites BECAUSE the struggling middle class has chosen to give up golfing and corporate memberships have dwindled but they struggle on knowing that come winter all those retirement communities will once agin be on the phone booking regular weekly tournament "T" times.

Now let's move on to restaurants and discuss how Floridians enjoy more restaurant selections due to them making the profits they do for a six month period only. They stay open through the summer by laying off staff and cutting menue choices to the bone but they stay open in anticipation of those six months of full tables throughout every day and evening seating.

As your typical snowbird having bought a home there in 2009 we immediately furnished it's two bedrooms and living room with all new purchased items out of Florida stores, bought a car to leave down there, golf clubs to leave down there. Everything from cooking utensiles to toiletries had to be purchased locally. Sliding windows for the Lanai area were in the neighbourhood of $7K alone, and I can tesitfy the guy who installed them was more than gratefull to this snowbird for the business that he otherwise would still be power WASHING driveways in competition with a kajillion other power washers had he not got that business.

Are you so deluded you don't take note of how easy it is to negotiate a better response from your A/C repair guy or your roofer because he NEEDS the work and is not saying to you over the phone "I am busy but I can book you for the second week of March"? It's already been noted getting into restaurants and onto golf courses becomes so much easier but try and put it into the context that the reason you have such a variety and choice in restaurants and "T" times is due to the massive infusion of wealth during a six month window. Were that not the case you'd be left with nothing more than Mc"D's" and Golden Corrals for your dining experience and far fewer golf courses with weeds for greens and gravel in their sand traps.

Try talking to the local business owners and simply ask them what they'd do IF tourism stopped coming to Florida. I believe you'll be surprised, if honesty rules their answer.

Here's another option you might try; visit a local Chamber of Commerce meeting in any town you choose in Florida and listen to how much time is spent discussing how to mitigate the damge caused by seasonal income fluctuations. You'll get your eyes opened.

Your very first railroad line into southern Florida was built to service money'd tourists from New York NOT to ship items needed for the non existant manufacturing or the agriculture or fishing sector. It has ever been thus. Suck it up buttercup, YOU enjoy YOUR lifestyle in Florida due in a very large part to those annoying snowbirds and their seasonal infusion of cash.

Well said.
A few home truths might knock a bit of sense into those barstool philosophers who have very little grasp of the economic realities of Florida.
For one,I very much doubt that without snowbirds and tourists Florida could survive without a state income tax.

[The Villages Guy]

The places we have gone to in the past did really good business in the summer and insane business during snowbird season. So I wouldn't say they would go out of business without snowbirds. They just get rich because of them.

[DWMachineshop]

I would much rather pay state income tax than to have had Florida ruined over the past 30 years by a huge influx of Midwesterners and Northeasterners of mediocre quality looking for some fantasy of a Pot of Gold as has been done. Florida used to be a truly Magical place and what it has become is very sad for the people who have always been here. Now it is just like a sock at the bottom of the country catching all the sludge.