The Abandonment of Florida

Posted on July 22nd, 2012 by Mark Stopa

Florida is being abandoned, and I don’t just mean by various “leaders” and persons in positions of power who have failed to take appropriate action to remedy bank fraud and an awful economy.  In fact, this time, I’m not speaking figuratively.  Quite literally, Florida is being abandoned … by its own residents.

I don’t work for the census bureau, and I haven’t had any data to support this, but I’ve felt this phenomenon transpiring for quite some time now.  In recent years, many Florida homeowners have lost their jobs and, in the face of foreclosure and unable to find employment in Florida, chose to pick up with their families and move to some other state.  I don’t begrudge anyone for this – they’re doing what they need to for their families.  However, the volume of people leaving Florida, combined with banks systematically refusing to take title to properties that have been abandoned, has resulted in an incredible amount of vacant homes in our great state.

Don’t believe me?  Here’s proof.

As the article illustrates, Tampa and Orlando are both in the top 10 emptiest cities in the entire United States, with Orlando checking in as the emptiest city in the country.

So what, exactly, does this mean?  In my view, it means that every single Floridian needs to stop and re-think the approach to the foreclosure crisis.  All those people who say “foreclose faster, get the homes on the market” … your approach doesn’t work.  Foreclosing means Florida homeowners vacate our great state, leaving vacant homes in their wake.

With this many vacant homes, it will take Florida years to recover.  Years.  So instead of foreclosing on more people, and making the problem worse, let’s concentrate on keeping all remaining Floridians here, where they belong.

Mark Stopa

www.stayinmyhome.com

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