Osceola County’s city and county governments have received a share of recovery dollars from the state and federal governments to help citizens and businesses recover from the economic downturn created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The proper amount of those dollars received is often based on the proper population. It so happens 2020 is a census year, where the population is counted, so right now it’s important as ever that the federal government gets an accurate count on the number of people who live in Osceola County as part of the 2020 Census.
The goal is to count every person living in the U.S. once, only once, and in the right place. So it’s important to be counted. Make Osceola Count is Osceola County’s initiative to educate residents about the importance of an accurate count in this year’s Census. So if you haven’t already, click here to respond to the 2020 U.S. Census.
Here’s the basic message: Every 10 years, America does a count so that every American counts.
The original goal was to have a nation-worth of Census data by April 1, but Congress has been asked for four additional months to complete the count after being knocked off track by the coronavirus pandemic. So, there is still time to fill out this important information.
It takes just minutes to do, and it is entirely confidential — Census information can’t be used for anything but getting the true population count. The distribution of more than $675 billion in federal funds, grants and support to states, counties, and communities is based on information collected through the census. And this year, $16.3 million in federal aid was held up Tallahassee instead of coming to Osceola County because it isn’t a county with 500,000 people. A recent count said there’s about 375,000 people, but what if there really is 500,000 people, or it was close, only because residents weren’t counted properly?
If you live in Osceola County, make sure you count.
