Staff Reports
The Manufacturers Association of Florida, a group 20,000 strong, on Monday threw the weight of its endorsement behind Gov. Rick Scott in his Senate bid.
On Wednesday, Scott was in Yulee — the first of two stops to spotlight the endorsement.
Scott’s move to eliminate the sales tax on manufacturing machinery, cutting $73 million in taxes for the sector, factored heavily into the endorsement.
“Governor Scott’s work to successfully eliminate the sales tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment was a game changer for our industry and a great win for all of Florida. Because of Governor Scott’s efforts, the manufacturing industry is responsible for more than 378,100 jobs across the state, and we are growing more year after year,” asserted MAF President Al Stimac.
“We also appreciate the Governor’s focus on workforce development, and we are excited to build on this focus through our Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program,” Stimac added Monday.
In Yulee Wednesday, Stimac also lauded the governor from removal of “burdensome regulations.”
“All of our businesses have grown,” Stimac said.
Scott framed the endorsement Monday as vindication of his larger legacy.
“Over the past seven and a half years, we’ve worked hard to permanently repeal the manufacturing sales tax, cut burdensome regulations and make important investments in workforce development so businesses can grow and Floridians can be prepared for new job opportunities,” Scott said Monday, adding Wednesday that the manufacturing sales tax had been “unfair” to businesses.
