President’s Message Evelyn Cardenas President/CEO Central Florida Auto Dealers Association Thank you for all that you do for our communities and your customers. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I did. I enjoyed reading each dealer’s unique and serendipitous journey. Welcome to our latest edition of our Accelerate Magazine. To start, I want to share with you information recently released about the future of Orange County. According to the Orlando Economic Partnership, Orange County is “projected to grow to 5.2 million by 2030, surpassing the D.C. Metro area.” (2022). Central Florida specifically perseveres as the center of innovation, expansion, and phenomenal growth. Our region is not only experiencing a population explosion, but a business expansion, mobility innovation, and the introduction of robust new technologies and technology visionaries. Wages are rising, wealth is increasing, and customers are plentiful. Currently, Florida is second in the country for EVs! In Florida, we are growing our multimodal transportation options. Our governments are collaborating with our electric companies and tech partners to create smart cities, and interconnected roadways, expand last-mile transportation, grow the high-speed rail, and provide the necessary infrastructure for EVs and autonomous vehicles. To help shape our mobility future, CFADA has been asked to be part of Orange County’s EV task force. I do not know about you, but I feel blessed to live in this state. As automobile dealers, you have become part of a greater smarter mobility ecosystem that helps keep our communities moving and thriving. The naysayers advertise that our cars will become obsolete. The reality is that cars will continue to be a key if not the main mode of mobility; what is shifting is that, in our large state, consumers finally will have other viable options to supplement their mobility needs. We have come a long way from Henry Ford’s time and the idea that all that people wanted was a faster horse. What we all want is to get to our destinations and to live our lives to the fullest, with the least effort and the most convenience- and our cars do just that. Thank you for all that you do for our communities and your customers. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I did. I enjoyed reading each dealer’s unique and serendipitous journey. 2 Pub Yr 2 | Issue 3
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