TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) The Florida House is calling for the dismantling of the state's economic development agency and an overhaul of the state's tourism marketing programs.
The State House of Represenatives voted Friday in favor of two bills that Governor Rick Scott has denounced as ``job killing legislation'' as he engages many members of the Republican-led chamber in an increasingly hostile battle between leading members of the GOP in the Sunshine State.
Speaker Richard Corcoran has made the elimination of Enterprise Florida a top priority. The agency is responsible for trying to lure businesses to relocate to the state with the use of incentives, but Corcoran has said the state is engaging in ``corporate welfare.''
The bill (HB 7005) to eliminate Enterprise Florida was approved 87-28. The House also voted 80-35 in favor of a bill (HB 9) to place restrictions on Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing agency.
So far the Florida Senate has not supported the measures.