Fla. incentive programs rank 14

An independent research group ranked Florida's economic development incentive programs 14th in the nation, good for a letter grade of “C” on its arbitrary scale.

According to the new report published by Good Jobs First, the states with the best development programs are Vermont, North Carolina, and Nevada.

Some of Florida's programs received high marks from the research group, including its Capital Investment Tax Credit and the Quick Action Closing Fund. Those programs require that funding recipients report on project progress, then use agency resources to verify those progress reports.

But Florida's weakest program is the Economic Development Transportation Fund. According to Good Jobs First, the Transportation Fund fails to penalize funding recipients who do not deliver on their development promises.

Another program with a glaring weakness is the Enterprise Zone Program. State officials do not verify the performance outcomes of recipients of EZP money, Good Jobs First says.

Each of Florida's incentive programs lost points for failing to report statistics and investment return information online.