Florida Latin Connection

Let me disclose first that I was Chairman of the Florida ChamberFoundation when the concept of a public-private partnership called Enterprise Florida (“EF”) first surfaced.  I also was the Executive VicePresident of the Florida Chamber, after serving on the senior executive staff of former Governor Lawton Chiles, when Chiles proposed creating EF.  My reaction to Governor Scott’s proposal to create a new Department of Commerce (“DOC”) in his office, but leave EF and all other economic development agencies in place:

1.  The Governor is going to lose the limited veil of confidentiality enjoyed by the private sector part of EF.

2.  He is going to choke off the private sector entrepreneurial spirit in EF with the superimposition of the governmental bureauacracy of the new DOC over EF.

3.  Pending prospects will be “frozen” without knowing with whom they should work on employment decisions.

4.  The Governor is sending a “chilling” signal to the local economic develpment agencies and chambers of commerce around the state.

5.  He is also sending a contradictory message of creating more government without eliminating any waste.

And the message from the Florida Chamber of Commerce who originally proposed the creation of EF–reportedly they they think hosing EF is a good idea.  Not exactly “Profiles in Courage.”

FLAPolitics/ McKnight/ 01/29/2011

Florida Latin Connection/ Arnoldo Varona, Editor

* Not Exactly “Profiles in Courage”..

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