Florida’s appeals to get Connecticut companies to think about relocating to the south has been more connected to the state’s heavy regulation, taxation and overheads than low-interest loans and other incentives, Governor Rick Scott states.
“A lot of businesses up here are frustrated. They’re tired of wrestling with taxes and heavy regulations,” Governor Scott admitted.
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Tensions over Connecticut’s economic-development model were amplified by General Electric’s movement of its corporate headquarters from Fairfield to Boston and Aetna Inc.’s indications of its desire to transfer to New York City.
Scott, a Republican who clinched the post seven years ago, said that Florida’s economy has gone uphill and Connecticut’s economy has flatlined since he took office.
“First, I want to thank Gov. Malloy for taking a different path than me. I’m a business guy. I’d never run for office before this. I try to solve problems,” he said in an online article published in
Hartford Business.
He claims that Florida has generated 1.4 million net new jobs, at a 3% annual growth rate, and adds that the state is now running a $3 billion surplus. Scott believed that the improvement is a direct result of his and his state’s economic-development efforts.
In addition, Scott said that Connecticut is still hindered by a projected multi-billion-dollar deficit.
His Connecticut visit comes at a critical moment for state budget, policy makers, and tax payers, as it wrestles to create the biennial budget required by the state’s constitution.
Kelly Donnelly, spokeswoman, Malloy, downplayed Scott’s trip by saying that he was “envious of what we have here.”
“The truth is, no amount of money or effort will make up for the fact that Gov. Scott is leading his state in the wrong direction. We are happy to host Mr. Scott to show him a better way to serve his state, but if he’s expecting anyone in Connecticut to buy what he’s selling, he’s better off saving his taxpayers the cost of the trip and staying home,” she says.
Joe Brenna, CEO, Connecticut Business and Industry Association, however, saw nothing wrong with Scott’s visit.
“It’s not unusual that our companies get recruited all the time - and they stay here,” Brennan said.
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