It’s Republican against Republican

as Gov. Scott blasts House Speaker Richard Corcoran, saying he doesn’t “care about jobs.” Corcoran says he’s attacking a “culture of corruption.”

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott blasted House Speaker Richard Corcoran on Tuesday, chiding him for opposing economic development programs central to Scott’s agenda. In his strongest comments yet, he accused Corcoran of putting his political future before the state’s economic needs and said the House “didn’t care about jobs.”

“It’s pretty clear. If you don’t care about people’s jobs you must be caring about something else,” he said.

In response, Corcoran said he was targeting what he called a “culture of corruption” in Tallahassee. “I think the Governor is a good man and a friend. However, we were elected to do what is right and clean up government, put an end to the waste of taxpayer money, and end the culture of corruption,” he said in a released statement. “The Governor cannot be surprised that we will do the right thing regardless of the consequences. Whether it is Enterprise Florida, Visit Florida, or Obamacare expansion, we never question the Governor’s motives.”

Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, hasn’t publicly declared he’ll seek any office in 2018, but observers suspect he’s lining up a campaign for governor. Scott, who is term limited, is thought to be eyeing a run for U.S. Senate in 2018, so the two might not run against each other.

Even so, the friction over one of Scott’s top priorities boiled over Tuesday as he harangued Corcoran and the House for 10 minutes after a Cabinet meeting.

The spat comes as a House panel is set to consider a bill today that would eliminate Visit Florida and Enterprise Florida, public-private groups dedicated to luring tourists and high-paying jobs to the state. Corcoran and House leaders have criticized the agencies’ use of taxpayer funds to support private businesses as a violation of free market principles that creates an unfair competitive advantage for companies that don’t get state subsidies.

Scott seeks $85 million for Enterprise Florida and $76 million for Visit Florida in his proposed budget, He has said he believes each is vital to his push to add jobs in the state.

Corcoran has pushed for greater transparency at the agencies, filing a lawsuit last year that prompted rapper Pitbull to unveil a $1 million contract with Visit Florida that had remained secret for more than a year.