When it comes to living in any state, the amount of money one makes is a big factor in a person’s or family’s prosperity.
Wages can also be used to convince prospective residents to move to another state.
Florida Governor Rick Scott talks about wages in the Sunshine State all of the time, but U.S. House Representative Gwen Graham says that may not be such a good thing.
The Florida Democrat says, “We rank 38th in wages. (Rick Scott) goes out around the country and advertises that to other states.”
PolitiFact Florida heard the claim. They gave it a HALF TRUE rating on their Truth-O-Meter.
Writer Josh Gillin said Representative Graham’s point that wages are low in Florida is spot on, but her claim against the governor, may be not so much.
“The idea that Rick Scott has been going and saying this to other states on all these trips he’s taking to recruit firms to come to Florida, we really didn’t find any evidence of that,” Gillin said.
Gillin went on to say Governor Scott typically focuses on taxes.
For that reason, Representative Graham’s claim received at HALF TRUE rating.
SOURCES: Poor Florida job ranking touted Graham says
- U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, comments to the Florida delegation at the Democratic National Convention, July 28, 2016
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "Florida's low-wage jobs nothing to brag about," Jan. 16, 2015
- Tampa Bay Times, "Bousquet: Gov. Rick Scott hopes to poach Pennsylvania jobs," Feb. 16, 2015
- PennLive.com, "Florida Gov. Rick Scott invites Pennsylvanians to move south for lower taxes: PennLive letters," Feb. 19, 2015
- WDRB, "Florida Gov. Rick Scott's plan to lure Kentucky jobs to the Sunshine State could be working," Sept. 22, 2015
- Orlando Weekly, "Low wages cost Florida taxpayers $11.4 billion yearly, SEIU study says," Feb. 24, 2016
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "Floridians still recovering from income lost in recession," April 1, 2016
- Palm Beach Post, "Why are voters angry despite more jobs? Those jobs aren’t paying much," April 22, 2016
- Huffington Post, "Florida Governor Rick Scott Attacks Minimum Wage Increase... In California," April 26, 2016
- Tampa Bay Business Journal, "Enterprise Florida ad targets California minimum wage ahead of Scott trip," April 26, 2016
- Palm Beach Post, "Sunshine State-Golden State scorecard as Scott searches for business," April 27, 2016
- Los Angeles Times, "Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants to use the minimum wage hike to steal California businesses," May 2, 2016
- PolitiFact, "Florida agency's misleading attack on California's minimum wage hike," May 4, 2016
- Orlando Sentinel, "Kassab: Rick Scott shamelessly plugs low wages in Florida," May 5, 2016
- PolitiFact, "Jerry Brown’s Half True Claim About California Doubling Florida’s Job Gains," May 6, 2016
- Palm Beach Post, "Editorial: Florida’s low wages are nothing to brag about, Gov. Scott," May 6, 2016
- Indeed Hiring Lab, "The State of Opportunity: Overcoming the wage crisis in today’s labor market," July 2016
- Gov. Rick Scott, "Governor Rick Scott to Kentucky Business Leaders: Book a One-Way Ticket to Florida," accessed Aug. 1, 2016
- Gov. Rick Scott, "Governor Rick Scott to Pennsylvania Job Creators: I’ll See You in February," accessed Aug. 1, 2016
- Gov. Rick Scott, "Governor Rick Scott to Illinois Business Leaders: Get a One Way Ticket to Florida," accessed Aug. 1, 2016
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, accessed Aug. 1, 2016
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, accessed Aug. 1, 2016
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, accessed Aug. 2, 2016
- Florida statutes, 448.110: General labor regulations, accessed Aug. 2, 2016
- Interview with Matt Harringer, Graham spokesman, Aug. 1, 2016
- Interview with Jackie Schutz, Scott spokeswoman, Aug. 1, 2016
- Interview with Tara Sinclair, George Washington University economist, Aug. 1, 2016
- Interview with Bill Seyfried, Rollins College economics professor, Aug. 1, 2016
- Interview with Chris Lafakis, Moody’s senior economist, Aug. 2, 2016