Desoto County Profile

County Seat: Arcadia Nearest MSA: Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice Largest Cities: 1 Arcadia Miles* To: Tallahassee ............... 267 Orlando ............... 95 Tampa ............... 65 Jacksonville ............... 217 Miami ............... 146 Atlanta ............... 475 Chicago ............... 1064 Dallas ............... 972 New York ............... 1034 *Miles are calculated from county seat. Time Zone: Eastern Local Area Code(s): 863
Desoto 1980: 19,039 1990: 23,865 2007: 34,675 2015(p): 37,500 2030(p): 42,100 (p) Denotes Projected Population Florida 9,746,961 12,938,071 18,251,243 20,955,900 25,340,700		Average Temperature High Low January: 71 49 July: 91 73 Florida Mean Annual Precipitation ........................... 53 Average Annual Rain Days ........................... 112 (2006) In-Migration 1,412 Out-Migration 1,444 Net-Migration -32 *Estimates based on IRS Statistics of Income data

(2007) Labor Force 14,046 Labor Force % of County Population 40.5 Number in County Unemployed 706 Unemployment Rate 5.0% N/D = No Data Desoto Florida (2006) Average Annual Employment 13,340 7,952,023 Natural Resources & Mining N/D Construction 3.5% 8.0% Manufacturing 2.9% 5.1% Trade, Transportation and Utilities 15.3% 20.8% Information 0.6% 2.1% Financial Activities 2.4% 6.9% Professional & Business Services 2.8% 17.0% Education & Health Services N/D Leisure & Hospitality 3.5% 11.4% Other Services 1.0% 3.1% Public administration 11.3% 5.8% Unclassified 0.1% 0.1% Average Annual Wage (2006) All Industries $27,991 Construction $28,318 Education & Health Services N/D Financial Activities $29,733 Information $25,861 Leisure & Hospitality $13,081 Manufacturing $38,007 Natural Resources & Mining N/D Other Services $19,806 Professional & Business Services $27,463 Public administration $33,398 Trade, Transportation and Utilities $27,170 Unclassified $26,982 Desoto Florida 2004 $17,544 $32,618 2005 $18,531 $34,798 2006 $20,052 $36,720 Major Private Sector Employers Wal-Mart Business Line: Retail Number of Employees......... 300 DeSoto Medical Hospital Business Line: Healthcare Number of Employees......... 290 Peace River Citrus Business Line: Citrus Juice Number of Employees......... 140 Bethel Farms Business Line: Lawn & Gardening Items Production Number of Employees........... 87 Sorrels Brothers Packing Co., Inc. Business Line: Citrus Harvetsting & Packing Number of Employees........... 75 Winslow Lifecraft Business Line: Manufacturing of Lifecraft Number of Employees........... 75 First State Bank Business Line: Banking Number of Employees........... 58 Sun Bulb Company Business Line: Wholesale Orchid Nursery Number of Employees........... 54

Federal Interstates I-75 Federal Highways US-17 State Highways SR 31, SR-70, SR 72 Railroads CSX, Seminole Gulf Railway Nearest Airport with Scheduled Commerical Airline Service: RSW # Runways 2 Longest Paved Runway(ft.) 12000 General Aviation Airports DeSoto County Airport, Punta Gorda Airport Local Deep Water Port Manatee Port Authority Miles to Closest Port 49

COUNTY Countywide Ad Valorem Millage Rates: Government 6.8987 Schools 7.1570 Special 0.5693 Total 14.6250 Ad Valorem Tax Exemption: Yes Retail Sales Tax (Local Option) 1.00 Federal Enterprise Zone No State Enterprise Zone EZ-1401 STATE Corporate Income Tax 5.5% Personal Income Tax 0.0% Retail Sales Tax 6.0%

Electric Companies: FPL PREC (Peace River Electric Cooperative) Natural Gas Companies: Florida Gas Transmission Co. Telephone Companies: AT&T Sprint Water & Sewer Companies: Lake Suzy Utilities Florida Water DeSoto County Water/Wastewater City of Arcadia Water/Wastewater Exisiting Industrial Zoned Land Yes Number of Acres 113 Largest Available Contiguous Parcel 65 Industrial Parks Yes Number of Acres 8 Largest Available Contiguous Parcel 8 Foreign Trade Zones No Zone Number(s) Public Schools Teachers Enrollments Elementary: 3 149 2,518 Secondary: 2 114 2,495 Totals: 5 263 5,013 Private Schools Available: No POST SECONDARY EDUCATION SERVING THE COUNTY: Colleges/Universities: Florida Gulf Coast University Junior/Community Colleges: South Florida Community College Vocational/Technical Schools: DeSoto County High School Other Schools: DeSoto County Adult Education Program DeSoto County Magnet School

Cost of Living Price Level Index, (2007) Florida State Average = 100 Sample Total 91.16 Food 100.42 Housing 80.93 Medical Care 107.67 Personal Goods and Services 97.92 Transportation 96.89 Medical Services: DeSoto Memorial Hospital Recreational Opportunities: Camping Horseback Riding Peace River Canoeing Historical Points Of Interest: Historic Downtown Arcadia Owens School Historical Renovation Cultural Events/Festivals: Arcadia All Florida Rodeo DeSoto County Fair Turner Agri-Civic Center Watermelon Festival

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