Putnam has suggested that, instead of spending the $2.5 billion on the Lake Okeechobee reservoir, the state should instead increase funding for economic development in rural communities. While he doesn’t expand on what this economic development would consist of, Putnam himself comes from a rural background and has some experience in large public land purchases. The Putnam family owned 2,042-acres in Highlands County, Florida, on the Northeast side of Lake Okeechobee before selling the land to the South Florida Water Management District in 2005. The News Service of Florida reported that the land was purchased in 2005 for $25.5 million, after it had been appraised in 2004 for $5.5 million, as part of a water management district restoration that included the Everglades. As part of the deal, the Putnam family retained the right to use the land for cattle grazing.
Putnam’s push for alternative economic development concepts also comes at a time when Governor Rick Scott and Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala are battling House Speaker Richard Corcoran to continue supporting job creation efforts through Enterprise Florida tax incentives. Scott and Latvala strongly support continued tax breaks for companies that relocate to Florida and create jobs. Not just any jobs, the program requires businesses to create jobs that provide higher wages than the existing mean salary of the region and only awards the tax breaks if and when the criteria are met. Corcoran calls it corporate welfare.
