Hillsborough County officials were pleasantly surprised Tuesday as they began making initial assessments of the 2000 Census results. The data included total population figures by locality and by race. For months, county officials have complained the local census operation was disorganized and failed to fully count Hillsborough residents. They were particularly worried that migrant farmworkers and part-time residents who head north in the summer were being missed.
Officials caution they have only begun to study the figures.
Hillsborough's total 2000 population was 998,948, a 20 percent increase from 1990. County officials were busy trying to produce maps with the new data. Those will make it easier to study specific communities and see how the numbers compare with local population estimates. Expectations for the census were so low that the Board of County Commissioners already had discussed the appeals process and legal options. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, was relieved that county officials believe the numbers are accurate.