Tuesday, May 1, 2012

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER ON OKALOOSA COUNTY AS PROVIDED BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF OKALOOSA COUNTY


I really don’t see to say more.  Read on.

The Economic Development Council
of Okaloosa County, Florida
Kay Rasmussen kayr@florida-edc.org
VP Community & Economic Development www.florida-edc.org
January 2012
1
Okaloosa County 2011 Economic Position
With a population of 180,822, and housing the largest military installation in the United States,
Okaloosa County’s primary economic generator is the military; #2 is tourism supported by our
sugar-white beaches and endless water-sports activities. These two industry sectors are
supported by a strong service sector infiltrated by the technology-based industries. Okaloosa’s
population is projected to top 198,000 by 2015.

Military Impact
Joint Strike Fighter Initial Training Center
59 F-35 Aircraft
· $375 Million in MILCON
· 1,563 Personnel
o 1,716 dependents
· $2.1 Billion total 2010-2016
· $593 Million sustained in 2016 and beyond
· First Plane: 2011
· Last Plane: 2016
JSF Economic Impact
Cumulative Impact (2010 – 2016) 59 Aircraft
Gross Regional Product (Millions $) $1,668.9
Associated Population 4,432
Associated Employment 4,104
Year 2016 Impact and Beyond
Gross Regional Product (Millions $) $399.4
Associated Population 225
Associated Employment 11
7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
2011 Beddown
· $332 Million MILCON
· ~2,200 Personnel
o ~3,867 dependents
· First Battalion Arrives April 2011
· Last Battalion Arrives September 2011
7SFG(A) Annual Economic Impact
· 2011: $506,300,000
· 2016: $566,300,000

Okaloosa County and its neighboring counties offer a desirable workforce supplemented by the
retiring and otherwise separating military personnel that have chosen to stay in the area.
Okaloosa County Veterans and Total Population Comparison
Veteran
Population
Total
Population
Veteran % of
Population
2007 34,470 184,250 18.7%
2014 32,469 193,804 16.8%
2019 30,330 202,501 15.0%
Source: UWF Haas Center, EDC Retired and Separated Targeted Transition Study, 2009
County Veterans Retirees Annual
Santa Rosa 21,642 5,843 645
Okaloosa 34,634 10,401 2,711
Walton 6,415 1,694 34
Total 62,691 17,938 3,390
Source: Dr. Rod Lewis, UWF Haas Center 2010

Okaloosa County 2011 Defense Impact
Defense Spending ($Millions)
Procurement $ 1,431.0
Salaries 677.3
Pensions & Transfers 645.7
Total Defense Spending $ 2,754.0
Average Earnings Per Military Job $87,300
County Economic Impact1 $ 5.2 Billion
Employment 58,811 Jobs
Sales Activity $ 4.0 Billion
Consumption $ 3.3 Billion
Capital Investment $ 495.1 Million
Source: UWF Haas Center January 2011
Eglin AFB
Active Duty Military 9,283
Civilians 5,710
Hurlburt Field
Active Duty Military 8,000
Civilians 700

Northwest Florida Defense Impactlions)
Procurement $ 2.4
Salaries 1.7
Pensions & Transfers 2.1
Total Defense Spending $ 6.2
Average Earnings Per Military Job $83,168
Regional Economic Impact1 $ 14.3 Billion
Employment 178,758 Jobs
Sales Activity $ 12.8 Billion
Consumption $ 10.7 Billion
Capital Investment $ 1.9 Billion
Source: UWF Haas Center January 2011

Tourism
Florida received 82.3 Million visitors in 2010 with 10% of those visiting Northwest Florida's
Emerald Coast. Okaloosa County is in the Top-Five destinations for auto visitors; we are a
drive-to community.

Technology-Based Industry Sector
In August 2011, Forbes Magazine ranked Okaloosa County, the Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-
Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area, in America’s Top-Twenty “Geekiest” Cities. The current
definition of “geek” is any worker with a bachelor’s level of knowledge and education in science
or engineering-related fields or workers in occupations that require some degree of technical
knowledge or training. The Science and Engineering Indicators utilized by Forbes, ranked the
top 20 cities in the United States by the percentage of workers with jobs in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics; the STEM industries.
Okaloosa County is the technology hub in Northwest Florida with over 275 technology-based
companies in centralized areas of Crestview and Fort Walton Beach; and growing! The highgrowth,
high-wage STEM industries are targeted for Okaloosa’s growth and recruitment. These
high-growth, high-wage industry sectors for the next five years include manufacturing,
information technology, professional business services, medical sciences, and financial based
industries.Despite the national economic condition and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, Okaloosa
County, located on the eastern Gulf of Mexico, has experienced significant growth in its existing
technology-based industries, as well as the recruitment of new companies into the area. In the
last year, Okaloosa has incurred new job growth of over 500 with a retainment of almost an
equal amount providing a median wage of $53,000.
On the horizon is a planned research and development center outside Eglin’s West gate which
will garner thousands of new jobs in a professional mixed-use development servicing hightechnology
commercialization. The ripple effect that will result from this development will
include service and supply industries contributing to the STEM clusters within Okaloosa County.
Future 100 acre Emerald Coast Technology & Research Center to be built in Shalimar, Florida
adjacent to the University of Florida Research and Engineering Education Facility.
Adjacent to this research center is a planned autonomous vehicle research, development and
testing facility. This innovative collaboration will sustain hundreds of jobs and facilitate
multiple spin-off industries; both horizontally and vertically.

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