Florida is pretty famous for two things: retirees and tourists.

One of the gubernatorial candidates says those two groups are so important, Florida’s economy relies on them. Democratic candidate Nan Rich claimed:

    "Tourism and retirees are the dominant economic engines in our state."

Rich made the statement during a speech to the Florida Press Association in South Florida this month. PolitiFact Florida rated the claim for its truthfulness. Writer Linda Qiu said it rates MOSTLY TRUE. According to Qiu, the numbers back Rich up.

“If you look at statistics, Florida’s population, one fifth of it is aged 65 and older and tourism generates about a quarter of the state's tax revenue,” Qiu said.

The trouble is, there’s no definitive way to figure out the dominant engine at in any economy.

Economists say its pretty clear that tourism and retirees play a vital role in the state’s economy. In fact, many agree that each is an important economic engine to the total picture. But, experts say those two industries tend to create low-wage jobs in the market place, which some could be a bad thing for Florida’s economy.

Because of those factors, PolitiFact rated the claim MOSTLY TRUE.

SOURCES: FLORIDA'S TOP ECONOMIC ENGINES