Our busy summer

Today is Labor Day.  No matter what the calendar says, this is the end of summer.  Kids are back in school.  Parents are back at work.  Not long ago, Labor Day marked the ending of the off-season in Florida and on the Treasure Coast, and the coming of the high season, when vacationers and seasonal residents descend from the North.  But now there is less of a difference between off-season and high season.  In fact, Florida and the Treasure Coast were very busy in the summer of 2014.  At restaurants, hotels and stores from Sebastian to Hobe Sound, business was booming – up 10 percent or more over the summer of 2013.  The general manager of the posh Costa d’Este hotel in Vero Beach told the weekly newspaper 32963, “We are sold out every weekend.  We don’t have an off-season anymore,” he said.  The national economy is improving.  People have money to spend.  Many of the visitors to the Treasure Coast are from Miami and elsewhere to the south.  Up here, it’s not as hot and not as congested.  We also have more international visitors.  The Treasure Coast is recognized by them as a desirable destination in any season.  Yes, the airports in Orlando and West Palm are 90 minutes or more away by rental car.  But it’s worth it once you get here.  For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.