TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Gov. Rick Scott has vigorously defended Florida state agencies that recruit businesses and promote tourism, in a State of the State speech that also extensively reflected on the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Scott said in the prepared remarks Tuesday that it would be shortsighted to eliminate Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida and that each has helped the state's economy grow.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran wants to strip Enterprise Florida of state money and is backing significant cuts to the tourism agency.
Scott also spent much of the speech talking about the Orlando nightclub shooting that killed 49 victims, saying the hardest thing he had to do as governor was find the words to console victims' families. But he said that with every heartbreak and tragedy, Florida comes back stronger.
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