Busy Days for Florida State University Economic Forecaster.

Byline: Juana Jordan

Dec. 21--Tim Lynch doesn't believe everything he hears. In fact, he doesn't believe anything he hasn't proven and tested for himself. He must have hard data and detailed analyses in hand.

But that's to be expected -- he's an economist.

"I don't take for granted what people say," said Lynch, director of the Florida State University Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis.

"That's why we're hired by people all over the world."

Lately, calls for his expertise have increased. With the economy spiraling into a recession, economists like Lynch have been in big demand. People want to know: "How long is this going to last?" and "What are the tea leaves saying about the coming year?"

Lynch, 55, normally gives about 24 speeches a year. But in the last few months, his schedule has intensified, with about three speaking engagements each month. He gave his last speech three weeks ago to Leon County's We Care …