Jim Rosica
Bill Johnson, head of the state’s economic development agency, continued to take hits from state senators Tuesday as he pressed for still more money for business incentive programs.
Johnson, CEO of Enterprise Florida, appeared before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development.
Gov. Rick Scott’s point man on enticing new business to Florida had taken stinging criticism from Senate President Andy Gardiner in a memo saying Johnson’s organization keeps asking for more money than it can spend in a given year.
Johnson now says he’s turning away companies because he doesn’t have the money to give them. Senate figures show he has $112 million in unspent funds; Johnson countered that’s money already committed for projects “in the pipeline.”
“I’m not here to be combative, I’m not here to be argumentative,” Johnson told the panel. “You’re the Florida Legislature, you write the checks.”
He’s looking for $85 million from lawmakers for business incentives in 2016-17. Last session, Johnson asked for $85 million in incentive funding, but only got $43 million.
Most important to state efforts is the “quick action closing fund,” a pot of cash that Scott can draw up to $2 million from without legislative approval.
Incentives such as those Enterprise Florida uses are often derided as “corporate welfare”; one analysis released this month showed big companies dominate the recipients of such government giveaways.
“I can only deal with the amount of money I have available (but) it’s not as much as I would like it to be,” Johnson said. “Respectfully, on the amount of money we have today, it’s not sufficient.”
That was immediately challenged by Sen. Nancy Detert, a Venice Republican who also sits on Enterprise Florida’s board.
“You know, we’ve got a motto up here: Pigs get fed and hogs get slaughtered,” she said, referring to entertainment production incentives that grew into the hundreds of millions before getting defunded.
Detert also objected to the agency’s money getting tied up for particular projects that sometimes don’t come through.
“That money is in a graveyard, practically,” she said. “You’re not funding even 50 percent of the projects in your pipeline … I have trouble with you telling everybody you’re poor.”
Detert added: “Go ahead and inspire us … and don’t show us (you gave) tax incentives for companies that were already going to come here.”
Johnson, a former Port of Miami director, has piqued lawmakers before.
In a June conference call, he called his agency’s lack of funding “shameful,” saying “there’s no need for (Enterprise Florida) to exist if we cannot garner the support of our Florida Legislature.” He apologized for those comments at another committee meeting last month.
