Kentucky Chamber responds to Florida governor wanting to lure jobs away from state

As Florida Governor Rick Scott plans an economic development trade mission to Kentucky to attempt to lure jobs away from the state, the Kentucky Chamber says the commonwealth’s advantages speak for themselves and “we are confident we can hold our own.”

After Florida Gov. Scott made remarks about believing his state is a better place to do business than Kentucky, Scott’s office sent a press release Wednesday detailing an ad that will run on Kentucky airwaves about the economic climate.

In response to the remarks, Kentucky Chamber President and CEO Dave Adkisson released the following statement:

“We’re glad to compete with any state for business, especially those businesses which have already chosen Kentucky as their home.  Their reasons for selecting Kentucky instead of Florida or other states speak for themselves.  Our central location to the United States market, our balanced tax structure and the fact that just last year, Kentucky was named the top state in the country for economic development projects per capita, we are confident we can hold our own.”

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear also released a statement Wednesday detailing the economic advantages the state has to offer.

“You would think with the difficult problems facing Florida today that Gov. Rick Scott would have better things to do to keep him occupied. However, if he wants to waste his time coming to Kentucky to try and convince our businesses to come to Florida, then come ahead because he will have no success. In March, Kentucky, not Florida, was named No. 1 in the nation for most economic development projects per capita for 2014. Kentucky was presented with the Governor’s Cup from Site Selection Magazine for announcing more than 350 new location and expansion projects, which are projected to create nearly 15,000 jobs and more than $3.7 billion in new investment,” Beshear said in his statement.

Script of the Enterprise Florida ad can be seen below:

ANNOUNCER: And now an important message from the state of Florida.

Are Frankfort’s pro-union and big government policies hurting your business? Good news is on the way.

Florida Governor Rick Scott is coming to Kentucky to share Florida’s success story.

As a right-to-work state, with no income tax, Florida is ranked #2 by CEO’s for its business environment.