June 5, 2020

Florida Prosperity Initiative

Florida Chamber Foundation’s Prosperity Initiative Publishes Zip Code Level Childhood Poverty Maps

Today the Florida Prosperity Initiative is publishing a series of maps that outline the childhood poverty number and rate for every zip code in every county in the state of Florida. The maps are intended to provide business leaders, elected officials, and community leaders with valuable data to identify areas where the highest cases of poverty exist. The maps can be seen here.

Mark Wilson, Florida Chamber President, says, “Florida has 870,505 children living in poverty; that’s 21.3% of all of Florida’s children. Half of those children live in just 150 of Florida’s 983 zip codes. The Florida Chamber Foundation’s 2030 Blueprint goal is to reduce the number of children in Florida living in poverty to less than 10 percent in the next ten years. To accomplish that goal, Florida’s business community will lead the way, working with elected officials, and non-profit agencies to create pathways to prosperity for all Floridians.”

Karen Moore, President of the Moore Agency, and Chamber Foundation Trustee said, “No child in Florida should go to bed without knowing if they will eat tomorrow. Sadly, for too many children in Florida, that is a reality. Through the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Prosperity Initiative, Florida’s businesses have the opportunity to lead in helping Florida’s children move from poverty into prosperity.”

Finding long lasting solutions to poverty is not an easy task but identifying the zip codes who could benefit the most is a great first step. These maps can be used by business and community leaders to show where the root causes of poverty are affecting the lives of young Floridians.