Business View Magazine - July 2023

126 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 7 really pride ourselves on the work that they do and the work that we help them do. “We feel that we’re very valuable,” Matillo continued. “We’ve done tremendous work, the last 10 years. We’ve passed six big pieces of legislation in eight years’ time, which is just amazing. We have a long way to go.” A big impact With the baby-boomers––perhaps America’s biggest generation, at least in terms of sheer numbers––now deep into their 70’s and continuing to age, they’re requiring more and more age-related services. And that big need means big business. As Hand pointed out, according to a recent survey, the annual economic impact of senior living in the state of Florida alone is a whopping $14.5 billion: more than the hospitality industry. “You’re talking about 57,000 jobs directly supported,” he said, citing more stats for the Sunshine State, “and another 53,000 indirectly. It’s a government revenue of almost $650 million.” Then there are other industries on which senior- living services has a direct influence. Hand noted that these include construction, management consulting, real estate and restaurants. The Florida-based long-term care industry has an economic footprint that is truly gigantic. And helping everyone––including staffers, residents and the State of Florida––is what the FSLA is all about, as Hand observed. “One of the joys of being in an association is that often––very frequently––we might be the only avenue for our members to ask questions directly to the State,” he said, adding that the State in turn can reach out to many people. “We really enjoy being able to be there for our members, for our residents and for the State as well.”