"We’re trying to be there for all our companies. ... We have to take care of what we have." — Phil Ehlinger, interim economic development director for Volusia County
Daytona beach / Volusia County
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| See population, income and job statistics from this region. Explore |
People to Watch
» Larry McKinney, president and CEO of the Daytona Beach/Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce, is gathering business owners to bring ideas for a cohesive feel to “The Box,” a five-mile-long area that runs between Interstate 95 and the Atlantic Ocean in Daytona Beach. Organizers are looking at everything from public transportation to economic development to environmental conservation. >> New DeLand City Manager Michael Pleus and Assistant City Manager Dale Arrington are gaining notice for their efforts to revitalize the historic downtown and encourage industrial development around the DeLand airport, bringing in new jobs.
 Volusia County is making sure it doesn’t neglect its existing businesses, such as Raydon (background), says interim economic development Director Phil Ehlinger. [Photo: Jeffrey Camp] |
Melbourne-Titusville / Brevard County
| Who's Hiring |
| » Palm Coast Data magazine fulfillment house expanded its operations in Flagler County and has hired 100 people so far, with plans to add 700 jobs. |
| » Military component manufacturer AO Precision in Daytona Beach is looking to add employees this year. |
| » Advanced Composite Solutions, which employs about 20 in New Smyrna Beach, plans to expand its workforce by 20% a year for the next three years based on contracts it is receiving from military and theme park customers. The company makes composite prototypes for everything from executive jets to theme park doors. |
| » Germ Free Laboratories, which makes mobile labs that can be set up for drug detection and medical purposes, has received millions of dollars in new contracts and expects to hire this year. |
Business to Watch
» Northrop Grumman has started a $1-million endowment at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne to support an annual student competition in engineering and science — an event formerly financed by bake sales, car washes and other events by students. Tom Vice, who stepped into the role of sector vice president and divisional general manager of the company’s battle management and engineering systems in 2008, vows to cultivate more potential employees at FIT, saying 427 of the company’s employees hold degrees from the 6,400-student private university.
Person to Watch
» Lynda Weatherman, president and chief executive of the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast, began serving a three-year term in January on the board of directors for Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Jacksonville branch. The prominent position is expected to give Brevard County added recognition in economic discussions at a crucial time when the future of Kennedy Space Center is uncertain.
Palm coast / Flagler County
With the highest unemployment rate in the state at 14.2%, the county of 93,000 residents is focused on growth, actively bringing in businesses that create jobs, especially in retail. Along the eastern boundaries of Palm Coast, population 75,000, the city plans to realign and expand Old Kings Road, creating a major thoroughfare where a super Wal-Mart with a planned 2010-11 opening will bring in hundreds of jobs as well as other retail and support businesses.
Business to Watch
» DeLand-based Epic Theatres plans to break ground this year on what will be Flagler County’s only movie theater, a 14-screen facility expected to boost development of restaurants and other forms of entertainment at Town Center at Palm Coast. The company operates 39 screens at six sites in three states and is expanding by 100 screens, including in Clermont, St. Augustine and Deltona.
Person to Watch
» Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts ran on a pro-green platform in 2007, vowing to make the city’s operations more environmentally friendly. This year, the city was awarded a silver certificate for LEED standards just 19 days after applying to the Florida Green Building Coalition, and it’s now going for gold. Netts also is championing efforts to build a desalination plant in Flagler County that could supply fresh water all over the region.
| Jobs | ||||
| MSA | Jan. 2008 | Jan. 2009 | % Change | Jobless Rate |
| Deltona / Daytona / Ormond Beach |
170,100 | 161,700 | -4.9% | 9.9% |
| Palm Bay / Melbourne / Titusville | 211,500 | 200,800 | -5.1% | 9.5% |
| Source: Agency for Workforce Innovation | ||||
| HOMES | ||||
| Single-family, existing-home sales by Realtors | ||||
| MSA | Jan. 2009 Sales | 1-Year Change | Jan. 2009 Price | 1-Year Change |
| Daytona Beach |
419 | +31% | $131,800 | -26% |
| Melbourne / Titusville/ Palm Bay | 377 | +46% | $118,300 | -32% |
| Source: Florida Association of Realtors | ||||
| POPULATION TOTALS | ||||
 2.4% or higher  1.0% - 2.4%  1.0% or less |
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| COUNTY | 2009 | Average Annual Growth | ||
| 2005-2009 | Trend | |||
| Brevard |
548,208 | 1.00% | |
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| Flagler |
93,816 | 5.61 | |
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| Volusia | 515,255 | 1.45 | |
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| Florida | 18,898,835 | 1.60% | |
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| POPULATION BY AGE | ||||||
| Years of Age (2009) | ||||||
| County | 0-14 | 15-19 | 20-39 | 40-64 | 65+ | Total |
| Brevard |
15.4% | 6.0% | 23.4% | 34.4% | 20.8% | 548,208 |
| Flagler |
13.1 | 4.6 | 27.7 | 29.4 | 25.1 | 93,816 |
| Volusia | 15.5 | 6.2 | 25.1 | 32.9 | 20.3 | 515,255 |
| Florida | 18.0% | 6.3% | 25.8% | 32.7% | 17.2% | 18,898,835 |
| PER CAPITA INCOME | |||||
| COUNTY | Per Capita Income 2009 | Source of Income | |||
| Labor | Property | Transfer | |||
| Brevard |
$37,940 | 70.2% | 18.7% | 11.1% | |
| Flagler |
31,212 | 50.0 | 31.2 | 18.9 | |
| Volusia | 32,928 | 59.6 | 24.2 | 16.2 | |
| Florida | $40,331 | 67.6% | 23.6% | 8.8% | |