Recently, I attended the Third Annual Gulf Coast Maker Con at the Florida State Fairgrounds. I've always enjoyed reading about the various Maker events around the country, and have lamented that they never seem to make it to a place near me. It is either that, or I'm never near a Maker event in my travels. I'm glad I finally made it to one of these events. There was a little bit of everything there; form a really nice couple that made well engineered bait buckets www.baitdipper.net, to tiny inexpensive test instruments www.gabotronics.com. There was nearly everything in between including movie props, battling robots, 3-D printers, and much much more. What I really loved more than anything was the excitement of the exhibitors sharing whatever they were into. Many of the booths were just for informational purposes, promoting other workshops, events, and gatherings for others that share their DIY passion.
I keep hearing about how community leaders want to promote and cultivate a high tech corridor along I-4 between Tampa and Orlando. In my humble opinion, it would pay huge dividends forward to support and promote events like this one. It is necessary to have great colleges and universities within reach, but you just can't beat the passion that these folks have for their crafts. The web site for the promoters of this event is gulfcoastmakers.com/