[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he economic impact that hunters and fishermen have in Florida is bigger than Disney World, bigger than three Florida NFL teams, and far bigger than taxpayer subsidized Big Sugar, according to a new study. The study said Florida’s more than 2,000,000 hunters and anglers have a $4,800,000,000 economic impact on the state each year. The report, which was produced by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (www.sportsmenslink.org), said spending by hunters and anglers in Florida support 85,000 jobs, more than Disney World’s 61,000. Those jobs generate payroll of $2,500,000,000. “Because sportsmen enjoy hunting or fishing alone or in small groups, they are overlooked as a constituency and as a substantial economic force,” foundation President Jeff Crane said. “When you compare spending by hunters and anglers to other sectors, their impact on the state’s economy becomes more tangible,” Crane noted.
Big Sugar always pitching-in to help the environment. Photo Florida Sierra Club.
Another finding in the study included: Annual spending by Florida fishermen is three times more than the cash receipts from the state’s orange crop. The 2,000,000 Florida residents who hunt and fish each year are more than the number who attend Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers games (1.6 million). The economic stimulus of hunting and fishing amounts to $13,000,000 a day being pumped into the Florida economy.
