Facing Tough Times, Economy Becomes Issue No. 1 for Florida

Oct. 2, 2008— -- In the swing state with the biggest electoral prize in the country, Interstate 4 could be the road to victory.

I-4 cuts across Central Florida from Tampa to Daytona. It divides the reliably Republican north and west from the heavily Democratic Miami area.

I-4 is the battleground.

"We are the fastest growing region in Florida," said Aubrey Jewett, an associate professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. "And because we have so many newcomers, they are not always necessarily so set in their political ways."

Unlike parts of the state with older voters who've generally got their minds made up, Central Florida is made up of many young groups who aren't registered with either party. The combination of demographics and new voters makes the area especially volatile.

There are 2 million new voters in Florida since the 2000 election, many of whom are spooked by the Wall Street meltdown.

The fastest growing demographic of new voters in Florida is Hispanic. Puerto Ricans, who compose a large part of the Central Florida mix, have tended to lean Democratic. But many have been swayed in recent elections, making them a crucial swing vote.

"One other issue, of course, that Hispanics care a great deal about in Central Florida is immigration. For a while, earlier this year, that was a burning issue," Jewett said. "That's kind of faded as the economy and the war in Iraq and other things seemed to be the big issues."

Polls show that Florida voters now are most concerned about the economy.

At the Tomato Express Supermarket, which specializes in products from South America, business from last year has fallen 35 percent.

Stella Siracuza, the supermarket's owner for 17 years, says that as her customers face financial stress and cut back on purchases, she feels the strain of rising costs and lower profits.

"It's very, very real for me and very real for my customers," Siracuza said. "Something has got to be done and I just don't see that's happening fast enough. I'm feeling the economy go down. I'm feeling it in sales. I feel it in my customers and I don't see anything happening fast enough."