Florida Governor Visits Philadelphia To Woo Business Away
By David Spunt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Florida Governor Rick Scott spent Monday in Philadelphia, meeting with business leaders to try and convince them to move their companies to Florida.
Scott met with Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens to discuss store growth in Florida. Currently, Wawa has 61 stores in Florida, but will add 25 stores each year for the next two years.
"If I can make Florida the best place in the United States, I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen," Scott told Eyewitness News.
Gheysens said while Wawa is expanding in Florida, the company will remain headquartered in Wawa, Pennsylvania.
Scott criticized the Pennsylvania income tax, adding that businesses and residents should buy a one way ticket to Florida.
Governor Tom Wolf's office released the following statement to Eyewitness News: "Governor Wolf spent decades in business and built his company into the largest distributor of kitchen cabinets in the country. He knows what the business community needs, and he is working to improve the stagnant economy he inherited by investing in education and creating strong, middle-class jobs. Gov. Scott's political theatre doesn't mean anything."
Scott will continue meetings in Philadelphia on Tuesday.