A.G. Gancarski
In the world of search engine optimization, a discouraged practice is keyword stuffing: where a search phrase is inserted in the copy with such frequency that the search engine recognizes it as spam.
The latest press release from Gov. Rick Scott may not qualify as keyword stuffing, per se. But when it comes to two of his key initiatives, Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, it comes close.
The announcement: that Florida businesses had the fastest annual private-sector job growth rate of the 10 largest states in the nation.
While that may seem to be a relatively esoteric stat, the quotes from Gov. Scott and DEO Head Cissy Proctor spotlight Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, in yet another shot across the bow of the Florida House.
Scott got Enterprise Florida in twice within a six line quote.
“I am proud to announce that Florida is once again leading our competitor states in private-sector job growth and that multiple Florida industries, such as manufacturing, are leading the nation in job creation. Economic development programs like Enterprise Florida aren’t just crucial to helping our state compete for major jobs wins, but also help diversify our economy,” Scott said.
And, just in case the reader missed the point….
“Today’s announcement shows that we are successfully diversifying our economy and we cannot stop now. We must continue to fight for jobs by investing in important economic development programs like Enterprise Florida and VISIT FLORIDA,” Scott concluded.
Proctor’s quote was shorter, but got the plug in.
“Florida’s strong, diverse job creation is catapulting our state to the top of the nation for economic growth. Our economic development and diversification programs are working as a result of our investment in critical programs like Enterprise Florida and VISIT FLORIDA,” Proctor asserted.
Gov. Scott has been barnstorming the state this month pushing these programs, and seems to be concentrating efforts in certain areas.
The Jacksonville media market, for example, saw the governor three times with the same messaging.
Mar. 1 saw Scott holding a “business roundtable” in Orange Park, where he laid into Travis Cummings and Palm Coast’s Paul Renner for opposing the program.
Mar. 20 saw Scott visit Jacksonville’s Southside, where he held another business roundtable, a short drive from the Mar. 1 event.
Travis Cummings was bumped from the talking points, swapped out for five Duval Delegation members who voted against the measure.
“When people ran for office,” Scott said at both events, “did you see any ads saying they wanted to get rid of Enterprise Florida?”
Finally, Mar. 29 saw Gov. Scott make his third visit to Jacksonville: this time at the Florida Air National Guard complex.
This “military roundtable” saw his friend and political ally, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, by his side, as the two outlined the importance of the Florida Defense Alliance — which wouldn’t be possible without Enterprise Florida.
Scott’s messaging during the event was measured, perhaps a function of having a political event combined with a distribution of military service medals.
And he noted the programs are funded in the Florida Senate.
But he offered reminders, however low-key they might have been, that he has a powerful voice — and the last word at the end of the Legislative Session.
“I’m going to let everybody know how people voted, because people should know, and there’s a chance they might reach out to their House member and they’ll reach out to their Senator, because this is important,” Scott added.
“At the end of the Session, they’ll pass a budget at some point, and I’ll review the budget and make sure the dollars are spent well,” Scott said.
