Florida has gone from being a swing state to one of the reddest states in the country. It's also one of the states that could be most adversely affected by the Trump tariffs and the Donald's trade war. How Donald Trump's Tariffs Will Impact Florida: 'Economic Hurricane Blanco said there will be three "big groups of losers" in Florida: consumers, companies that rely on imports—such as restaurants and construction firms—and exporters who will face retaliatory tariffs introduced by other countries. Abigail Hall Blanco, assistant professor of economics at the University of Tampa, told Newsweek: "These tariffs will hurt Floridians and the economic growth of the state—full stop. I see three big groups of losers. The first are the producers of goods and services who rely on imports. Your neighborhood restaurants that rely on ingredients for authentic cuisine from Colombia, India, or other countries are going to be hit hard. "This may be especially profound in construction and real estate. Florida's economy heavily features real estate. Expect construction costs to rise—substantially. If you're building a house or office building, don't expect your estimates from six months ago to be relevant. I imagine many projects will have to be renegotiated, and many will be scrapped completely. "The second group who will lose from these tariffs will be Florida exporters. Countries around the world have already announced, or are poised to announce, retaliatory tariffs. Florida exporters can expect to see their market shrink. How much? Only time will tell. It's not out of the question to see significant reductions in employment, particularly in export sectors. "Finally, Florida consumers can expect to pay more for goods we consume regularly. From fruits and vegetables imported from Latin America to cars from Europe and Japan, expect to be penalized financially for liking foreign goods. Those avocados for your guacamole? More expensive. The toys for your kids' birthdays or Christmas? More expensive. That BMW you've been dreaming of since you started working? Be prepared to shell out a lot more.
What about tourism? About 20% of Disney's visitors are international, and tourist travel to the U.S. is way down. Tourism is 10% of Florida's economy. How many visitors are Americans vs. foreigners in Disney? - Quora flgov.com/eog/sites/default/files/shared/2024/12/Visit Florida EIS 2023_0.pdf
MAGAots in Florida don’t care. Billy Joe Bob’s case of Busch Lights gonna go up in price because of aluminum tariffs, he’ll just switch to Natural Light, just as long as it’s not that “woke” beer. Too stupid to understand that it’s from the same company. Just like the orange man they worship; too ignorant to see that he has been a life long NY democrat, you know, the kind they hate. When the choice is between beer or keeping the lights on in their single wide, it will be time to invest in a candle company. Time to buy and invest in technology from the 1700’s!
Exactly. Maybe for once, we can actually have a stable population size or at least more manageable growth, compared to the insane population growth in the state since the pandemic. And maybe, with less people coming here and less traffic, maybe some of the road projects can get done quicker. I heard they just announced new construction for I-75 from Ocala to the Turnpike. They are adding one lane, way overdue as I-75 has become awful and absolutely all but unusable on that stretch during Spring Break time. Living in the Orlando area, it's gotten to the point where I'll take I-95 to Jacksonville and then I-10 over to I-75 instead of dealing with that stretch of I-75 between the Turnpike and Ocala. My only thing is 1 lane isn't enough and the expansion needs to go up to Gainesville. I-75 needs to be 4 lanes each way between Gainesville and Ocala and 5 lanes each way between Ocala and the Turnpike. Honestly I-75 should be a minimum of 4 lanes each way between Gainesville and Naples. Only parts of I-75 that are okay at 3 lanes are Gainesville up to the FL-GA state line and on Alligator Alley between Naples and Ft. Lauderdale.
Florida should get a boat load of highway funds to make all of this happen as these thoroughfares are considered Designated Hurricane Evacuation Routes. But wait, it's Florida (and Repubs), so "we aint gon take no yankee money."
I get what you are saying, but Federal money always comes with strings attached. Look at the California High Speed Rail debacle. I'm not Rick Scott fan, I think he's a complete scumbag in every way, but it was probably the best decision he made as Governor. Everyone looks at the money the Federal government was offering for that, while ignoring that the state would then be on the hook for maintenance and if it loses money each year. It would've been a net drain on the state. With Brightline, yes the state helped with some of the funding and right of way, but the state is not on the hook if Brightline loses money. If Brightline works, it's great. If it doesn't, it goes out of business but the taxpayers aren't on the hook. Look how over budge the California High Speed Rail is and now it probably won't even be all the way between LA and SF. I think the I-75 expansion is being paid for with Federal funds. As the state has run a surplus for several years, I would say use some of that surplus to make it 5 lanes each way from Ocala and the Turnpike. It's going to be stupid when it's expanded to 4 lanes (which probably won't even be until between 2028 - 2030) and then 5 years later they will tear it up again to make it 5 lanes. Heck they just finished repaving I-75 in that area, just to now tear it up again soon. That's the problem I have with FDOT, absolutely no foresight or planning. Everything they do is typically reactionary. But alas I think most state DOT's are like that.
And again, lets say Disney does lose the majority of that 20% of International Travel. International Travel has always been less reliable for Disney and Universal than Domestic Travel, going through different phases. I know for awhile there you saw a lot of Brazilian tourists, then their economy tanked and you don't see them in numbers like you used to. Disney and Universal had great numbers in late 2021 and all of 2022, and that was almost entirely due to Domestic Travel, as International Travel was still in the tank until 2023. It could be good for Domestic Travel as, if International Travel does goes down, you'll probably see Disney and Universal increase promotional deals that in turn will increase Domestic Travel.
Tourism is some of the easiest money you can make. People visit from other places, and plop down cash just to look at things, or sit in a silly ride and go around in a circle for 15 minutes. It's low-pollution, non-hazardous, and it drives various travel industries (hotels, restaurants, rental cars, tour buses, etc.). Most states (and countries) would love to have more tourism. It helps fund infrastructure. Without it, you will either have to pay more taxes, or put up with more decaying infrastructure than we already have.
When is the last time that Disney started offering deals on anything? Their prices only go up. Take away some of their income, and their prices will go up faster. Let me know when you find a Disney coupon in the newspaper.
Such a silly argument. Disney's not going to put a "hey, 20% of a visit with the purchase of another ticket" or "hey, 20% off a Disney ticket with the purchase of a $50 fuel up at RaceTrac" cheap looking discount out online or in print media (what little still exists). But the deals are already happening. Their resort demand has been soft since 2023. Even last summer, they were offering their employees cheap hotel rates to fill rooms. I know because I took advantage of it through one of my friends. I stayed at Wilderness Lodge in July for $230 after tax (rate before tax was right around $200). And they are already offering a free water park day for those who book a resort reservation now. If we go into a recession, they have no choice but to offer deals, otherwise people simply won't go.
The YOY tourist tax revenue is going to drop and multiple counties are going to have problems with bond payments reliant on that income. Airports too. And if they have to refi it will cost them even more
Disney has run Florida resident specials when they were doing fine. Also first responder specials after covid.
