Florida merchants are eyeing the holiday season with more confidence this year, thanks to a brighter outlook for shopping trends. Florida Retail Federation President Rick McAllister says he expects the 2012 holiday season to be the biggest moneymaker since the recession.
On Thursday, McAllister predicted a 5.2% increase in holiday sales over last year – a spike of $3 billion.
"$58 billion in sales generate a lot of things", said McAllister. "They generate a lot of sales taxes collected by most retailers. They create a lot of jobs."
McAllister also said Florida will exceed the national sales average, and Florida retailers will hire for about 42,000 seasonal jobs.
Even more good news: He predicted many of those jobs would become permanent ones.