Final answer:
C. y = 0.22x + 17.4. The linear model that predicts the population of Florida is y = 0.22x + 17.4.
Step-by-step explanation:
To write the linear model that predicts the population of Florida in terms of the number of years since 2010, we need to consider the given information. The population in 2010 was 17.4 million and it increased by 0.22 million per year until 2015. This means that the population, y, is a function of the number of years since 2010, x. The slope of the line is 0.22 because the population increases by 0.22 million per year, and the y-intercept is 17.4 because that was the population in the year 2010.
Therefore, the linear model that predicts the population, y, in terms of the number of years, x, since 2010 is y = 0.22x + 17.4. Option A represents this linear model, so the correct answer is A.