Mike Haridopolos Representing Florida Senate District 26

Florida Lawmakers Plan Job Creation Conference

Dec 24, 2009

by Bill Cotterell

TALLAHASSEE - The incoming leaders of the Florida Legislature announced plans Tuesday for a statewide conference on job creation next month in Orlando.

Leaders of major business groups - Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Retail Federation, Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business - endorsed the call to focus on tax incentives and regulatory reductions that could help spur job growth. Representatives of organized labor and local governments will also be included in the Jan. 14-15 conference in Orlando.

“Over 1 million Floridians are seeking work and they cannot find work,” said state Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, the designated Senate president for the 2011-12 term. “We want to hear directly from the people being affected by this.”

Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, the House speaker-designate for the same two years, noted that Florida’s unemployment rate hit 11.5 percent in November. He called the state’s highest jobless rate in 34 years “a major crisis.”

Rick McAllister, president of the Florida Retail Federation, said his members have reported increases in sales recently. But he said economic gloom persists and that bringing business, labor and government leaders together next month might help spur change when the 2010 legislative session convenes in March.

“In terms of jobs, we’re still in a psychological recession,” said McAllister. “Literally, things are better but people aren’t yet ready to take the step to bring people back to work, to hire.”

Haridopolos said Gov. Charlie Crist and state Cabinet members have been invited to the conference, along with leaders of the AFL-CIO and Florida Education Association. He said a bipartisan field of legislators, city and county officers and state officials will also be on hand.

Reprinted from the Fort Myers News Press