Community Chat

[Zhills]

On 1/30/2015 happy housewife said:

Here in Florida , beside growing produce including citrus they mine phosphorous for fertilizer. There are seaports ports in Jacksonville and Tampa. However, i think there are only 2 really large industries here - tourism and retirees. The only business in our small Florida town is retirees.But lots of money is made here from the snowbirds. My housekeeper says that she makes enough during the snowbird season to support herself without working at all for the entire summer. So she only does about 4 clients a week in the summer and takes some time for herself.

Florida mines phosphate rock, not phosphorous. Phosphorous is not mined. Florida has 15 seaports and shipping products from all over the US, including Florida is a major industry. Tourism is a huge business including transportation, hotels and restaurants. Less than 30% of the population is over 65 and over 100,000 of them live in "The Villages." Agriculture, citrus and cattle are out major crops. We are where space travel originated and have 'the Space Coast'. Computer components and software are also big companies. Publix and Winn-Dixie/BI-LO are both headquartered in Florida. Our major import is snowbirds who want to live here and constantly let us know how great it was or how they did it back home!

[Gooday]

Illinois - corrupt politicians

Arizona - Pima cotton

[sylviahomeatlast]

--also cattle and corn and fire roasted chilis, snow (snowboarding and skiing) lots of brew pubs (local beers)

[Dam Yankee]

Florida: Anheuser Busch beer, Maxwell House coffee, Tervis Tumblers, drywall, contact lenses, cigars, Bacardi rum, Florida Crystals sugar, several gun manufacturers, several boat manufacturers.

[Marienkaefer2]

Since one of my home states is Arizona, I'm going to chime in for AZ: The BEST MEXICAN FOOD anywhere...Yes it's true! And BEAUTIFUL Native American jewelry and art.

[151949]

On 1/30/2015 Zhills said:

On 1/30/2015 happy housewife said:

Here in Florida , beside growing produce including citrus they mine phosphorous for fertilizer. There are seaports ports in Jacksonville and Tampa. However, i think there are only 2 really large industries here - tourism and retirees. The only business in our small Florida town is retirees.But lots of money is made here from the snowbirds. My housekeeper says that she makes enough during the snowbird season to support herself without working at all for the entire summer. So she only does about 4 clients a week in the summer and takes some time for herself.

Florida mines phosphate rock, not phosphorous. Phosphorous is not mined. Florida has 15 seaports and shipping products from all over the US, including Florida is a major industry. Tourism is a huge business including transportation, hotels and restaurants. Less than 30% of the population is over 65 and over 100,000 of them live in "The Villages." Agriculture, citrus and cattle are out major crops. We are where space travel originated and have 'the Space Coast'. Computer components and software are also big companies. Publix and Winn-Dixie/BI-LO are both headquartered in Florida. Our major import is snowbirds who want to live here and constantly let us know how great it was or how they did it back home!

Only 35% are over 65 because snowbirds are not residents in Florida - they are residents where they still have a home somewhere up north. My plan of 140 homes goes down to only 8 who stay here all summer.The largest employer in our town is the hospital which averages 20 patients a day in the summer and is full capacity in season. many of the full time residents of Florida love to go on & on about how they dislike the snowbirds - but they certainly like our money , don't they. Without snowbirds Florida would financially collapse.

[september]

On 1/30/2015 Dam Yankee said:

Florida: Anheuser Busch beer, Maxwell House coffee, Tervis Tumblers, drywall, contact lenses, cigars, Bacardi rum, Florida Crystals sugar, several gun manufacturers, several boat manufacturers.

Not Bacardi rum! I went to the factory (rummery?) in the Bahamas. I thought that was where it all came from. I feel disillusioned.

[Dam Yankee]

On 1/30/2015 september said:

On 1/30/2015 Dam Yankee said:

Florida: Anheuser Busch beer, Maxwell House coffee, Tervis Tumblers, drywall, contact lenses, cigars, Bacardi rum, Florida Crystals sugar, several gun manufacturers, several boat manufacturers.

Not Bacardi rum! I went to the factory (rummery?) in the Bahamas. I thought that was where it all came from. I feel disillusioned.

It may not be made here, but it's all bottled in Jacksonville. Their HQ is in Coral Gables.

[Dam Yankee]

On 1/30/2015 Dam Yankee said:

On 1/30/2015 september said:

On 1/30/2015 Dam Yankee said:

Florida: Anheuser Busch beer, Maxwell House coffee, Tervis Tumblers, drywall, contact lenses, cigars, Bacardi rum, Florida Crystals sugar, several gun manufacturers, several boat manufacturers.

Not Bacardi rum! I went to the factory (rummery?) in the Bahamas. I thought that was where it all came from. I feel disillusioned.

It may not be made here, but it's all bottled in Jacksonville. Their HQ is in Coral Gables.

All Bacardi rum that is sold in the US is distilled in Cataño, Puerto Rico. I had to look that up.

[september]

Yep...just looked up Bacardi, and it seems they left the Bahamas years ago. (I really liked that tour)

I'll have to try to visit the Florida location.