Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonSeptember 26, 2018

Florida needs to add 1.7 million jobs by 2030, according to new Florida Chamber of Commerce research, but “disruption and transformation” present some unique challenges to meeting that goal. “Eighty percent of the jobs in 2030 don’t exist today,” said former Enterprise Florida chief Gray Swoope, who now heads VisionFirst Advisors. “What are we doing? […]

Ryan RayFebruary 28, 2015

Former Enterprise Florida CEO and de facto Scott administration jobs czar Gray Swoope penned a farewell letter on Friday, marking the final chapter of his transition from the public-private sector to the private sector. After expressing his gratitude to the likes of Gov. Rick Scott and EFI Vice Chair Alan Becker, Swoope included an interesting detail at the missive’s very end: […]

William PatrickFebruary 10, 2015

Office Depot is packing up its corporate bags and shipping out of the Sunshine State, but not before scoring millions in state and local taxpayer incentives. The Boca Raton business giant announced this past Wednesday that Staples Inc., its chief office supplies competitor, is buying the Fortune 300 company and moving its South Florida corporate […]

Peter SchorschDecember 8, 2014

She’d outpester any pest Drive a hornet from its nest She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl She is gentle! She is wild! She’s a riddle! She’s a child! She’s a headache! She’s an angel! She’s a girl! How do you solve a problem like Maria? For whatever reason, that Rodgers and Hammerstein […]

Peter SchorschDecember 8, 2014

She’d outpester any pest Drive a hornet from its nest She could throw a whirling dervish out of whirl She is gentle! She is wild! She’s a riddle! She’s a child! She’s a headache! She’s an angel! She’s a girl! How do you solve a problem like Maria? For whatever reason, that wonderful Rodgers and […]

Mark FerruloMarch 26, 2014

When you hear about a $2,000 dinner bill at a barbeque restaurant, you might think Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are in town. But if you’ve been following how Florida’s “economic development” agency, Enterprise Florida, has been operating under Gov. Rick Scott’s stewardship, you wouldn’t be surprised to find that it was actually just another […]

Guest AuthorOctober 28, 2013

Florida started to privatize its economic development functions in 1992 with the enactment of Enterprise Florida Inc. and abolished the Florida Department of Commerce in 1996. In 2011, Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature created the Department of Economic Opportunity. One of its responsibilities is to manage the state’s contract with Enterprise Florida. The president […]

Tag: Gray Swoope
Image via Florida A&M University.

Gray Swoope: Rapid change is coming to Florida’s job landscape

Gray Swoope joins Gov. Haley Barbour at VisionFirst Advisors

Millions in taxpayer incentives later, Office Depot leaving business-friendly Florida

Peter Schorsch: It’s time for Scott’s new chief of staff to turn on the charm

How do you solve a problem like Maria, err, I mean, Melissa (Sellers)?

Mark Ferrulo: Enterprise Florida’s wasteful spending needs to be investigated

Dan Krassner: State lawmakers should give Enterprise Florida an overhaul