Drew Wilson
Gov. Rick Scott highlighted a state-commissioned report Friday that shows the defense industry had a $79.8 billion impact on the Florida economy last year.
Commissioned by Enterprise Florida and CareerSource Florida, the report ranks defense as the fourth-largest industry in the state behind only agriculture, health care and tourism. The $79.8 billion figure accounts for about 9.5 percent of the state economy and is an increase of about $6.4 billion since 2011.
Scott said the gains came in spite of “declining help from the federal government” and wasted no time giving Enterprise Florida some of the credit.
“This success includes Enterprise Florida’s work to attract and retain companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, both of which have recently announced plans to create hundreds of new jobs for Florida families,” Scott said. “Florida’s defense industry helps diversify our economy and ensure jobs are available for the Floridians who need them, which is yet another reason we will work with the Legislature to fully fund Enterprise Florida in the upcoming Legislative Session.”
The Lockheed Martin deal, announced in June, would give the company $1.7 million in incentives for creating 130 jobs at its Cape Canaveral facility. The Boeing deal, also in Brevard County, would pay the aviation company $500,000 for 50 new jobs and a $23 million investment in a new facility.
Scott has pushed for higher incentives funding when announcing deals over the past several months. Incentives got $43 million in the 2015-16 budget, about half of what Scott asked for and $28 million below the 2014-15 budget. Lawmakers say they dropped funding because millions in incentives money from past budgets went unspent.
