Editorial: Abolish Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida? Not so fast!February 11, 2017 By: In Memoriam – Alan S. Becker (1946-2020) When Texas, Georgia, California, New York and a host of other states are busy marketing themselves to businesses and enticing them to relocate, you just don’t decide to be the exception and quit. That would be like owning a major league baseball team and deciding you weren’t going to pay those multi-million dollar contracts because you long for the old days when players got by on salaries that resembled truck drivers’ more than movie stars’. Similarly, to abandon programs that promote our state is to condemn Florida to a competitive disadvantage. You might not like this game of state versus state — it’s an inefficient allotment of national resources, it’s frequently gravy for already-prospering corporations — but it’s the game that exists. Undaunted by those realities, Republicans in the Florida House are cooking up a plan to abolish the economic-development agency Enterprise Florida and its tourist-promoting sister, Visit Florida. A House subcommittee moved a bill last week (PCB CCS 17-01) meant to eliminate the two agencies, sparking the most furious fight to date in the budding legislative session. Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran are in an escalating war of words, Corcoran railing against “corporate welfare” and Scott firing back that critics “didn’t care about jobs.” Last year, Corcoran rejected the Republican governor’s $250 million request for Enterprise Florida. This year, Scott is seeking $85 million in business- incentive funding for Enterprise Florida and $76 million for Visit Florida. Corcoran has vowed that the House won’t approve a dime. The agencies have hurt their own case by having made some poor decisions, In December, a legislative research office found that Florida’s economic development efforts “underperformed” in certain industry sectors including high-wage job creation in manufacturing and information services. No doubt, reforms are needed. A good start is Senate bill (SB 216), which, among other things, would require Enterprise Florida to publish annual, independent audits of the performance of each business receiving tax- supported economic incentives. Becker credits Enterprise Florida with gains in aviation, medical devices and financial services — diversifying the state’s economy with better-paying jobs. We disagree with much of Gov. Scott’s agenda, such as his keen desire for But in today’s competitive America, there is no denying that a well-run marketing agency is a must for a state that seeks economic growth. Otherwise, we’re just playing softball. |
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