Florida CFO: We Can't Go Back to Where We've Been Before

Florida CFO Alex Sink says its time to make Florida’s economy less dependent on tourism and construction.

Sink, who’s a Democratic candidate for governor, spoke before the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club in Clearwater on ways to “remake our economy.”

Tourism industries have suffered a decline in visitors coming to Florida as a result of the Gulf oil spill. Sink said we can’t “go back to where we were before” in relation to relying on the tourism industry.

“Why shouldn’t we be known as the state that captures the power of solar and renewable energy,” Sink said. “We have a thriving healthcare industry and incredible cutting edge research.”

Sink also said that with these resources like these, Florida should be able to create sustainable good paying jobs as well.

Sink focused on education and her dismay towards Tallahassee’s current political situation and Senate Bill 6.

“Tallahassee is a mess,” Sink said. “Senate Bill 6 was nothing more than a Tallahassee bureaucratic takeover of our local school systems.”

The bill, which was passed earlier this year and later vetoed by current Gov. Charlie Crist, tied teacher pay directly to student performance.

Sink is expected to be the Democratic nominee for governor, but recent polls show her trailing both Attorney General Bill McCollum and businessman Rick Scott.