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Gov. Scott: Machinery, equipment tax cut will help Florida bring in manufacturing jobs

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Rick Scott told WFTV the state has to compete for manufacturing jobs, and he believes cutting the tax on machinery and equipment will help Florida do just that.

Coastal Steel employs about 50 people, but the Brevard County company said it could hire more if the state eliminated its tax on machinery and manufacturing equipment.

That's exactly what Scott said he wanted lawmakers to do when he toured the Cocoa company Wednesday afternoon.

“It would be tremendous for us,” said shop superintendent Tom Hanson.

Coastal Steel manufactures structures for everything from roof decking to space vehicle and missile components. The company recently placed an order for a $1 million piece of shop equipment, and eliminating the state tax on it would save the company $60,000.

“It's enough to hire additional equipment and hire people,” said quality manager Charles Horton.

However, eliminating the state tax would cost Florida an estimated $115 million in tax revenue, annually.

"We can't afford to lose are manufacturing jobs. We have to grow jobs,” Scott said.

Scott also talked about working with Enterprise Florida to try to attract new business to the state.