Florida's Population Back on the Rise

​Last year, for the first time in more than six decades, Florida actually saw a decrease in its total population. University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research reported that the the population fell by about 58,000 people between April 2008 and April 2009.

Now that same bureau is reporting that Florida should see an increase between last April and April 2010 of about 23,000 people.

"This may be an indication the state's economy is no longer declining at the rate it had been before," said bureau Director Stan Smith.

While the population dip may have been a one-year occurrence, researches believe Florida's growth won't return to normal levels of increases of about 300,000 people a year until 2014 or 2015.

In the long run they believe that the population will increase from the current level of 18.75 million people to about 24,971,000 in 2035.

Miami-Dade is projected to be the county with the third highest number of new residents between now and 2035, behind Orange and Hillsborough. The county increase is projected to be around 457,200. So, you know, eventually those empty condos in downtown will be full.