Florida’s nursery and landscape industry generates 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 more than 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 the Florida, Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association.

The $21.08 billion in total output sales is comprised of $4.55 billion for nursery and 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 revenue into Florida.
• Florida wages, benefits and income are an estimated $8.7 billion.
• Thirty-one 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 study's executive summary here

Access the complete 57-page economic report here