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Florida Population, Growing Faster Than California, Tops 20 Million

December 22, 2015 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

florida census
Florida’s getting crowded. (CityofStPete)

Florida has surpassed the 20 million population mark while growing faster than California.

The Sunshine State, adding more than 1,000 people a day, is nearly up a half-million people on New York, which it surpassed a year ago to become the third most-populous state, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Tuesday.


Florida, with an estimated 20,271,272 residents as of July 1, is also growing faster than a year earlier, when 803 people a day were being added to the state’s head count.

“Governor (Rick) Scott is proud that more people continue to move to Florida,” Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said in a prepared statement. “Our hardworking businesses have created more than 1 million jobs in just five years, we have historic funding for education and we are in a 44-year low on our crime rate.”

The new numbers come as lawmakers prepare to deal with a wide range of issues affected by the growing population, including water issues.

Noting that Florida faces a projected 1-billion-gallons-a-day water shortfall by 2030, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has been pushing for proposed statewide water policy changes (SB 552 and HB 7005), which are expected to be among the first items lawmakers take up when the regular legislative session begins in January.

“Florida’s increasing population will continue to stress our critical water resources,” Putnam spokesman Aaron Keller said in an email Tuesday. “While Florida has made great progress in restoring the health of our water supply and conserving our water resources, we need to act now. We must invest more in water supply planning and alternative supply development to meet the needs of this growing population and continue to support a thriving economy while balancing the needs of our natural environment.”

More people also means eventually Florida will have a larger congressional delegation. In 1910, New York had 43 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to Florida’s four. Both states now have 27 seats.

Florida’s population was under 1 million in the 1920 census and was nearly 10 million in the 1980 census.

The University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research estimated the state’s population at 19,691,538 as of April 1.

Part of the state’s growth is attributed to an exodus from the economically challenged U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which the Census report said declined in population by 1.7 percent over the past year.

By contrast, Florida’s population grew 1.84 percent in the past year, trailing only North Dakota, Colorado and Nevada as the fastest-growing states..

In overall population, Florida remains behind California, now with 39.14 million residents, and Texas, with 27.5 million people.

Only Texas had more net population growth in the past year than Florida, growing by 490,036 residents to Florida’s 365,703. California added 352,527 people. Georgia was fourth with 117,728 new residents.

The nation’s population increased by 0.79 percent to 321.4 million, slightly ahead of the pace — 0.78 percent — of the prior year.

The Census Bureau bases its estimates on birth, death, administrative records and survey data. More than 1.1 million people were born in Florida and 950,117 Floridians died in the July-to-July timeframe.

–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. PalmCoastPioneers says

    December 22, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    ‘ The Palm Coast Projects’ – Population Growth from 1

    Community Milestones

    19969-70 …Land development..Welcome Center/model homes
    1971…First nine holes, Palm Harbor…Home Construction
    1972…Pioneer Residents…Yacht Club & Palm Harbor Swim Club (Pop. 1 )
    1973…Back nine, Palm Harbor…Handy-Way…Volunteer FD
    1974…Shangri-La…Ocenafront Sheraton Palm Coast Resort
    1975…The Palm Club…Palm Coast Service district formed
    1976…Corps of Engineers authorizes completion of 23-mile saltwater canal system
    1977…The Woodlands…Decca Marine 1st Industry…Pop. 2,400
    1978…Nancy Lopez becomes Touring Pro…I.T.T.-C.D.C. Palm Coast Headquarters opens
    1979…Palm Harbor Shopping Center…Swim & Racquet Club…Tom Gullikson becomes Touring Pro.
    1980…Palm Coast Marina…Pine Lakes Golf Course…Fariways Condominiums…The Wittemann Co.
    1981…Pine Lakes Country Club…Pine Lakes Village…I-95 Interchange…Palm Coast Industrial Park…Palm Harbor Professional Office Park…Woodhaven…Pop. 5,400

    1982…Two districts merge into Service District..Belle Terre Middle School…Animal Shelter…Library
    1983…DBCC campus/performing arts pavilion
    1984…Intracoastal Industrial Park/ Sea Ray…Harbor Club
    1985…Matanzas Woods G.C….New Parkway Palm Coast named state ‘ Blue Chip Community’ for economic development
    1986…Players Club…Sheraton Palm Coast Resort…The Oadks…FAA…Sea Colony…Pop. 9,700
    1987…CEAG & American Radionics…St. Joe Plaza…Wadsworth Elementary..Palm Coast Beach Club
    1988…Hammock Dunes Bridge…new post office/Wal-Mart/Health Center/theater…New Fire Station
    1989…Hammock Dunes…Frieda Zamba Park…Pop. 15,400
    1990…Cypress Knoll Golf Course…Kingswood Center…sT. Joe Business Center…Old Kings Elementary
    1991…Cracker Barrel & Beall’s…Urban Foestry award…Flagler Auditorium…Community Service Corporation
    1992…Two new Industries coming…Pop. 18,200 + & growing

  2. Mark says

    December 22, 2015 at 10:40 pm

    Does that include illegal aliens?

  3. Geezer says

    December 23, 2015 at 10:00 am

    What was once a beautiful state with abundant wildlife has become a concrete jungle
    with angry and uptight people governed by one of the most corrupt state governments.

  4. Bc says

    December 24, 2015 at 8:36 am

    This is what you get with uninformed voters and non voters. A corrupted government

  5. Me and Mrs Jones says

    December 25, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    Flori-DUH ……5 more years and all the fresh water will be gone. Half the population will head back north past the Mason-Dixon line…..BYE !!!!

  6. just me says

    December 26, 2015 at 9:13 am

    A concrete jungle??? I guess you’ve never been west of US 1. In Flagler county yes Flagler goes west of US 1 not all of Flagler is like palm coast.

  7. footballen says

    December 26, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    I am a tenth generation Floridian and you guys can have it, I am finally just going to concede once I retire. Hell I am seriously considering leaving the entire country to you.

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