Florida nursery and landscape industry generates big economic impact

ORLANDO, Fla. – With a 37 percent increase in total output since its last economic study five years ago, Florida’s nursery and landscape industry generates $21.08 billion in total output sales and over 232,000 jobs. This is according to the economic impact study (the fourth in its series since 2000) conducted by the University of Florida/IFAS on behalf of FNGLA - the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association.

The $21.08 billion in total output sales is comprised of: $4.55 billion for Nursery & Greenhouse Crop Production; $10.11 billion for Landscape Design, Installation and Maintenance; and, $6.42 billion for Retail/Garden Centers. Allied Supplies are reflected in the above numbers accounting independently for $2.426 billion.

Florida’s nursery and landscape industry created 28,000 jobs between 2010 and 2015 and directly employs a statewide workforce of 232,650 people.

Additional study highlights:

• Industry sales to markets outside Florida brings nearly $1.6 billion in new net revenue into Florida.
• Florida wages, benefits and income are an estimated $8.7 billion.
• 31 percent of Florida landscape sales are to builders and developers, while suppliers sold $170 million in irrigation equipment.

“FNGLA has long exclaimed this is a small business industry with a big business impact on Florida’s economy,” said Ben Bolusky, FNGLA’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the Great Recession in our rear-view window, the study’s numbers reflect what FNGLA intrinsically knew - the nursery and landscape industry has cemented its prominence as one of Florida’s economic engines.”

The authors of the University of Florida/IFAS study are: Alan W. Hodges, PhD; Hayk Khachatryan, PhD; Mohammad Rahmani, PhD; and, Christa D. Court, PhD. 

Access the executive summary here.

Access the study's complete 57-page economic report here.

Photo courtesy FNGLA