March 19, 2024

The Texas-Florida Connection

Hold Your Horses, Gov. Rick Scott

Can Florida emulate Texas in creating jobs? Here's a comparison.

Cynthia Barnett | 9/28/2011

Quality of Life

Florida's beaches
Florida's beaches and natural areas are competitive advantages for the state in attracting companies that value quality of life.

Talk to Gov. Scott about Florida's quality of life, and he backpedals on his anti-growth-management rhetoric. "We want to take care of our environment," he says. "You look at places in Florida and how well they developed — look at Naples — you see that they did a great job. You really have to admire it."

On the wall of his office in the state Capitol hangs an oil painting of the Naples beach by artist Jerry Vallez. The sugary sand, natural vegetation and serene waves have a lot to do with why Scott and his family relocated from Connecticut to southwest Florida in 2003. "Texas has great cities, but I've lived in Dallas; I've lived in Fort Worth," says Scott. "They have ice storms."

Go to Links What do you think about the whole Florida -vs- Texas debate? Let us know, click to comment at the end of this article.
Florida's beaches and weather are some of the state's prime selling points for companies that put a premium on quality of life. According to analysts in both Texas and Florida, those are often the firms with higher-paying jobs and longer-lasting impact on the economy. On this count, Scott says, Florida already has Texas beat.

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