JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAM TO GENERATE 3,500 JOBS IN OKALOOSA COUNTY

I hope I have been able to illustrate the growth this area is going through now. With the movement of the 7th Special Forces Group, the F-35 Training Program, the growth of the Bob Sikes Airport in Crestview, and much more, we will be needing the home/commercial building industry along with the banking industry to free up capital, so they may provide the housing and commercial needs of these folks. Take a look at the previous stories in my Blog, which has outlined just some of the positive economic news these iniatiatives are making in our area. OH YEA. The OIL SPILL does not affect this type of growth. These folks are ORDERED here because of military relignment.

STUDY ASSESSES ECONOMIC IMPACT OF F-35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER ARRIVAL AND NEW TRAINING CENTER

A recently released University of West Florida Haas Center study has determined that the arrival of the 59 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and the development of the JSF Training Center, a new high-tech training center at Eglin Air Force Base will provide a cumulative impact of over
$1.5 billion in gross regional product to the Fort Walton Beach area of Northwest Florida, with nearly $345 million sustained annually through 2017 and beyond. During the next five years, the Joint Strike Fighter program is forecast to generate 3,500 jobs and positively impact the
region’s population by an increase of 4,000 individuals. The University of West Florida Haas Center study is available at www.florida-edc.org/EconomicNews.html.