Legacy 2002, a project of the Healthy Community Initiative of Greater Orlando, brings together 30 indicators of sustainability – long-term health and vitality in all sectors – for Greater Orlando and Orange County.

The report summarizes 10 Key Findings:

1. Poverty Has Been Reduced – since 1990 poverty is down, incomes are up and the size of the middle class has stayed relatively stable.
   
   
2. Our Economy is Still At Risk – jobs are still concentrated in the service sector, where stability is uncertain. Time spent in traffic is having a negative impact on our community’s economic status and on the individual’s bottom line.
   
   
3. We Are Protecting Our Open Space – by setting land aside for parks, nature preserves and in other ways.
   
   
4. Our Natural Environment is Still at Risk – Surface water quantity in lakes and streams keeps falling and toxic releases are up.
   
   
5. Our Children are Mostly Better Off – Child poverty is down, juvenile crime is down and test scores are showing slight improvement.
   
   
6. Our Highly Mobile Communities are Slowly Stabilizing – Although over 100,000 people still leave or arrive each year, that percentage is slowly declining.
   
   
7. Serious Challenges to Families Remain – Housing costs are still on the rise (both home ownership and rent), affordable health insurance and poverty are still serious threats to middle income groups.
   
   
8. We are Exhausting Our Natural Resources – Sprawl rates are up, water consumption is projected to exceed sustainable levels in the near term, and congestion and electricity and gas consumption are on the rise, increasing toxic emissions.
   
   
9. We know More, but not Enough – Data on seniors is still lacking and the effects of mobility and the increasing numbers of uninsured have not been studied.
   
   
10. Our Community is Optimistic About the Future – Poll results show that the general population is optimistic about the future, bringing hope that we can strengthen the positive trends and reverse the negative ones.
    

To view and purchase a copy of the full report go to www.hciflorida.org.