Yesterday the Florida House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed legislation ending many corporate welfare programs, sending the bill for a full vote on the House floor next week. Notably, the bill (PCB CCS 17-01) eliminates Enterprise Florida’s public-private partnership. The agency hands out taxpayer funds to a few, large companies at the expense of many hardworking Floridians.

Floridian veterans benefit from a competitive and free market that promotes economic progress. After the bill favorably passed through the Careers and Competition Subcommittee last week, Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Florida Spokesman Diego Echeverri commented, “Many veterans are entrepreneurs and small business owners – they are key drivers of our state economy, not powerful special interests.”

Enterprise Florida has been in trouble before. Governor Rick Scott called for more oversight in 2016 after it was reported that the agency was overspending on office space and its bloated payroll.

In 1992, the state legislature established Enterprise Florida. The goal was to create 200,000 jobs by 2005. By 2012 (eight years past the target date), Enterprise Florida had negotiated over 1,600 contracts worth more than $1.7 billion – but falling short of their stated goal for job creation by about 50%.

Politics should not dictate which businesses thrive in the Sunshine State. By ending corporate welfare, legislators provide more opportunities for small businesses to grow. CVA urges the FL House of Representatives to pass this important bill as quickly as possible.

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