March 29, 2024

Economic Yearbook 2006 - Central Florida

Hispanic Influence

Growing Spanish-speaking population becoming key economic driver in four-county Central Florida region anchored by Orlando.

Diane Sears | 4/1/2006

The region's Hispanic community, growing almost twice as fast as in the rest of Florida, now makes up about 20% of Central Florida's total population -- an increase of nearly 12 percentage points since 1990, according to a study by Fishkind & Associates. Osceola County has the highest percentage of Hispanic residents in the region with 37%.

Some Hispanic residents are coming directly from their native countries and others by way of the U.S. Northeast. Most are of Puerto Rican heritage, accounting for 57.2% of Hispanics in Osceola County, 48% in Orange, 43.9% in Seminole and 28.6% in Lake.
By 2007, a projected 39,000 Central Florida workers will be employed because of direct or indirect spending by the Hispanic community, which will wield purchasing power of $8.2 billion, according to the study, which was commissioned by the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Central Florida is also seeing an influx of new employers. Last year marked one of the few times the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission worked with fewer local expansions than new-to-market projects, which accounted for 56% of the projects in 2005, compared with 35% most years, says Trent Flood, director of public relations.

Low unemployment and an increased need for technical and professional workers have Central Florida employers searching for talent worldwide and steadily raising the region's pay scale. For newcomers, affordable housing continues to be a challenge, with the median home selling for about $250,000.


Carlos Barrios, principal of Baker Barrios Architects, recruits worldwide for professional help. He says his diverse staff now resembles a "virtual League of Nations."

Skilled Help Wanted

? With a growing number of high-profile projects on its plate, Baker Barrios Architects is searching the world for experienced architects and support staff to supplement its current workforce of about 100, offering salaries of $40,000 to $90,000 and more. "We're looking everywhere," says principal Carlos Barrios. "The market is really tight right now in architecture." The result, he says: A diverse staff from countries including Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, India and Austria. "We have a virtual League of Nations."

? Even though Central Florida is building a reputation as a hub for simulation companies, there aren't enough skilled engineers in the area to fill every job available. DEI Services Corp., a Winter Park simulation-training company with nearly 90 employees, is recruiting all over the U.S. to fill as many as 30 jobs the company plans to add this year with an average salary of $65,000. Founded in 1996, the company recently expanded into a fourth facility and received an $11-million Army contract with another company to build M-2 Bradley tank maintenance training systems. "A lot of our recruiting is really high-end individuals with engineering degrees," says Jose Diaz, founder and president. "In the past, we'd try to put in a 100-mile radius for searches, but now we're having to look outside the state."

New Companies

? Enterprise Technology Partners, founded in 2000, specializes in IT, management and finance consulting for public-sector clients, including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Education and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, and is expanding to include private-sector contracts.

? Edisolve.com in Eustis, founded in 1999, partners with Hewlett-Packard to help healthcare businesses and others exchange information electronically about confidential issues such as billing and medical history.

? The new Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center, an Orlando-based non-profit founded by the Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation, has launched the state's first mobile emergency simulation lab for training.

? Kirchman Corp., acquired by Metavante Corp. in 2004, is one of a growing cluster of financial services companies with headquarters or satellite offices in Seminole County, along with Fiserv, SunGard and London Bridge Phoenix Software.

? Cnow Inc., a six-year-old company based in Mount Dora, has partnered with the recently established National Institute of Telehealth in Lake County to develop standards for supporting adults and children with special needs such as autism.

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