Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott made his first public push for Amazon to build its second home in the Sunshine State after the company ditched its New York plans.
In a letter sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Friday, the governor-turned-senator drew distinct comparisons between Florida and the Empire State, touting its low taxes and simpler regulatory state.
“Politicians like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Governor Andrew Cuomo’s policies hinder companies like Amazon. The policies they support – higher taxes, more regulations and an anti-business attitude – create a business climate that’s as frigid as the weather. Unfortunately, the hardest hit are families in New York,” Scott said in the letter.
[Related: New York’s political machine gives Amazon buyer’s remorse]
Newly elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was one of the most vocal opponents to Amazon’s planned arrival to New York. Her opposition, centered around the tax incentives that both the state and city of New York were prepared to offer Amazon, rallied the progressive flank of local Democrats. Local businesses and vendors began signaling to Amazon that they would not conduct business with the retail giant.
The plan was set to create 25,000 new jobs over a decade with an average salary of $150,000, along with investment in local transportation and infrastructure.
Scott isn’t so keen on letting that kind of opportunity slip from Florida’s grasp.
“Don’t let anti-business leaders in New York stifle your efforts to expand and create jobs and opportunity for thousands of hard-working Americans. Bring HQ2 to a state that appreciates and respects the work that you do – Florida.”
Miami was one of the contenders on Amazon’s shortlist before the company announced its New York and Virginia moves in late 2018. In its bid, the city touted its proximity to Latin American markets — an area Amazon has been working to penetrate — and its pipeline of universities around the state.
Over last decade, Florida has been positioning itself as a tech state, from pushing education reforms that incorporated science, technology, engineering and math in all school levels to offering incentives to medical technology companies to set up shop in the state.
