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Comprehensive Plan Economic Development Element As Indian River County's population increases, the local consumer base expands and that creates economic opportunities for new business establishments to locate in Indian River County. These new business establishments produce more activity and enhance the area's economy. Education Within the region, there are various colleges, universities, and technical institutes that provide education and research opportunities to county residents and businesses. Several of these higher education institutions offer programs within Indian River County in which students can earn credits toward an associates, bachelors, or masters degree. In fact, institutions of higher learning, such as Indian River State College and Florida Atlantic University, are now offering classes and degrees in fields that are at the forefront of technology and other similar fields. These education opportunities are economic potentials in that they can improve the quality of Indian River County's labor force. Another economic development potential is the excellent primary and secondary school system in the county. That system provides a high quality education and an above national performance ranking. Additionally, Indian River State College and the Indian River County School District provide adult educational classes and occupational training for county residents. Recently, Indian River State College expanded its Mueller Center campus and is planning to add additional campus entrances and buildings/facilities. Those new educational facilities and future planned expansions will have a positive impact on the local economy. In order to be competitive in a global market, the county must continuously evaluate its education offerings and seek to improve upon them. Going forward, the county should coordinate with the school district, charter schools, and private schools to ensure that they are providing a curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In addition, the County should coordinate with CareerSource Research Coast and the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce to regularly identify unmet educational needs for targeted industries and work with education providers to ensure that those needs are met. Housing For economic development to occur, an area must have an adequate stock of affordable housing. During the recent housing boom, however, the county did not have a sufficient supply of affordable housing. That situation, however, has now changed. Currently, there is an excess amount of housing within the county. That excess is due to overbuilding associated with the housing boom between approximately 2003 and 2006. As a result, there is a significant number of affordable residential rental units and affordable homes for purchase in the county. On the other hand, the collapse of the housing market has made it difficult for people Community Development Department Indian River County 34