By Carole Hawkins, [email protected]
Two weeks before Florida’s November election, state Rep. Lake Ray wasn’t as concerned about his own bid for re-election as that of Gov. Rick Scott’s.
“We have a governor who’s engaged in broadening the economic drivers,” Ray said, “Looking at manufacturing, looking at ports, looking at international trade and bringing it to the state of Florida.”
The broadening of industries in Florida is something Ray has championed during the six years he’s served in the Legislature.
Ray talked about the election’s significance, as well as top issues legislators will face in the 2015 session, at the Women’s Council of Realtors’ October business lunch.
On the economy, he was generally upbeat.
Florida is headed for a surplus again this year, of about $400,000. That’s less than the previous $1.2 billion surplus, but is still a sign the economy is doing well, Ray said.
To prevent huge booms and busts in the future, though, Florida’s economy must not depend so heavily on tourism and real estate, he said, which are highly cyclical.
Florida’s ports and manufacturing — which found support under the Scott administration — can help even out those swings.
Manufacturers who left the U.S. years ago are interested in re-shoring, Ray said. One reason is because the cost of energy is cheaper here than other parts of the world.
Twenty years ago, 50 percent of costs of manufacturing went to energy and materials and the other 50 percent to labor, Ray said. Today, because of technology advances, materials and energy comprise 70 percent of costs.
That makes it a good time to create programs to bring manufacturing and other economic development back, Ray said.
“You want to be at the front of that parade,” Ray said. “A lot of companies were not looking at coming to Florida, because we hadn’t been in this game before.”
Other issues Ray talked about included:
Medical marijuana amendment: “Frankly I don’t support it,” Ray said. He voted in favor of another medical marijuana initiative this year, but said Amendment 2 is worded too broadly, and there’s not much flexibility to change that.
“It’s, in effect, legalizing marijuana,” Ray said. “You don’t have to see a physician. One of the reasons for which you can get so-called medical marijuana is to treat stress.”
Medicaid: Look for the debate over whether to accept federal funds for expanding Medicaid to re-emerge this year, Ray said. The Florida House has opposed it in the past. But with a new House speaker coming in, he said, the measure could be handled differently.
Port dredging: Ray said he’ll look for funds to dredge the Port of Jacksonville, which is considered an economic driver in Northeast Florida. Most of the money for the $684 million project will come from the federal government, but state and local governments must pick up part of the cost. “It’s going to be a big issue,” Ray said. “And not just a Washington issue. It’s going to be a Tallahassee and a Jacksonville issue.”