 Feature
Story
Governor
Crist Helps Lower Businesses’
Health Care Costs with
Cover Florida
By Governor
Charlie Crist
I am blessed to be Governor
of a beautiful state with tens of thousands of
businesses covering a multitude of industries. From the
tourism sector that has been a hallmark of the Sunshine
State for decades to the growing areas of biotechnology
and aerospace, Florida’s business environment continues
to open doors to economic opportunity.
To ensure continued opportunities for innovation and
entrepreneurship in the Sunshine State, I believe we
must do what we can as government officials to lower the
cost of doing business and living here. We already are
doing well in that respect: The Tax Foundation said last
year that Florida has the nation's fifth most "business
friendly" tax codes. And since I took office, we have
lowered property taxes and property insurance for
businesses and the homeowners they employ.
But taxes are not the only expenses businesses worry
about, and these are challenging economic times for
businesses in Tampa Bay and around the country.
Providing health insurance for employees is a concern
that affects both small businesses and large
corporations. A healthy workforce is a productive
workforce, but we all know that health care costs are
rising. And too many people simply go without coverage
because they cannot afford it. That is why I am so proud
to launch Cover Florida, an innovative health insurance
plan that will provide affordable access to almost 4
million uninsured Floridians.
This plan, with basic preventive care for as little as
$150 a month for an individual, will make a big
difference to small business owners like Cindi and Dan
Perron. They live in North Florida, and Cindi sent me an
e-mail recently to share her story. They have owned a
heating and air conditioning business for more than 20
years, and they have 12 employees. But the Perrons have
not had health insurance for 21 years because they could
not afford to buy it for themselves – nor could they
afford it for their employees.
Cover Florida will provide the Perrons and all of their
employees with affordable insurance. They will benefit
from pre-tax savings when they purchase a Cover Florida
plan. Cover Florida will provide health insurance to
Floridians ages 19 to 64 who have not had coverage for
at least six months. For about $150 a month, a Floridian
will be able to get the regular medical check ups,
prescriptions and screenings that prevent costly
illnesses and emergency room visits. In addition,
consumers will be able to purchase coverage for hospital
stays, emergency care, and in-patient and outpatient
surgical care. The Cover Florida plan will be available
as early as January 2009.
We also continue our efforts to generate new jobs and
economic activity. Through a recently announced
initiative called Accelerate Florida, we are working to
speed up capital improvement projects worth some $30
billion. The Department of Business and Professional
Regulation is working to make sure government gets out
of the way of progress on these projects by removing red
tape and making the permitting process more efficient.
The new classrooms, roadway improvements and water
projects will boost the economy by creating thousands of
jobs. They will make Florida a more efficient and even
more pleasant place to do business.
I am committed to increasing our international trade
because it is good for Florida’s economy. More than one
million jobs in our state depend on international
business. Approximately 43,000 Florida companies export
products, giving the Sunshine State the second largest
concentration of exporters in the United States. These
jobs in international trade offer high wages and bring
increased value to our economy. Florida’s relationship
with other nations is reaping benefits right here in
Tampa Bay. This summer, during my 10-day trade mission
to Europe, I joined Seminole Electric of Tampa in
announcing that they are in negotiations with Renovalia
photovoltaic solar energy facility in Spain to establish
a new solar plant in Florida.
I am also encouraged by our continued advances into the
area of biotechnology. With the arrival of research
firms like Scripps, the Burnham Institute, Max Planck,
and the Oregon Health & Science University’s Vaccine and
Gene Therapy Institute, Florida is strengthening the
foundation for an exciting new economic generator. The
Cambridge, Mass.-based Draper Laboratory announced in
July that it will partner with the University of South
Florida and establish research centers at USF and in St.
Petersburg. Draper is one of the world’s leading
research and development laboratories, and its new
centers in Tampa and St. Petersburg will create 165 new
jobs with an average wage well above the state average.
These research institutes are not only creating jobs,
they are making advances in medicine and biotechnology
that will improve lives for generations to come.
Meanwhile, Florida’s tourism industry is growing.
According to VISIT FLORIDA, the state's official tourism
marketing corporation, 46.1 million people have visited
the Sunshine State between January and June of this
year. That is 2.7 percent more than visited during the
same period in 2007. The numbers are good news for so
many tourism-related companies and businesses, and they
remind us that Florida is a beautiful place to live,
work, and play.
As a longtime Floridian who has grown up in Tampa Bay, I
appreciate this area’s wonderful businesses and natural
wonders. And as Governor, I remain committed to creating
opportunities for all of the state’s businesses to
flourish and prosper.
Thank you and God Bless.
Charlie Crist, Governor
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