Scott Stays Laser-Focused on Economic Development

By: Gray Rohrer

A day after he took steps to coordinate economic development in Florida among many agencies, Gov. Rick Scott highlighted his recent trade mission to Canada, hinting that more jobs could be migrating to the Sunshine State.

In a move designed to streamline Florida’s economic development efforts, Scott signed SB 2156 Tuesday, creating the Department of Economic Opportunity, and doing away with other state agencies.

The new law gets rid of the Department of Community Affairs, an agency much-derided by businesses in recent years for imposing cumbersome regulations that impede growth. The DCA’s planning department will come under the new DEO, as well as some of the functions of the Agency for Workforce Innovation. The changes won’t take place until Oct. 1, when the law goes into effect.

Scott said the new law, which also ropes in the Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development into the new agency, will make it easier to offer economic incentives to businesses thinking of relocating to Florida.

“In today’s globally competitive marketplace, Florida must be able to respond quickly and decisively when business opportunities come our way. The bill I signed (Tuesday) provides us flexibility to seize opportunities created by developing markets and effectively respond to the changing needs of the businesses that grow our economy,” Scott said.

In stump speeches and since taking office in January, Scott has stated his desire to be known as the “jobs governor.” With that in mind, he has been nearly single-minded in his approach to economic development, pushing for the shake-up among state agencies, and taking a greater role in luring companies to Florida.

SB 2156 also gives Scott the ability to gather and spend incentive packages of as much as $2 million to entice businesses to the Sunshine State, and reduces red tape so companies can take advantage of incentives in 10 days as opposed to the current process which can take more than one month.

Scott is known for cold-calling businesses, trying to get them to relocate to Florida, but last week he took his hard-selling approach one step further, leading a trade mission to Canada.

During the mission he announced that three Canadian companies -- who were in discussions with local economic development councils before Scott took office -- would be opening up headquarters or starting new operations in Florida, creating more than 200 jobs.

On a teleconference call Wednesday, Scott and economic development officers from across Florida suggested more jobs could be on the way.

Joe Martinez, director of international economic development for The Beacon Council, Miami’s economic development organization, said his group met with 38 companies during the trade mission, including aviation and biotech companies in their target industries, which yielded five viable projects that could create another 200 jobs in Miami-Dade County.

Gray Swoope, whom Scott brought in to head up Enterprise Florida, the state’s other economic development branch, and who will take on the title of secretary of commerce when the new law goes into effect, praised Scott for taking the lead on economic development.

“It’s great to have a governor as chief economic development officer out there telling our story,” Swoope said.

Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.