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The 2006 Economic Benefits of Watchable Wildlife Recreation in Florida From http://myfwc.com/media/131044/WldlfViewing_economics_report.pdf

More fun facts

1.

Wildlife viewing supports nearly four times more jobs in-state than employed by FPL Group, the parent of Florida Power and Light. (2006 Fortune 500)

2.

Wildlife viewing, photography and feeding is enjoyed by 3.274 million Florida residents – nearly 10 times more than the population of the Tallahassee metropolitan area. (U.S. Census Bureau)

3.

Since 2001, the number of people who visited Florida to view wildlife increased 50 percent. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2001 and 2006 National Surveys of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation)

4.

In 2006, the nonresident wildlife viewers in Florida (746,000) equaled the population of South Dakota and brought $653 million into the state economy. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation; U.S. Census Bureau)

5.

Approximately the same number of people participated in wildlife viewing in Florida than voted for either candidate in the 2004 presidential election. (3.274 million residents participated in wildlife viewing, 3.965 million people voted for Bush and 3.583 million voted for Kerry; U.S. Federal Elections Commission)

6.

The state tax revenues from viewing wildlife in Florida in 2006 equaled half the annual toll collections on the Florida Turnpike. (Florida Department of Transportation)

7.

In 2006, if the jobs supported by wildlife viewing expenditures had disappeared, the state unemployment rate would have jumped from 3.3 percent to 3.9 percent. (as of November, 2006; data source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

8.

Jobs supported by wildlife viewing in Florida are approximately the same size as the work force in the Sebastian/Vero Beach area. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

9.

In 2006, seven times more was spent just in Florida for wildlife viewing than earned nationally by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest" – the top grossing movie of 2006. (BoxOfficeMojo.com)

 

Economic sectors stimulated by resident and

Nonresident wildlife viewing spending*

* Wildlife viewing expenditures benefit nearly all sectors of Florida’s economy. For example, purchases of bird seed and the planting of wildlife food plots and backyard wildlife habitats stimulate the sale of seed and native plants through local stores and nurseries.

Total output

(sales)

Employment

Income

Agriculture, forestry,

fish and hunting

$114,053,327

2,853

$20,510,347

Mining

$37,347,982

137

$2,579,315

Utilities

$62,541,410

113

$13,090,986

Construction

$23,072,998

253

$9,972,242

Manufacturing

$1,395,958,248

4,382

$246,978,144

Wholesale trade

$170,378,452

1,289

$72,632,764

Transportation

and warehousing

$423,812,224

2,378

$117,375,372

Retail trade

$707,246,264

14,851

$361,299,852

Information

$113,338,300

511

$29,989,823

Finance and insurance

$170,780,896

1,109

$58,501,403

Real estate and rental

$552,639,068

3,818

$91,748,526

Professional scientific

and technical services

$210,781,336

1,961

$97,629,040

Management of companies

$61,318,037

383

$28,137,474

Administrative and

waste services

$111,813,394

2,004

$53,708,279

Educational services

$14,716,244

303

$8,281,925

Health and

social services

$164,489,844

2,181

$89,281,016

Arts-entertainment

and recreation

$50,563,568

743

$20,316,996

Accommodation

and food services

$523,361,184

8,450

$178,243,924

Other services

$147,256,148

3,104

$65,000,498

Government

and non NAICs

$187,355,220

542

$30,263,414

Total

$5,242,824,144

51,366

$1,595,541,340