State CFO tells 'tale of two governments'

Before a roomful of business leaders, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater told a tale of two governments.

First, one in which Florida’s leaders, despite opposition, trimmed government spending to offset a $6 billion decrease in revenues following the economic downturn in 2006.

Second, of other states in which leaders assumed debt and increased taxes on constituents.

The result: Florida as been the top job creator of any state in the nation for the last three years, and its economy now is the 16th largest in the world.

“That’s the difference of (financial) discipline,” Atwater told his audience, during a luncheon Oct. 19 at the Polo Grill and Bar for members of the Sarasota and Manatee county chambers of commerce and the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance. “The best thing we can do for you is set up up for recovery. This is not a Tallahassee story. This is your story.”

Atwater said Florida must remain vigilant and remember how vulnerable the state can be to international financial crisis or other changes in the market. Florida must diversify its economy by creating more jobs in sectors such as life sciences, research and others. 

“I would like to see far broader economy that would not be susceptible to downturns,” he said.