Treasure Coast - Yearbook

Mike Vogel | 4/1/2011

Economic developers now call the region the Research Coast — and with good reason: Torrey Pines and the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute are promising to diversify the economy.

The Treasure Coast

ST. LUCIE COUNTY GOALS

Raise awareness of the economic importance of the agriculture industry to St. Lucie County.

Diversify the county's economic base.

Reduce the inventory of unsold homes.

Jobs
MSA	DEC. 2010	DEC 2009	% Change	Jobless Rate
Port St. Lucie	161,679	161,133	+0.3%	13.4%
Sebastian Inlet Vero Beach	53,799	53,663	+0.3%	13.6%
Source: Agency for Workforce Innovation

Homes Single-family, existing-home sales by Realtors
MSA	Jan. 2011 Sales	1-Year Change	Jan. 2011 Price	1-Year Change
Fort Pierce/ Port St. Lucie	345	-25%	$98,800	-2%
Source: Florida Realtors

St. Lucie Population: 281,452
Population Growth Rate (2007-11): 1.62%
Population by Age:
0-14	15-19	20-39	40-64	65+
18.8%	5.8%	22.9%	32.1%	20.4%
Per Capita Income: $29,676

Jay Nelson, director, Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida

Director Jay Nelson, at the site of the Port St. Lucie campus of the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida, an offshoot of an Oregon research center. Its 100,000-sq.-ft. facility, focused on HIV/AIDS, cancer and infectious diseases, joins nearby Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies as the county's life science cluster. VGTI got $60 million in incentives from the state and $53 million in infrastructure development from the city. The campus, scheduled to be completed in 2012, is seen as an important step in diversifying the county's economy.
[Photo: Steve Martinel]

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