Economic forecast

Everyone who has lived in Florida for some time knows: housing drives economic activity. So when the Business Observer asked business leaders to predict what 2015 holds for the region's economy, it's not surprising that most of them said the housing recovery meant good things for their companies and industries.

Forecasting the economy these past few years was predictably unpredictable. Last year we heard the phrase “cautiously optimistic” so much it became cliche. But this year, it appears stability has settled in and confidence is returning, although it's still admittedly tepid.

Yet even if only a few of the business owners interviewed were enthusiastically optimistic, most pointed to signs of good times to come: builders are building, workers are working, and people are once again spending.