REFLECTIONS - FLORIDA AND THE ECONOMY

After just returning from almost a full month in Florida, I am really happy to be home here in Merida. Wow, what a difference in everything!

Florida remains hard hit in all aspects of the economy. The Real Estate market is essentially non-existent, there are no jobs, what few industrial endeavors were once flourishing are now closing or scaling way back adding to the already outrageous unemployment rates. Times are difficult for many.

One thing I did notice was the lack of homeless people on every street corner. On my previous visit, I was shocked by the amount of people, families included, who were begging for work or a few dollars donation on almost every major intersection in the city. I mentioned this to a friend and she told me that the city cracked down on these folks and literally put a stop to it all. It was giving the city a bad image. I have mixed emotions about this one, but it really was distressing to see all these unfortunate people who had reached their breaking points and had to beg for work and/or money on the streets. As I previously mentioned, times are difficult for many.

Retail stores have also scaled way back on the number of employees available to assist you. I was in one store, a very large store I might add, that did not have one person on the floor to assist you except for stock clerks who are now serving as sales persons when cornered by a customer. I managed to corner one and he was actually quite helpful in pointing me in the right direction. A few years ago, there was one sales person in every department! I guess you could say those were the good old days (?). It wasn’t much different in K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, or JC Penny’s. Not a soul around to help you and there were no crowds of shoppers to fight. The lack of sales clerks equates to more folks on the unemployment roles.

Restaurants are still closing, but one was actually reopening under a different name and new management. That was a bit encouraging. All service industries are feeling the economic crunch as evidenced by fewer employees to assist you and less services being offered. If someone quits, retires, or is dismissed, they generally are not replaced. A rather confusing scenario, but these small “mom and pop” businesses are doing their best to keep their doors open.

Prices in the grocery stores and at the gas pumps do not reflect the hard, economic times that are upon us. Prices continue to rise and there are no real “breaks” in prices anywhere, save for coupons. I witnessed lots of folks using coupons to do their grocery shopping, and I don’t blame them for doing so.

Florida is one of the States in the middle of extensive elections for Governor, Senate, and State Legislative positions as well as numerous local elections. Perhaps some change will come out of it all. We shall see and hope for the best.

Here in Merida, we feel the “trickle down” effects of the economic woes of the US, but economically speaking, I see things as being slightly brighter here in Merida than in Florida, save for the job market which still allows for “slave-labor” wages for the unskilled workers. You still get a bigger bang for your dollar here in Merida than in the US, but prices are slowly but surely creeping up every day, especially at the gas pumps and in the grocery stores. Having said that, I am still really glad to be home!

I’m not an economist, but I do consider myself somewhat observant. I hope things can start to turn around, not only for Florida but for the entire US. My heart goes out to those that are homeless or unemployed trying their best to raise a family. I can only imagine how difficult it is for them to exist on a day-to-day basis not knowing what tomorrow will bring. We can only hope and pray that the economy will turn around and these economic woes will fall by the wayside.