Tourism, a spearhead

Tourism is Florida's leading industry. In 2016, it contributed $111.7 billion to the state's economy. Among the driving forces behind this industry are, of course, the Orlando area theme parks, and especially Walt Disney World, which welcomes 16 million visitors a year and employs 70,000 people. The oldest of its four parks - Magic Kingdom, opened in 1971, is the most visited Disney park in the world. Another major tourist attraction is the Everglades. This unique marshland area is visited by around 1 million people a year. Threatened by climate change, the Everglades will receive an injection of $1.1 billion from the Biden administration. Miami is the world's leading port in terms of passenger traffic, with 4 million cruise passengers.

Florida, agricultural land

It's not always easy to imagine, but Florida is a fertile agricultural land, and agriculture plays a major role in the state's economy, along with tourism. Fruit production is extremely dynamic, particularly in the south and center of the state. Florida accounts for 75% of American orange production. It also ranks first nationally for grape production and second for sugarcane and horticulture. Florida has also developed cattle farming, and is home to 9 of the top 25 beef producers in the United States. Meat is Florida's number 1 agricultural export. It also ranks third in the nation for horse breeding. Other products include fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple, avocado), vegetables, fish, soybeans and corn.

A state

Another little-known anecdote: it was in Boca Raton, north of Miami, that IBM created the very first PC(Personal Computer) in 1981. This technological legacy lives on today, and Florida is home to more than 27,000 companies in the sector, employing 220,000 people. It ranks fourth in the United States. Since the pandemic, the tech boom has been reinforced by the arrival of Californians from Silicon Valley. More and more companies are choosing to combine a relaxed lifestyle with a favorable technological ecosystem. PayPal co-founder Bill Harris has announced plans to set up a start-up in Miami, Nirvana Technology. Other industry giants such as Spotify and Microsoft have also opened offices here. Another significant advantage: the state has no income tax. Is South Florida becoming the new Silicon Valley?

Head in the stars

In 1959, NASA set up the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, on Florida's east coast, now known as the Space Coast. In 1961, President Kennedy announced his intention to send American astronauts to the Moon by the end of the 1960s. This was to happen, with the launch from the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 1969. The site is still active today, serving as a launch pad for all NASA rockets and satellites. In September 2021, the Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX - a private company and NASA partner - was launched, taking four tourists into space for the first time. In 2017, the Trump administration relaunched the idea of sending men to the Moon, with plans to set up a permanent base there. The Artemis program was launched, to be piloted from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. More broadly, Florida is the world leader in aerospace and the latest technologies and research associated with it. It is home to more than 2,000 companies.

An increasingly conservative state

It's not all warmth and sunshine in Florida. It's led by Governor Ronald DeSantis, a member of the Republican party, who is multiplying conservative acts. In July 2022, House Bill 1557, nicknamed Don't say Gay, came into force. This law prohibits the discussion of issues relating to gender and sexual identity in the classroom, at least up to third grade. In the same vein, Florida has opened up the possibility of curtailing the freedoms of transgender people (ending the possibility of changing first names, stopping hormone treatments and puberty blockers for people under 18...). Another cause for concern is the increasingly restricted right to abortion. Florida has voted to reduce the legal waiting period from 24 weeks to 15 weeks, at a time when the Supreme Court is threatening to repeal the right to abortion.

The thorny environmental issue

Since 2018, serial environmental problems have been making headlines in Florida. First there was Irma, which hit the Keys in 2017, but whose material damage (no casualties were reported) was ultimately relatively limited. Hurricane Michael, which hit northwest Florida in October 2018, was far more destructive: it was the most violent hurricane since 1851. The frequency of these hurricanes in the Sunshine State is thought to be due to global warming, as the increasingly warm waters of the Atlantic encourage the transformation of tropical storms into hurricanes. Another major problem: red tides. Due to a toxic micro-organism, the state's waters were heavily polluted in 2018 and 2021, creating a toxic environment for local residents. Florida is also affected by rising sea levels, threatening not only the coasts but also the islands of the Keys and the Everglades.