Progressives rally across state to fight Scott, GOP

TALLAHASSEE — In his annual “State of the State” address Tuesday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott promised to fight for economic-incentive money, business tax cuts and conservative education reforms.

Despite a lack of influence in Republican-dominated Tallahassee, progressives and Democratic lawmakers appeared ready to tangle with the governor.

A coalition of labor, environmental, LGBT-rights and ot her l e f t - l e a ni ng g roups under the banner “Awake the State” organized more than a dozen rallies across Florida to coincide with the first day of the 2017 legislative session, including an event at the Capitol and one at West Palm Beach City Hall.

Their message: Scott and Republican leaders are not fighting for us.

“T h e g o v e r n o r , a n d frankly the Speaker (Richard Corcoran), are living in an alternative reality,” said state Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Fort Lauderdale, after Scott’s speech.

“It’s like the foxes are in the hen house when it comes to this administration,” said Barbara DeVane, who lobbies for the National Organization for Women.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democrat running for governor in 2018, was raising money off the State of the State address even before Scott took the rostrum.

“Empty claims and promises about Florida’s economic future, the same kind he’s been making for years while he continues to pursue policies that favor the wealthy and leave the rest of us behind,” was Gillum’s appraisal in an email appeal.

Scott drew upon his experiences as a child growing up in poverty to bolster his arguments against cutting funding for the economic-development agency Enterprise Florida and tourism-marketer Visit Florida, funding that has been derided by critics on the left and right as “corporate welfare.”

“I am fighting for our state’s job programs because I am fighting for the families just like mine growing up,” Scott said.

But advocates for labor, immigrants’ rights and other groups were clearly not buy- ing it.

“In this year’s legislative session, Gov. Scott and his allies are planning yet another big giveaway to corporate special interests while the priorities of everyday Floridians are sidelined,” said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida, which helped organize the statewide rallies.

Democ r a t i c l awmakers sounded equally skeptical of Scott’s economic-development plans.

“From conservative think t a nks t o t o p e c o nomi s t s , there’s widespread agreement that the way to lure the top companies with the top-paying jobs isn’t just dangling tax dollars in front of them,” said Senate Minority Leader Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens.