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Pastimes : Clown-Free Zone... sorry, no clowns allowed -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: patron_anejo_por_favor who wrote (7825)	8/1/2000 6:44:55 PM
From: Lucretius	Respond to of 436258

i have poots

To: patron_anejo_por_favor who wrote (7825)	8/1/2000 6:50:12 PM
From: patron_anejo_por_favor	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 436258

Orlando..symbol of a mickey mouse economy: azcentral.com << Orlando gets pricey Tourism industry workers find it harder to live Mike Schneider Associated Press Aug. 01, 2000 ORLANDO - The costof apartment rentals in Orlando may seem cheap compared to those in the Silicon Valley and New York, but it's becoming less affordable each year for thousands of residents. The area's tourist economy supports low-paid workers who are finding it more difficult to pay for a roof over their heads - while an influx of new residents makes affordable housing scarce. Look beneath Orlando's glossy veneer as one of the world's top tourist destinations, and issues like housing indicate the city may be paying dearly for its tourism-based economy: a transient workforce, large numbers of students changing schools in midyear, little sense of community, crowded roads and a lack of job diversity. "These people are not living the American dream the way their parents did," said Mike Duffy, president of Local 362 of the Service Employees International Union. "These people are working two or three jobs to get by." On the surface, Orlando's economy is a picture of good health. The region is essentially at full employment with an unemployment rate of 2.5 percent and among the national leaders in job growth. The area is facing a labor shortage in many areas such as construction. The cost of living here is about equal to the national average. In the 1990s, the metro Orlando region grew almost 20 percent to a population of 1.6 million. But the picture isn't as clear when you look at the region's economic numbers, as found in a report recently released by Workforce Central Florida and the Economic Development Commission of Mid-Florida. • At more than $23,100, the region's per-capita income is less than the national average of about $25,200. • The services sector, dominated by low-paying amusement park and hotel jobs, makes up 40 percent of the jobs in metro Orlando. • The area has relatively few jobs in high-paying sectors such as high tech, manufacturing, wholesale trade, finance, insurance and real estate. • One in eight workers in metro Orlando works more than one job. Even tourism workers on the high end of the pay scale, such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios actor Holland Hayes, find it tough to live a comfortable lifestyle without holding down two jobs. Hayes works as many as 60 hours a week at both theme parks and performs at convention shows. "I love to act, that's why I do it," said Hayes, who gets paid $15 an hour at the parks. Tourism has been the region's economic bread and butter ever since Walt Disney World opened in 1971. Before Disney's arrival, Orlando was a sleepy citrus and cattle city with a dairy farm in the middle of downtown. Since then, metro Orlando has grown to have eight major theme parks, more than 100,000 hotel rooms and attracts close to 40 million visitors a year. But the tourism growth has not come without social costs. A recent report by the Healthy Community Initiative of Greater Orlando rates the health of Orange County, the economic nexus of the community, at 60 on a scale of 100 points. Sprawl and traffic congestion were cited as some of the biggest concerns. Orlando's tourist economy is dependent on transportation, but it has no mass-transit system. Close to 30 million visitors fly into metro Orlando on kerosene-fueled jets and rent gasoline driven cars, contributing to air pollution. Tourists who make Orlando the No. 1 rental car market in the nation clog major roads. In addition, the tourist economy contributes to a mobile population. In 1996, for instance, about 15 percent of Orange County's population was either moving in or moving out of the area, according to the Healthy Community Initiative. Such mobility affects Orange County schools, where 45 percent of elementary school students switch schools midyear, and an equal percentage qualify for their school's free or reduced-price lunch programs. A recent report by the Orange County Affordable Housing Task Force shows affordable housing is becoming more difficult to find in metro Orlando. The report shows that 43 percent of Orange County renters can't afford a two-bedroom apartment at a fair-market rate of $678 a month, and 38 percent can't afford $569 for a one-bedroom apartment. A housing unit is considered affordable if it costs no more than 30 percent of household income. A worker would have to earn $10.94 hourly and $13.04 hourly to afford a one- and two-bedroom apartment, respectively, the report says. Meanwhile, the starting wage is $6.35 an hour at Disney, which with 55,000 workers is the area's largest employer. "The way the job market is here, I don't see how they've gotten away with it," Holland said of the region's big employers.>>