Santa Rosa adds over 1,400 jobs

We are living in one of the finest counties in Florida and the U.S. Each of us has the unique opportunity to make our contribution to the great quality of life we enjoy. Thank you for the privilege of sharing with you my thoughts on what is happening in our county.

First of all, I want to congratulate all the employees of Santa Rosa County for the excellent work they do on a daily basis. There is no question in my mind that we have the most customer friendly people in the country.

In district 5, a significant number of events have occurred in recent years following the disastrous hurricane and flooding calamities:

Many roads have been reconstructed and/or improved.

Storm Drainage has been repaired and/or retrofitted.

Navarre Beach shoreline has been re-nourished.

Interstate 10 bridge has been rebuilt with six lanes relieving traffic congestion on US Highway 98.

Tiger Point recreational park and neighborhood parks have been restored.

In cooperation with Santa Rosa County, The Northwest Florida Corridor Authority and The Florida Department of Transportation are planning significant traffic congestion relief on US Highway 98.

Santa Rosa County as a whole is planning for the future. Examples of projects underway or recently accomplished include:

A new recreation master plan is now being implemented in district 5 by a newly created recreation board.

The Navarre Town Center Plan is ready for implementation.

A rural development plan is in place for our agricultural areas. It is important that as much farmland as possible be preserved.

Military airfields have been protected by adjacent land purchases through grants and at little cost to the county.

Our Industrial Park growth has bought us good economic news:

Over 1,400 jobs have been added in recent years by professional/ tech/scientific companies in the area.

Santa Rosa County has consistently ranked in the top five for job growth over the past three years.

Our average salary has increased 11 percent over the last year compared to the statewide average of 5 percent placing us ahead of all other counties in the state.

The average wage for professional/ tech/scientific company is $46,340.

The number of businesses has increased over 50 percent in the past several years

Santa Rosa County unemployment rate for 2007 was down to 3.6 percent compared to 3.8 percent for Florida and 4.6 percent for the U.S.

Santa Rosa County population has increased over 25 percent in the past seven years - people move only to strong economic areas.

Total sales in the county have increased over 60 percent in the past seven years.

Thank you for letting me share a moment with you by means of this newsletter.