With the Florida Legislature already holding committee meetings in Tallahassee, on Thursday, the Florida Chamber of Commerce unveiled its agenda for the upcoming session.
The Florida Chamber sounded an optimistic note on job creation--with Jerry Parrish, the chief economist of the group, saying there will be around 190,000 new jobs in the Sunshine State over 2017. That represents 1 out of 10 new jobs in the nation.
Even with those job numbers, the Florida Chamber urged some caution. Appearing at the Capitol in Tallahassee, with some legislators and supporters, including former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford who chairs the Florida Chamber’s Political Council, Mark Wilson, the president and CEO of the Florida Chamber, warned that prosperity in Florida was not guaranteed by any means.
“Florida business leaders are optimistic about the changes taking place at the national level, but we also remain realistic that the road ahead is challenging,” Wilson said on Thursday. “While there’s an awful lot of good going on in Florida, the truth is that things are fragile, and the Florida Legislature has the opportunity this session to ensure we #MakeFLMoreCompetitive for families and job creators.”
The Florida Chamber pushed some of its chief legislative priorities as it looks to improve the state’s business climate. In the upcoming session, the Florida Chamber intends to fight to reform worker’s comp, insisting this leads to a “$1.5 billion jobs tax" on Florida residents. The Florida Chamber also plans to renew its fight to improve the state’s legal climate which the group maintains “creates a $3,400 tax for a family of four each year." Other priorities include opposing bringing destination resort casinos to Florida, clearing up the Homeowners Fraud Tax which “results from Assignment of Benefits abuse, which increases homeowners insurance premiums for families," and continuing to have education ready Florida’s students for jobs in the changing economy.
The Florida Chamber also released the 2017 edition of its “Where We Stand” to flesh out its legislative priorities for the upcoming session.
