The $72 billion debt and soaring unemployment in Puerto Rico has accelerated population shift of 11,000 people a year in the 1990s to 48,000 now.

According to the Washington Post: This year, with economic problems growing, the number leaving for the mainland is even higher.

Florida — particularly the area around Orlando in central Florida — has become the hottest destination for Puerto Ricans. Disney World and the many jobs associated with the tourist industry around it offer entry-level jobs.

Puerto Rican professionals and entrepreneurs also are relocating to Florida, which they see as a welcoming place where it is ever easier to find a shop with a Puerto Rican flag, food and music.

In a state famous for razor-thin margins of electoral victory, the influx of thousands of people is mobilizing many activists.

“Everyone remembers that George W. Bush won Florida by 537 votes in 2000. You are talking about 1,000 families coming here a month. It’s stunning,” said Anthony Suarez, president of the Puerto Rican Bar Association in Florida. He has helped organize a bipartisan forum that he calls “Political Salsa” to engage newcomers on the issues.

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