This presentation is on civic participation trends in Florida, particularly voting and community engagement. Florida's overall civic health ranks 46th in the nation, according to the Civic Health Index, a study carried out by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship (a collaboration of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government) and the National Conference on Citizenship.

1. THE NEXT FLORIDA “The whole peninsula of Florida was weighted down with regret. Everyone had left behind a real life.” Cynthia Ozick, “Rosa”, 1984

2. Fact: Florida is Future America Florida’s population is tracking ahead of the US in growth of nearly every racial and/or ethnic group. It is the trendsetter.

3. Florida US White +13.2% +5.7% African American +28.4% +12.3% American Indian/ +33.5% +17.4% Alaskan Native Asian +70.8% +43.3 Native Hawaiian/ +42.4% +35.4% Other Pacific Islander Other race +42.8% +24.4% Two or more races+25.6% +32%

7. Recession-Proof Riches and Poverty Miami/Ft. Lauderdale is richest city in the United States World’s Fifth Richest City in Individual Purchasing Power (UBS Study 2009) Poverty rate unchanged since 2000 (US Census) Gap between Rich/Poor “Recession Proof”

8. Largest % foreign-born population of any city in the world – Miami Largest % of foreign-born in the United States – Miami Ft. Lauderdale 18.7% of all Floridians were foreign-born vs. 12.4% US Average

9. Florida’s Civic Health The 2009 Civic Health Index ranks Florida 44th. “It is, in fact, one of the worst in the nation.”

10. The Civic Health Index: Florida vs. Other States

11. Florida’s WeakCivic Culture

12. Economic indicators have taken their toll:

15. Miami is a city that is a hotel: both elites and the poor check in, use the facilities and check out again. They show little interest in their neighbors. They do not invest in social relations, they come with a sense of entitlement, and they have no stake in the future of the place…

16. Will Miami mature over time? Miami's character is built on transition.

17. Florida’s population grew by 17.3% between 2000-2009, compared to the US at 8.8% Florida lost more people to other states – nearly 10,000 more – than it gained for the first time in recent history.

18. Do we lack social capital or is it just hidden? Can Florida succeed if social capital is located in small enclaves, not across larger communities? Can Florida succeed if our population is voting and following elections in Haiti, the Dominican Republic or Brazil? Do new and different public spheres and places, such as foreign language media, social media and immigrant institutions help or hurt?

19. In the past, identity was tied to place; but in the modern “transnational” region, is our identity multi-dimensional, in flux, and not tied to place? We’re a mix : Locals (20%) – those who consider their region a “hometown,” Exiles (45%) – Florida isn’t home, nor is the U.S. Mobiles (35%: Hybrids, Cosmopolitans) – who move across cultures, jobs, geographies throughout the state.

20. Is Florida’s problem disengagement or a transitory population? Are we still two Floridas which require different strategies?