The Governor is setting a lot of lofty goals for the Sunshine State under his $83.5-billion proposed budget.
In the upcoming session, Rick Scott wants the state legislature to cut more than $600-million in taxes, reduce fees by more than $8-million and at the same time offer businesses $85-million in economic incentives.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran is already fighting the economic incentive money.
Scott says, "I believe that those who oppose investing in growing businesses simply don't understand how business works. We need to compete for jobs here in Florida so we can diversify our economy for generations to come."
There's also $76-million in funding for Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing agency.
"Our tourism industry is responsible for nearly 1.4-million jobs. They yielded more than $50-billion in income for the Floridians employed in this industry. Tourism represent over 16% of our state's workforce. Not only does every 85 tourists support one Florida job, but tourism helps thousands of small businesses that rely on visitors," says Scott.
The Governor's Fighting For Florida's Future budget also sets aside $58-million for teacher recruitment and retention.It includes spending nearly $21-million for K-12 education and $6.6-billion in higher education.
When it comes to cutting taxes, Scott wishes it were more, "I'm great with tax cuts. So if somebody has another idea to cut more taxes, I'm all in."