Inflation, Education, War in Ukraine, Immigration, COVID-19. Those are the top five issues, in that order, for Floridians right now based on a new FAU survey. And just how big of a deal is inflation for Floridians? It’s a high priority for 84% of those sampled and over half of all Floridians are now saying it’s “greatly” impacting their finances. How significantly? 80% of Floridians are cutting back on entertainment, 79% are cutting back on travel, 75% are driving less and right at two-thirds are cutting back on groceries. In other words, there’s no aspect of our lives in which most Floridians aren’t feeling the impact of nearly 41-year high inflation. And here’s another tell about the financial mood of the state. Only 25% now rate the economy as good compared to 47% who say it’s poor. As President Biden has taken to trying to convince people the economy is better than we feel it is, I’m reminded of an old saying of mine. You can lie to people about policy and many who are inclined to believe you will believe you. But you can’t lie to people about what is or isn’t in their wallets.
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