Florida: Fewer are moving in to the State. By Geniusofdespair

According to an AP analysis, included in a Feb. 19th article by Mike Schneider, fewer outsiders are moving to Florida as determined by driver license applications:

The number of applications from outsiders has tumbled 30 percent during the past five years — dropping from more than 585,000 in 2003 to about 410,000 in 2008.

New Yorkers have snubbed Florida in the largest numbers, with 34,000 fewer applicants coming from what has long been Florida's No. 1 feeder state. That's a decline of almost 50 percent. The next biggest drop came from New Jersey, with 11,000 fewer applicants.

Having an economy based on growth, the State of Florida will be hurting with this shift. However, for us in South Florida:

For those still moving to Florida, the AP analysis found that Miami-Dade and Broward counties in South Florida remain the No. 1 and No. 2 destinations for new applicants for Florida driver's licenses, as they were five years ago.

Additionally:
While annual population growth for the past decade ran between 2 percent and 2.5 percent, it dropped to 0.7 percent in 2008. Florida now has its highest unemployment rate in 16 years — 8.1 percent in December — and one of the nation's highest home foreclosure rates. With thousands leaving the state almost as fast as others arrived, Florida's population increased by only about 127,000 last year.

It is no wonder I am depressed. I am at the point now that I don't want to watch the news or read the business section.