Valentine’s Day is big business in Central Florida

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, flower shops across Central Florida were making final preparations before the holiday’s busy rush.

Jonathan Dorely and his family have owned Champs Flowers in Orange County for nearly 17 years. He said it’s a family tradition for everyone to come together to help fill orders on Valentine’s Day.

“I usually love Valentine’s Day because I get to be with my family. This is the time when we all get to come together. Even though we all have different things we do separately and whatnot in our lives, we all come together, and we are all working together to make sure we are providing for the community,” he said.

Dorely said the classic red rose is the most popular, but thanks to social media, he said people are willing to spend more money to get the perfect picture.

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“It’s usually like, today’s Valentine’s Day, let me go ahead and get some flowers, or a teddy bear or chocolate,” Dorely said. “We have some people who come who are probably in the dog house, so getting flowers for them can change the whole target of their relationship.”

The National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend a total of $25 billion, which equates to $185 per person.

It’s not only flowers this Valentine’s Day, but experts said people continue to increase spending on romantic nights out, jewelry, and even the price of chocolate has risen at a record rate.

“Food away from home — that is up more than other cost categories. And so is candy, price of sugar, has really been up all around the globe. And so people are really gonna have to watch their spending,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst for Bankrate. “The economy in the United States has remained not only more robust than expected, but it’s been the star performer compared to our would-be peers all around the globe. That’s something for Americans to celebrate.”

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