Florida CFO brings smack talk to NY

It's not yet a rivalry to match the Tampa Rays vs. the New York Yankees, but a battle of words is bubbling between Sunshine and Empire State officials over economic development.

A highlight: In a July 20 interview with the New York Post, Florida CFO Jeff Atwater, a cabinet level officer, calls New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo a “huckster.”

Atwater's complaints are over New York's $100 million “Start-Up NY” campaign, which recently aired TV and radio commercials in Florida. The ads champion the “new New York,” which includes the opportunity to start a business in the state in a zero-tax zone for up to 10 years.

New York claiming business-friendly high ground is a tad much to Atwater. The campaign ads, Atwater says in July 18 letter to Cuomo, “portray an image of New York that simply cannot be supported by facts, particularly in comparison with Florida...The reality is that New York boasts the highest taxes in America, the highest costs of living in the country and one of the worst business climates in the nation.
Conversely, by every objective measure, Florida continues to be one of the best states in which to start a business and raise a family.”

Atwater then lists a comparison of business rankings and other data between the states. A sampling includes: CEO Magazine ranks Florida No. 2 in the nation to do business, while New York ranks No. 49; Florida's business tax climate is ranked No. 5 in the country by the Tax Foundation and New York is ranked No. 50; employment is up 3.1% over the last year in Florida against 1.3% in New York.

A spokesman for Cuomo, in the Post story, called the ads factually accurate accounts of the tax-free zones. The spokesman added that Atwater was “grandstanding.”

Atwater, in addition to the ads, needles Cuomo over the relationship between the two states. Writes Atwater: “I want to thank you for your recent interest in our great state and for spending the tax dollars of New York advertising here. It is perfectly understandable that you would want to stay in touch with so many former New Yorkers who have already discovered the allure of the Sunshine State and chose to relocate to Florida. Thanks, in part, to the wisdom of their decisions, Florida will soon surpass New York as the third largest state in the union.”