With a dash of optimism, a New Year economic forecast for our part of the world shows up in this space every year. When our principal concern is jobs and the inflation rate, our forecast record is as good as or better than the economists with their mathematical models. Not so in 2008. While concerned about some warning signs from debt statistics, the forecast for 2008 missed the severity of the real estate bubble and the Great Recession. We had company.

While not true during this long real estate and debt-induced recession, Florida, usually fares better than the nation’s economy. We start growing again at a faster pace than the nation as retirees continue to seek the sunshine. That appears to be happening now.