Rick Scott Goes Right on Fiscal Issues in Inaugural Address

Gov. Rick Scotts team released excepts from the governors second inaugural address on Monday. Scott, only the fifth governor in Florida history to win a second term, will be sworn in again on Tuesday.

In the speech, Scott will focus on fiscal conservatism, calling for lower taxes and smaller government, highlighting how they help the economy. Scott also will promise to hit other states, looking to recruit jobs and new residents.

Here are some excerpts from the speech:

While we are focused on growing jobs in Florida, we must realize that positions our state as a fighter in a great movement against the silent growth of government. Many states, like Florida, are fighting to limit the growth of government and grow opportunity instead. ...

Over the last 20 years, millions of people have escaped from states with climbing tax rates to move to states with lower taxes. Why does this matter?

For starters, estimates say individuals who escaped these high-tax states have taken with them around $2 trillion in adjusted gross income.

They are voting with their feet.

They are leaving states like New York, which lost $71 billion in adjusted gross income from 1992 to 2011. And they are leaving Illinois, which lost $31 billion in adjusted gross income over that same period. The people that left New York and Illinois had one thing in common their No. 1 destination was Florida. ...

In fact, this national battle against growing government so intensely affects Florida that we just recently surpassed New York as the third largest state in the nation.

In Florida we are proving that government can do better without getting bigger. ...

I have a message today to the people of New York, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and others: move to Florida! We want you to keep more of the money you make because we understand its your money. We want your businesses to grow and succeed. We want to compete globally and win. Over the next four years, I will be traveling to your states personally to recruit you here. ...

Keeping our costs low doesnt end with tax cuts it also includes lowering the cost of higher education opportunities as well. That is why we have already worked with the Legislature to stop tuition increases in our undergraduate programs. And, to make higher education even more affordable in the next four years, we will increase the number of $10,000 bachelor degrees offered at our state colleges; while also holding the line on graduate school tuition. ...

In addition to cutting taxes, we have an ambitious agenda to keep Florida working and become the global leader for job creation by the year 2020.