Tallahassee area the exception in state's population decline

The most vivid sign of Florida's fight against recession came in August with the news that the state's ever-rising population declined in the 12 months ending April 1. Preliminary estimates show a drop of 58,000 in a state where growth has fueled the economic engine for more than 60 years.

The Tallahassee metropolitan statistical area, however, gained population during the same period. Wakulla County's increase of 3.5 percent to 31,791 was the most dramatic.

"That would be consistent with what we are hearing at the chamber," said Paul Johnson, president of the Wakulla County Chamber of Commerce. People interested in relocating to the county are often the ones phoning for information. "I think it's also a reflection of people going to the Internet and looking for places that are still largely rural," he added.

Compiled by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida, the preliminary population numbers reflect the real estate market's ills in many markets where investors left beachfront homes and condos empty and foreclosures climbed to record levels.

Florida isn't attracting retirees at nearly the rate it did before, and the job market around the state is not strong enough to attract young people the way it once did. The state's twin economic drivers — tourism and construction — remain weak. Now, Florida's leaders are pushing hard to develop industries that will create higher-paying jobs in such fields as alternative energy, aerospace, information technology and bioscience.

"In general, some of the rural areas in the Panhandle weren't hit by the housing bust," UF demographer Scott Cody said in explaining this area's resilience.

Tallahassee area the exception in state's population decline - Tallahassee Democrat - September 2, 2009