Attorney General Bill McCollum thinks the best way to move forward with job creation and business growth in Florida is to replace the state office that oversees economic development.
If elected this fall, the Republican gubernatorial hopeful has plans to overhaul and rebrand the governors Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development (OTTED). It was a subject that came up in a big way as McCollum campaigned Tuesday morning at the Danfoss Turbocor factory in Tallahassee.
Under the new name of the Governors Office of Economic Development and Innovation, the agency will be restructureded, given a new head and pushed to lead the way in creating 500,000 jobs in six years, said McCollum's campaign agenda.
As part of his plan, McCollum would create a Venture Capital Council to manage a Genesis Fund that will invest in fledgling innovation companies, university endowments, military research and development.
Florida needs a framework for supporting the growth of businesses at all stages, from entrepreneurs with new ideas, to small businesses, to Fortune 500 companies. The formation of a Venture Capital Council, facilitated by the governor, will provide links to public and private resources for early stage businesses to survive and become profitable.
McCollum's administration would also create a Governors Office of Grants and Competitive Funding and hire an out-of-state business ambassador and local government economic development liaison.
McCollum's rival for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, health care executive Rick Scott, ridiculed McCollum's plan.
"Only a career politician would think replacing one office with two is smaller government," Scott spokeswoman Alice Stewart said in an e-mail. "Rick will be rolling out his comprehensive plan to put Floridians back to work and grow the economy in the coming weeks."
In response to questions about whether OTTED needed to be overhauled, a representative of Chief Financial Officer Alex Sinks gubernatorial campaign said she would wait until taking office to see what could be changed about the agency. Sink, a Democrat, said she is dedicated to business development and intends to hire a small-business ombudsman to her office.
But Sink does not have any specific plans for OTTED, said campaign spokeswoman Kyra Jennings. Shes going to take a look at all state agencies to see what she can streamline, Jennings said.
Under Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles, the Legislature created the Governors Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development in 1996. The office oversees business and work-force growth programs in which the state has a stake, the most well-known of these being Enterprise Florida. In the 2008-2009 fiscal year, Enterprise Florida created more than 45,050 jobs.
McCollums new office would push Enterprise Florida to focus on small and mid-sized businesses, as opposed to the larger industries it has attracted to the state, McCollums campaign said.
OTTED also oversees public-private economic growth partnerships like Space Florida and Visit Florida, the public-private tourism marketing corporation. Excluding those created by Enterprise Florida, OTTED programs have createdor retained 33,200 jobs since Gov. Charlie Crist took office, according to the governor's office.
Gov. Charlie Crist has placed many of his favored economic growth programs under the management of OTTED, including his touted Economic Gardening Business Loan Program.
Florida has an important role to play in promoting an economic climate in which Floridas businesses can be competitive and productive with minimal government interference,said Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey in a statement. Economic development programs are implemented through public-private partnerships for which OTTED provides direct oversight. One public-private partnership focuses solely on attracting businesses and therefore creating jobs in Florida.
Reach Alex Tiegen at atiegen@sunshinestatenews.com or 561-329-5389.
