On hiring, Crist vs. Scott?
By James L. Rosica, Tampa Tribune, Fla. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Indeed, Scott has so aligned himself with the topic -- Floridians' top issue as
The
Democratic challenger
Crist also points to Scott's desertion of a 2010 campaign promise to create 700,000 jobs over seven years "on top of" the state's normal projected growth of about 1 million jobs by 2018.
For Floridians whose political priority is jobs and the economy -- 30 percent of them, a new University of
It's safe to say the state's electorate knows both men, each having served one term as governor. Still, on jobs, some economists advise voters to right-size their expectations of either one.
"There's only so much a governor can do," said
What leaders can also do is create a more favorable business climate, Loewy said. That could include lowering taxes and offering other incentives.
Scott, for example, was able to persuade
But many of those likely will be filled by current employees moving from
Then again, "the other 49 governors do the same thing," Loewy said. "To some degree, it's a zero-sum game. If someone's been lured to
It's a tactic Scott plays well, as when he sent letters last year to business leaders in other states -- all of which had Democratic governors -- and asked them to relocate to the Sunshine State.
"Book a trip to
? ? ?
Job creation happens when "entrepreneurs find productive areas in which to enter and do business," Loewy said.
"Jobs are created by the private sector wherever they want," he said. "It doesn't matter whether it's
<p>What governors can do is provide a culture in which entrepreneurs feel comfortable, said Wilson, who supports Scott. As Scott and lawmakers "are streamlining government and are sending an international message that
"
"What
"If every person in
Templin points to data from the
To show a commitment to job growth, a candidate must commit to higher education funding, investing in roads, bridges and utility improvements, and overhauling the state's unemployment insurance program, Templin said.
? ? ?
In an interview last week with the editorial board of
Later, he rolled out his Fair Shot Florida plan to create jobs by investing in small businesses, which includes reopening the state
Instead of poaching businesses and their jobs from elsewhere, Crist said he wants to nurture homegrown employment opportunities.
"I think what we need to do is support existing
More investment capital should be available to new and existing
He also would put more of an emphasis on infrastructure.
"Things like high-speed rail -- that was, I think, the first major disappointment that I experienced in the Scott administration," Crist said.
In 2011, Scott killed a federally funded
"I drive
"It's something we needed. It would have provided, by some estimates, 60,000 jobs and the
? ? ?
Many
The problem is that he can't find qualified employees.
"The skill sets of workers definitely need to improve, starting with showing up on time," he said.
His 19-year-old son works at a car wash and shows more responsibility than many seeking work these days, he said.
Mangold is in favor of more government support for job training, but he doesn't want to see the minimum wage raised: "Why not let the market decide?"
Ultimately, candidates also need the support of voters like 46-year-old
Haigis was last registered as a Democrat, "but now I vote for whoever I feel will represent my interests best," he said in a Facebook chat. "Nowadays that is hard because blue-collar workers aren't well represented, in my opinion."
And their problems aren't well understood by well-heeled political candidates, he added.
"A couple to three days off and you have to miss meals or pay partial rent," Haigis said. "I'm making the same money I did 20 years ago, except rent and gasoline cost more."
Floridians in economic stress are more likely to list jobs and the economy as their top issue, according to the USF survey.
But the figure is 36 percent among the unemployed. For African-Americans, it's 39 percent and for Hispanics, 35 percent.
Haigis says he's for raising the state minimum wage.
"The problem is that the majority of jobs
Haigis favors specialized job training, he said.
"An educated, trained worker will be more inclined to have a career in mind when he gets benefits and a wage where he's not looking over his shoulder every Friday," he said. "Some employers think
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Twitter: @jlrosicaTBO
Candidates on the issues
Incentives
Scott: Favors publicly-funded economic incentives and tax breaks to entice out-of-state businesses to come to
Crist: Wants more private capital available for existing
Minimum wage
Scott: Opposes an increase in the state's minimum wage of
Crist: Supports raising the minimum wage to
Job training
Scott: Calls for
Crist: Would expand job training opportunities and technical education. Proposes reducing cost of education for STEM jobs and reversing cuts to Bright Futures scholarships, the lottery-funded program for students of "high academic achievement."
Unemployment
Scott: Reduced unemployment benefits in first term, renamed it "re-employment assistance," aggressively went after overpayments using outside debt collectors, and oversaw the rollout of a state unemployment website, CONNECT, that was marred by technical flaws.
Crist: Extended unemployment benefit eligibility while governor. Now says, "it's the right thing to extend unemployment benefits ... as well as provide job retraining opportunities for those who are struggling to find work." Pledges full review of CONNECT if elected.
Choosing a governor
Look for explorations of these issues in the governor's race from the
Jobs Today
Environment
Immigration
Education
Criminal Justice
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