How This GOP Governor Cut His State’s Unemployment Rate in Half

Melissa Quinn / February 10, 2016

When Florida Gov. Rick Scott took over as the Sunshine State’s chief executive in 2011, the state’s economy was struggling—unemployment hovered around 11 percent, Florida’s tourism industry was suffering and the state had added $5.2 billion to its debt.

Now, as Scott heads into his fifth year serving as governor, he’s touting the successes he’s had in boosting Florida’s economy. During Scott’s tenure, Florida’s unemployment rate has dropped to 5 percent, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and more than 1 million private-sector jobs were added.

Here is how Scott says he turned Florida’s economy around.