The list and analysis of The Ten Worst States for Business released this week should come as good news for Gov. Rick Scott, because it tells a lot about what Florida and the governor are doing right.
It isn't just that the Sunshine State didn't make the Ten Worst list. Of course it didn't -- earlier this year Chief Executive magazine ranked it No. 2 behind Texas as best for business. It's that Florida holds the one acknowledged key to success none of the bottom dwellers possess -- a strategy for job creation.
You think Florida voters don't have a sense of that?
The Ten Worst States for Business List, by the way, comes fromAmerican Economic Development Institute(AEDI) andPollina Corporate Real Estate Inc.AEDI is a nonpartisan public policy and economics research institution.
Analysts claim the study examines 32 factors over which state governments have control to promote a positive business climate. It uses a two-stage process. Stage I evaluates 19 factors including taxes, human resources, right-to-work legislation, energy cost, infrastructure, worker compensation legislation, and jobs gained or lost. Stage II examines 13 additional factors, including incentive programs, state economic development department evaluations and marketing.
Have a look at thereport card for the "Ten Worst States" here.What you will find, as the analysts point out, is that the common denominator among the unfortunate governors of these states is no plan to create jobs.
Unlike Rick Scott.
It seems to me this is a large reason why a governor with the public personality of a turnip is steadily rising in the polls. Any magic Scott is producing in 2014 isn't coming from his attack ads, his opponent's serial flip-floppery, God knows it isn't his people skills or anything else his Fort Knox of a re-election campaign is coming up with.
The rabbit Scott is pulling out of his hat comes from three-and-a-half years of unflinching devotion to his jobs initiatives -- and getting somewhere with it. Florida has something to show for.
Pick apart his job numbers all you like. Say they've only been riding the tide of a rising national economy. Accuse him of fostering policies that work for billionaires, of giving away the store with his incentives, of dumping too many regulations. The fact is, unemployment has plummeted since 2010 and jobs have been created. In still-uncertain times companies large and small expanded and moved their headquarters to Florida. All on his watch. For all the punishing cutbacks he delivered his first year in office, Scott bailed the state out while staying focused on his top-of-the-list priority coming into office in 2011 -- jobs.
Jobs and the economy. And that's what Florida voters resoundingly identify as their combination greatest concern.
Edie Ousley, vice president of public affairs for the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said, "Since December 2010, Floridas private sector has created more than 640,000 jobs, our state is ranked second in the nation for tech sector growth, our students are succeeding, and the Wall Street Journal has called Floridas economic recovery the model for economic success."
I submit that Rick Scott's impressive showing on a "leadership" question in Wednesday's Quinnipiac University poll results-- 58 percent of likely voters seeing him as a strong leader compared to 34 percent, or about a third, who don't -- is a direct result of Scott having a jobs plan, sticking with it and turning up real results. His opponent, meanwhile,Democrat and former Gov. Charlie Crist, registered 46 percent on the strong-leader question, with 44 percent saying he is not.
Ronald Pollina and study analysts put it this way: " ... A hostile business environment creates the perfect storm for budget deficits, service cuts, unemployment and poverty ... A hostile business environment creates high unemployment that results in lower tax revenues, resulting in high state deficits and cuts in services. High rates of unemployment push more families from the middle-class to the lower-class and into poverty."
In case you haven't already taken a peek at the Ten Worst list, California is nothing if not consistent, ranking worst of the worst at No. 50 for 10 of the last 11 years. Besides California,Massachusetts (No. 41), Wisconsin (No. 46), New Jersey (No.47), and Rhode Island (No. 48) have all ranked among the Ten Worst States for Business over the last five years. Vermont (No. 42) and Illinois (No. 49) have been in the bottom 10 for the last four years.
Said the Florida Chamber's Ousley, Many other states are holding tight to their year-long records as worse business climate, but in Florida, we are shattering visitation and growth records instead. Many states are even dropping in ranking, but in Florida, we continue to keep a business-friendly climate that stimulates innovative and competitive growth for businesses of all sizes."
Ousley cautions Florida can't rest on its laurels. "There are things we can continue to do," she said, "to make sure we dont end up like California. We can focus on electing pro-business leaders, work on reforming Floridas dismal lawsuit abuse reputation and keep our students -- not special interest groups -- at the forefront of our education reforms.
If Scott is re-elected, no doubt he will continue walking the job creation path. But I predict, given a second term, he will turn more of his attention to other quality-of-life and even social issues for Florida families -- lifting the hood, for example, on the disastrous Department of Children and Families.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
