Florida’s jobless could be in for some surprises if recommendations from Gov.-elect Rick Scott’s economic development transition team are adopted.
Scott’s transition team has said, those hundreds of thousands of Floridians who receive unemployment benefits, spend an average of only 20 minutes a day looking for work, and they should be weaned from their already measly unemployment checks.
Moreover, it is being proposed that after 12 weeks of unemployment compensation, jobless Floridians should be required to perform “community work”. And given that jobs are still scare, the team is also recommending that a state-subsidized employment program might be needed to stimulate job creation.
The transition team recommends a host of other measures aimed at stimulating the Florida economy and creating the 700,000 new jobs in seven years promised by Scott during the election campaign.
State utilities could emerge as major winners in the economic effort, as well as businesses, where the team recommends that corporate taxes and fees paid to the Florida Department of State should be slashed. Also, it is recommended that, unemployment compensation taxes paid by businesses be cut and impact fees paid by developers be lifted for as much as two years, in an effort to revive the near-collapsed building industry.
A capital investment tax credit, now set for companies that spend at least $25 million and create 100 jobs should be lowered to $2 million and 20-job creation levels. Payroll tax credits also should be expanded for companies that yield jobs topping 200 percent of state wages, advisers said.
And for the state’s signature industry, tourism, the transition team has proposed a ramping-up of marking efforts by earmarking $62.5 million, more than double the amount the state currently spends– $29.4 million–to promote beaches, attractions and other leisure activities to potential visitors. This expanded effort would translate into 35,500 additional jobs annually, and a $3.6 in additional direct spending, the report estimates.
For the more than 1 million Floridians out of work, stayed tuned to see how all of this shakes out. Just maybe, something might be said about job training and re-training programs so the unemployed might have a shot in the new Florida economy.
The News Service of Florida
