By Rick Scott, Special to the Times
In Print: Sunday, January 22, 2012

There is perhaps no better way to judge the direction of Florida’s economy since I took the oath of office last January than by looking at the percentage of people who have jobs this year but were out of work one year ago. The unemployment number is 2.1 percentage points lower this year than it was in 2010.

There have been 130,000 jobs created since my inauguration, even though local, state and federal governments have laid off thousands of workers across the state. This is further evidence that private sector businesses can thrive even when government cannot make ends meet.

Getting this state back to work — and keeping it working in the long run — is precisely why I ran for governor. Florida can be the No. 1 place to start, grow and bring a business, and 2011 proved to be a successful year in turning our economy around and taking a step toward that goal.

Friday we learned that Florida’s unemployment rate went down again for the fourth straight month and on an annual basis for the tenth time this year, to 9.9 percent. This is the first time the unemployment rate has been in single digits in more than 2½ years. Over the past 12 months, Florida has been one of the leading states for decreasing its unemployment rate — far outpacing the decrease of the nationwide unemployment rate that has declined by only 0.9 percentage points over the same period. Florida has dropped by a significant 2.1 percentage points since its peak of 12 percent in December 2010.

Since my first day in office, I have been committed to creating jobs for Florida’s businesses and families, and we are succeeding. More than 5,000 new private sector jobs were added in December, and since last January, for every public sector job lost, more than 12 private sector jobs have been created. Last year alone, the businesses in our state created more than 140,000 private sector jobs. That is an average of 12,800 jobs per month.

Clearly the changes we have been making with the help of the Legislature over the last year are moving Florida in the right direction. These changes include streamlining government, removing barriers that inhibit job creation, eliminating burdensome regulations and keeping the cost of living low for all of Florida’s families.

While these job creation figures are positive, I know there is still work that needs to be done. The year 2011 was very good, but we can’t afford to rest on that success. We must look forward to both the short-term and the long-term future of Florida. My goal is to do everything possible to keep attracting new businesses to Florida and encouraging existing businesses to expand here.

But I’m not stopping there. Florida can be the premier global business destination for new and existing companies. To achieve that goal, it is vital that we have the best educated workforce with the necessary skills to be competitive in our 21st century global economy. I have proposed adding $1 billion for K-12 education — the third-largest amount of state K-12 funding in the past decade. Getting a good job is inextricably linked to getting a good education, and I will not sign any budget into law that does not contain significantly more state dollars for education than we had last year. I am pleased the Florida House of Representatives shares my vision and has allocated more than $1 billion for education.

Prioritizing transportation projects is also important. Preparing Florida’s ports for increased trade from the expanded Panama Canal and free trade agreements will ensure Florida is a global trading hub and attract businesses to our state from across the world.

Florida is already the top tourist destination, and we are well on our way to being the leading place for business. We are making great progress in the Sunshine State, and I look forward to working closely with the Legislature to identify ways to ensure that every Floridian who wants a job can get one.

Rick Scott is governor of Florida.