Governor Scott is touting Florida’s allegedly strong economic numbers but two independent studies in consecutive weeks pour some reality on the GOP’s party. Last week the Collins Institute released a report that was alarming indicating among other things that Florida is completely incapable of attracting the types of high-wage jobs the state needs.  In our #itsnotworking series last month we highlighted the inability of Florida’s Republican leadership to bring the types of skilled jobs to the state that are needed. Governor Scott’s killing of High Speed Rail, a program that under Governor Crist would have produced upwards of 50,000 higher-wage, skilled jobs for whatever reason has not been used as a campaign issue yet against him. We will have more on the High Speed Rail issue in the very near future.

Yesterday, the non-partisan Pew Charitable Trust  released a report indicating that Florida’s recovery hasn’t been quite what Governor Scott and his legislative allies have advertised.

Despite declining unemployment numbers, plenty of evidence exists that Florida’s economy is not where it should be. How this impacts the campaigns of Democrats for the legislature and cabinet remains to be seen. Democrats have been reluctant at times to use economic issues against the Republicans despite continued evidence that sixteen years of uninterrupted Republican rule of the state has caused Florida to lose ground when compared to its neighbors and the nation as a whole.