Myth Busting: Foreigners are Good for Florida’s Economy
by Elizabeth R. Blandon

The economy’s recession is the primary concern in this country. Contrary to unfounded talk, statistics prove that foreigners improve the state’s financial strength. They spend money in the local economy, start companies, and employ Americans. Thus, bringing them in has many benefits.

According to a report released by Florida International University (FIU), and published in The Miami Herald, foreign born residents make up nearly a quarter of Florida’s workforce, and “also receive less public assistance and government healthcare benefits than their native-born neighbors…”

Produced by FIU’s Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy, the report sheds new light on the impact of the immigrant population on the state, according to Emily Eisenhauer, one of its authors. The report uses data obtained from the US Census Bureau, and includes figures on both legal and illegal immigrants.

Contrary to popular myths about immigrants, the study found that “Immigrants contribute significantly to state and federal coffers but receive fewer government benefits than native-born individuals. Immigrants, legal and illegal, receive on average $1,619 per capita in public assistance like Social Security, food stamps and welfare, while persons born in this country average $2,217 annually.
It is also not true that foreigners send all of their moneys back to their home countries. In addition to the consumer spending of immigrant households, immigrants and their businesses contribute $162 billion in tax revenue to U.S. federal, state, and local governments.
The Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia estimates that the 2008 purchasing power of Florida's Latinos totaled $101,334 billion- an increase of 410 % since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $15.8 billion - an increase of 567% since 1990.

The U.S. Census Bureau's 2002 Survey of Business Owners found that Florida's 266,688 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $ 41 billion and employed 222,516 people. The state's 4 1,258 Asian-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $11 billion and employed 91,422 people.