Gov. Rick Scott, after touring a metal and and plastic fabricating company in Seminole County on Wednesday, outlined his priorities for next year’s legislative session.
Drawing on a document entitled 2012 Job Creation & Economic Growth Agenda, Scott’s key initiatives are:
- Require unemployment recipients who fail basic job skills testing to enter a workforce training program to learn those basic skills in order to continue receiving benefits
- Re-prioritize state transportation projects to focus on those projects that would, over the short and long term, help to create the most number of jobs
- Reduce business taxes by exempting small businesses from paying the Tangible Personal Property Tax on up to $50,000 in equipment, eliminating the obligation to pay the tax for approximately half of all businesses
- Continue to eliminate over 1,000 state rules and regulations that stifle business growth and job creation
- Clean up irresponsible spending and remove problem board members at Florida Workforce Boards
The document also states that, Florida will not propose new government spending or programs to “stimulate” job growth, but instead focus on “removing barriers to beginning, relocating and growing a business” in the state.
“We will attract new jobs by consistently letting businesses know through our actions that we want Florida to be their home,” the document declares.
Florida’s unemployment rate remains stubbornly high at 10.7 percent, well above the nation’s, which posted a jobless rate of 9.1 percent in September 2011.
