- Less than half of Florida voters believe the state is heading in the right direction economically, with 53 percent thinking it’s on the wrong fiscal pathway.
- Despite economic metrics like job creation and a low unemployment rate, 46 percent of voters feel their family’s finances have worsened from the previous year.
- At the federal level, 55 percent of Florida respondents are dissatisfied with President Joe Biden’s economic policies, with 65 percent believing he doesn’t deserve re-election.
- Major concerns for Floridians include property insurance, illegal immigration, education, and the economy, with variations based on gender and party affiliation.
A poll conducted by Cherry Communication in conjunction with the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s annual forum event this week indicates that less than half of Florida voters believe the state is heading in the right direction economically.
Though Florida has shown signs of economic strength in recent years, adding 19,600 jobs in the past month and registering an unemployment rate of 2.8 percent, 53 percent believe that the state is on the wrong fiscal pathway. Similarly, the poll shows that 46 percent of Florida voters say their family personal finances are worse off than they were at the same time last year, while 19 percent say their finances are better off.
Florida Chamber Foundation President Mark Wilson views the individual economic metrics as a net positive, as the state outpaces the nation in job creation, unemployment, and sits at the upper end of all states in net migration.
“The fact is Florida remains a growth leader nationally in job creation and population migration, and as we conclude our annual ‘Future of Florida Forum,’ I remain convinced Florida is a stock worth buying with the Florida 2030 Blueprint serving as the map for continuing that momentum,” said Wilson.
Floridians are much more critical of federal economic, according to the poll, finding that 55 percent of respondents are unsatisfied with President Joe Biden’s policies, asserting they have harmed the U.S. economy. Further, 65 percent expressed the belief that President Biden does not deserve re-election.
“Florida voters remain concerned about the direction of our country along with poor federal economic policies out of the Biden White House while being far more optimistic about Florida’s track,” Wilson said.
Property insurance, illegal immigration, education, and the economy are voters’ most pressing concerns, according to the findings. When segmented by demographic, education is the top concern for women voters, whereas property insurance takes precedence for males.
For Republicans, illegal immigration was identified as the top priority, while Democrats placed education at the top. Meanwhile, those with no party affiliation (NPAs) are most concerned about property insurance.
Touching on state voter registration data, the poll outlines an expanded registration lead by the Republicans over Democrats in Florida. Since the last Chamber poll was conducted, the Republican voter registration lead has surpassed the half-million mark despite Democrats holding an outright voter registration advantage only two years ago.
“Florida is changing. Our economics, our demographics, and as we see, our politics are changing as well,” said Florida Chamber Executive Vice President of Government and Political Relations Frank Walker. “What we have seen over the last two years with voter registration represents a tidal shift in Florida politics as we head into a consequential election year in 2024.”
As of the most recent Florida update, Republicans hold a statewide advantage of 626,518 voters a lead of more than 4 percent over Democrats amongst all voters, 5,183,078 Republicans to 4,556,560 Democrats, with NPA and other party registrants comprising almost 30 percent of all active voters at 4,012,567.