Okaloosa-Walton ranks third
nationally in growth rate
By DUSTY RICKETTS / Daily News
Published: Thursday, March 14, 2013
at 18:28 PM.
Okaloosa and Walton counties have
been recognized as one of the fastest growing regions in the country. The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday
released a list of the 10 fastest-growing metropolitan statistical areas. The
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin MSA, which takes in all of Okaloosa and
Walton counties, ranked third. Larry Sassano, interim president of
Florida’s Great Northwest, said the ranking will be a great way to market the
area as one that is vibrant and growing. “That’s impressive,” Sassano said.
“If you show that you have the third fastest-growing MSA in the country, that’s
going to say something about the potential for growth for companies. Companies
want to grow from a larger pool of potential employees. “I think this is a good marketing
tool for the region,” Sassano added. “Even though it’s really isolating it to
two counties, it’s two counties in Northwest Florida. Anytime you can promote
even one county, the other counties will have a positive impact as well.”
The Crestview-Fort Walton
Beach-Destin MSA had a population of 239,021 in July 2011. That grew to 247,665
by July 2012 for an increase of 3.6 percent. Only the Midland, Texas, and
Clarksville, Tenn.-Ky., MSAs had higher growth rates, at 4.6 percent and 3.7
percent, respectively. Sassano said one of the biggest
factors companies consider when they are deciding where to operate or expand is
the availability of a strong workforce. A growing population helps with that. “The larger the population, the more
opportunities employers have to select qualified employees,” Sassano said. Local economist David Goetsch said
part of the growth in Okaloosa and Walton counties during that time frame was
because of the addition of a new battalion to the Army 7th Special Forces Group
(Airborne) and the continuing migration of retirees. “Nobody’s growing very much because
of the economy,” Goetsch said. “It’s good news for us, but we’re kind of one of
the fastest growing in a very slow-growing economy. “We’re leading a very slow pack,” he
added. Goetsch said he doesn’t expect the
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin MSA to remain one of the fastest-growing
areas for much longer. “Even without sequestration, I
wouldn’t expect it because you get the benefit of the 7th Special Forces once,
and we’ve got that now,” Goetsch said. “The small amount that we typical grow
out of retirements will continue, but that is small, and with sequestration
that will probably even be slower. “With sequestration we will probably
lose some also. Not military, not retirees, but we’ll probably lose some
defense personnel.”
Contact Daily News Business Editor
Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com.
Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.
