TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida started running a radio ad in Los Angeles and San Francisco on Monday in advance of Gov. Rick Scott's second mission to California to try to attract businesses and jobs.
The ad by the public-private Enterprise Florida attacks a deal that will increase the minimum wage in California from $10 an hour to $15 an hour.
The minimum wage is slated to increase 50 cents a year in 2017 and 2018 and then by $1 a year through 2022.
The ad, titled "Keep the Sunshine, Lose the Taxes," is presented as two women discussing California's economy. It claims the increase will cost the state 700,000 jobs, with one of the women saying, "This place is beautiful, but you just can't afford to live here."
An announcer then advises people to "Go to Florida instead -- no state income tax and Gov. Scott has cut regulations."
LISTEN: Florida ad running on California radio stations
Florida's minimum wage is currently $8.05 an hour, and Scott opposes a minimum wage hike in Florida.
“I want more people to get jobs,” Scott said. “There’s a study that says in California they’re going to raise the minimum wage (and) they're going to lose 700,000 jobs.”
In a statement, California Gov. Jerry Brown's press secretary pointed out that since Scott was last in California, “California has added twice as many jobs as Florida, while paying down debt.”
The statement also said that the state has taken bold action on issues that Scott continues to ignore, including climate change and poverty.
“Our labor force is growing faster than California, wage growth, job growth rate is faster than California,” Scott said. “What they are doing is hurting their economy. It hurts the people who need the jobs the most.”
Scott announced last week that he would return to California to meet with unspecified businesses to pitch the benefits of Florida.
Scott will also participate in the Milken Institute's Global Conference 2016, which is meeting May 1-4 in Los Angeles.
According to the conference's website, Scott will appear May 2 as part of a panel entitled "Governors Address Challenges Facing States," alongside Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
Scott visited Los Angeles last May as part of a series of economic-development missions that included trips to Connecticut, New York, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
Legislation for a $15 minimum wage in Florida died without a hearing this spring.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.