Governor Rick Scott continued his two-week “Jobs for the Next Generation†tour in Pensacola yesterday at Global Business Solutions, introducing his policies to make Florida the nation’s leader in growing emerging industries with good-paying jobs. The centerpiece of his plan, according to his campaign, is a proposal to permanently eliminate the sales tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment. He also wants to offer Florida’s best STEM teachers paid summer residencies at private-sector companies.
Governor Scott’s “Jobs for the Next Generation†plan includes:
· Permanently eliminating the sales tax on manufacturing equipment
· Rewarding STEM teachers with paid summer residencies at private-sector companies
· Clearing regulatory barriers to emerging industries
· $30 million investment in new workforce training initiatives focused on STEM occupations and incentivizing $10,000 STEM college degrees
· Making Florida a hub for innovative cancer research and a world-class destination for treatment
“In order for Florida to remain a global hub for business, we have to make sure advanced industries are able to thrive and continue to create jobs and diversify our economy,” Scott said that tour event. “That means developing a well-educated workforce, eliminating roadblocks for job creators and investing in our research institutions. Florida has come a long way, but we have a long way to go – and focusing on jobs for the next generation will ensure that we continue to create long-lasting, high-wage, more resilient careers.”
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Brandon Larrabee of The News Service of Florida reports that Democratic challenger and former governor, Charlie Crist, unveiled yesterday one of the first concrete policy proposals in his campaign to reclaim his old job, promising to use the state’s contracting power to boost wages for some workers and bar discrimination against gay and transgender Floridians.
Crist used the “First Day of Fairness” plan to draw a contrast with Scott, a former health-care executive who is painted by Democrats as beholden to big business.
“Middle-class families across Florida deserve a fair shot at success — but under Rick Scott, it’s the special interests that get all the breaks,” Crist said in a prepared statement. “The First Day of Fairness is about giving middle-class families and small businesses the same opportunities and protections the big corporations have enjoyed under Rick Scott.”
In a nod to the conflicts that would almost certainly bedevil Crist’s relationship with the Republican-dominated Legislature, the plan relies almost entirely on the governor’s ability to influence state contracting. Companies that do business with agencies controlled by Crist would have to boost the minimum wage for workers to $10.10; face new policies on differences in pay between men and women; and be barred from discriminating against gay, bisexual or transgender employees.
State agencies controlled by the governor would also have to treat all employees equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identification. The state would also give Florida companies priority for contracts and reinforce open-records laws.