Florida Enterprise Fund

Enterprise Florida shouldn’t “be overlooked,” vice chair says

Published on April 13, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Jim Rosica

The vice chair of Enterprise Florida (EFI), the state’s public-private economic development agency, sounded like he was playing defense in a conference call with the group’s executive committee Wednesday. “As you read some of the newspapers, they make it sound like we’re out of business,” said Alan Becker, co-founder of South Florida’s Becker & Poliakoff law firm. Though Gov. Rick Scott is the chair, Becker presides over meetings as vice chair. He was responding to a report on EFI’s recent business development…

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Jack Latvala rues lack of business incentives in budget

Published on March 11, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Jim Rosica

State Sen. Jack Latvala brought up “the elephant in the room” during remarks on the 2016-17 state budget Friday, lamenting the lack of a $250 million business incentives fund, a priority of Gov. Rick Scott. The Clearwater Republican, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development, said the absence of the Florida Enterprise Fund was the “most disappointing point of this session.” With the current amount of incentive dollars dwindling, Scott wanted the new pot of money to lure…

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Highlights from Florida’s new $82.3 billion budget

Published on March 11, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Gary Fineout

The Florida Legislature is expected on Friday to approve a more than $82.3 billion budget for 2016-17 that is roughly 5 percent larger than this year’s budget. Here are a few key items you should know about: – EDUCATION: The new budget increases day-to-day public school spending by $458 million, which translates into a 1 percent increase. The per pupil spending amount would be $7,178.49, which is less than Gov. Rick Scott recommended. Legislators also agreed to spend more than…

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House passes incentives measure desired by Rick Scott

Published on February 24, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Jim Rosica

After a debate that included mentions of monsters, Robert A. Heinlein and the Tampa Bay Rays, the Florida House of Representatives Wednesday passed its 2016 business and economic incentives package, including the framework for Gov. Rick Scott‘s proposed $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund. As bill sponsor Jim Boyd reminded members, it still has no funding: “This is a structure bill, a policy bill,” he said, explaining that how much money goes to incentives still must be decided in the budget process. The legislation (HB 1325)…

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House committee OK’s rewrite of state economic incentive program

Published on February 16, 2016 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Phil Ammann

A series of rewrites to Florida’s economic-incentive programs, a chief priority of Gov. Rick Scott, passed its first House panel Tuesday afternoon. Lobby Tools reports that HB 1325, from Bradenton Republican Rep. Jim Boyd, seeks to establish a new Florida Enterprise Fund, as well as changes in the process of administering economic incentives for businesses to come to Florida. Several provisions of the bill are similar to a proposal (SB 1646) sponsored by Clearwater Republican Rep. Jack Latvala, including lower…

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Rick Scott: Florida’s private-sector job growth tops large states

Published on December 28, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster

Gov. Rick Scott said Monday that Florida’s private-sector growth rate of 3.6 percent in November was the highest among the country’s 10 most-populous states. November marked the ninth consecutive month Florida was tops among large states. The state’s private-sector job growth rate was also higher than the national growth rate of 2.1 percent. “Florida businesses have create more than ONE MILLION jobs in only five years, and just last week we learned Florida’s population surpassed 20 million residents,” Scott said…

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Florida GDP outpacing all other large U.S. states, Rick Scott says

Published on December 22, 2015 in Statewide/Top Headlines by Drew Wilson

Gov. Rick Scott announced Tuesday that the Sunshine State’s economic output grew faster than all other large states and even outpaced the national average in the second quarter of 2015. “Florida’s GDP outpacing all other large states, and the nation as a whole, is another indicator that our economy continues to grow,” Scott said in a news release. “We have added over 1 million new jobs in the last five years and we are seeing the positive effects of this…

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