Issue Position: Business

Issue Position

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! We must find a way to create and attract more jobs to Florida. Our economy is a vital issue in our state and I want to help in finding ways to get us back on track. This is one reason I am running for the Florida House of Representatives.

There are two very exciting projects in the works in our area and I highly support both of them and will help work to provide the infrastructure, legislation or whatever else may be needed to make them successful.

The first project is the BP/Vercipia biofuels project slated for Highlands County. This project will include growing energy grasses for conversion into fuel on a 20,000 acre site located on Highway 70. The plant is expected to produce up to 36 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year and provide the region with approximately 200 "green' jobs once operations begin. I recently attended the AgExpo in Clewiston where USDA scientists were discussing the efficiency of different grass varieties as well as sandy soil versus muck soil results and their findings were very promising. I look forward to seeing the completion of this project and appreciate the effort to explore diverse energy sources.

The other very progressive project is slated for Glades County. This project is called "America's Gateway' and could provide much needed employment opportunities for our region. This project will include an education component that will provide training for these high wage/high skills positions. The South Florida International Logistics Center is a partnership project between Lykes Bros. and A. Duda & Sons and will be located on a 4,000 acre site on Highway 78 with rail access. With the expansion of the Panama Canal and the expected increase in trade flow to Florida, this project could completely change the economic landscape of our area and be a tremendous asset to our entire district. As your representative in Tallahassee, this project would be a high priority.

In conclusion, these are the kinds of projects that can help provide jobs to our region and it is the job of the legislature to do what they can on the state level to make the permitting processes and other legal requirements as streamlined and efficient as necessary. Time is of the essence on projects like these and government bureaucracy should not stand in the way or be the reason investors back away from projects of this nature. I will work to make sure government doesn't get in the way of job creation.

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