By Lynn Hatter
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Tallahassee, FL – Florida Governor Rick Scott has signed off on a plan merging several economic development agencies and eliminating the state's growth management department. As Lynn Hatter reports, the governor also named his newest agency head.
Enterprise Florida's Gray Swoope is the state's new Secretary of Commerce. The position was created under a new law that Governor Scott signed Tuesday.
Senate Bill 2156 eliminates the Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, Department of Community Affairs and the Agency for Workforce Innovation. Many of these agencies are folded into the new Department of Economic Opportunity.
Governor Rick Scott says the new office will allow the state to respond to business opportunities quicker. The agency has the ability to offer incentive deals for up to five million dollars with the Governor's approval. Packages for more than five million require legislative budget commission approval. Those packages can be anything from tax cuts and rebates, to land for building.