Government Incentives

Florida's government has always played a significant role in the effect and social performance of its economy, whether its is allowing large stimulus packages to get the economy going or passing land grants to get people moving. Central Florida's power hub Orlando has been an area throughout Florida's vast history that has benefited from government incentives. They helped turn a once rural cattle ranching and citrus based community to the current blossoming and ever expanding city you see today. How did Orlando become like this, you ask?

To really understand Orlando's change we must begin with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, which essentially helped the majority of states', including Florida's, massively unemployed workers back on their feet, and allowed for the creation of many public projects and jobs here in Orlando. The majority of these public projects was the renewal of the Orlando airport with its new expansion welcomed a wider range of tourists to Orlando.

The Great Depression, however, was still crippling Orlando and its people, who were barely able to whether the storm. With the help of World War II and Florida now preparing for war, change was comming. The local state and federal government began constructions of military bases, training facilities, and housing for active servicemen the Orlando boom was back on.

This rapid expansion shot Orlando's population through the roof by 1950 the population hit a whopping 52,000 with returning military men and their families. If that wasn't enough, the advent of the Cold War shoveled millions more into the economy, coupled with the bull-like economy of the 1950s, Orlando was well on its way

Also fueling Orlando's economy was the Space Race, which arrived in nearby Cape Canaveral in 1955. The government-run Space Program, via the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), would set up shop in the area, which would eventually become its official headquarters. This led to the creation of the Project Apollo, the rocket program that placed Neil Armstrong on the Moon.

During the same time, entrepreneur Glenn L. Martin and his Martin Company would change Orlando forever. Orlando's officials courted Martin into purchasing 10 square miles for a plant four miles south of Orlando. This arrangement sparked further industrial growth, and property values soared. More than 60 new industries moved into the area by 1959. The glorious future of Orlando would continue its ultimate destiny of expansion.