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Orange County economy booming, leaders say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County's economy is booming, according to county officials who met with business leaders Thursday morning at the convention center for an Annual Economic Summit.

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs hosted the summit. Several experts discussed expanding the local economy, international trade, business-related programs, and the region's new branding campaign, "Orlando: You don't know the half of it."

University of Central Florida's Dr. Sean Snaith, director for the Institute for Economic Competitiveness, described the economy in Orange County as remarkable.

According to Snaith, the economy is continuing to grow, jobs are being created at a very fast rate and have a potential to grow.

Other experts discussed the importance of education, workforce training and language training to continue that growth.

When it came to strengths, tourism was at the forefront. It was described as the principal driver of the economy in central Florida.

"I think if the economic environment were more robust nationally we would be growing even faster here in central Florida, in Florida.  We are not immune to what is happening at the national level. We are not immune to what is happening globally," said Snaith.

The one improvement recommended by experts was the importance of adding value to the economy through international trade.