Gov. Rick Scott picked up the endorsement of two large business organizations in his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November.
The Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida (ABC) and Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) both announced their endorsements of Scott on Thursday.
Scott joined the ABC at its annual conference in Marco Island to accept the group’s endorsement. The group is made up five state chapters, consisting of more than 2,500 general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and professional associates. The group’s endorsement comes as the result of Scott’s commitment to cutting taxes, reducing burdensome regulations, and supporting workforce development and job growth.
“In the last seven and a half years, we’ve reduced the tax burden on both small and large businesses, returned billions of dollars back to hardworking Florida families, and invested record amounts in transportation and infrastructure,” said Scott in accepting the endorsement. “We’ve also cut more than 5,200 burdensome regulations to get government out of the way so businesses can succeed. As a result of this hard work, we have seen more than 1.5 million new jobs created in our state, including growth in Florida’s construction industry – a major driver of Florida jobs.”
“Construction is one of the top five economic drivers of Florida’s economy, and Governor Rick Scott has worked tirelessly over the past seven and a half years to support our industry by working to turn around our state’s economy, which has helped create more jobs, grow a booming housing market and welcome millions of new residents to our state,” said George Nash, ABC’s 2018 state chair.
Earlier in the day, AIF announced its endorsement of Scott for U.S. Senate. AIF is a state business trade group, with thousands of members across the state that represent every segment of Florida’s private sector.
“AIF Board of Directors is proud to endorse Republican Candidate Governor Rick Scott for U.S. Senate. Governor Scott has worked tirelessly from the very first day he took office to make Florida the No. 1 destination to do business for Florida families and job creators,” said AIF President and CEO Tom Feeney.
“Over the past seven and a half years, we’ve worked hard to improve the business climate in Florida by cutting taxes and reducing burdensome regulations and making it easier for job creators to create new opportunities for our families,” Scott responded to AIF’s endorsement. “With the support of partners like AIF, Florida has set an example to the rest of the country on how government should create an environment for businesses small and large to thrive.”