December 9, 2011 in business aviation, business jets, corporate aircraft, corporate jets, Embraer, Florida, Governor Rick Scott, Miscellaneous by Jerry H. Trachtman

Florida Benefits from Business Aviation Despite Governor Rick Scott

Most politicians are hypocrites. What they say and what they do are rarely the same. Florida Governor Rick Scott has proven himself to be a true politician, tailoring his message to whatever audience he stands before. He kept a campaign promise and sold (below market value) the State’s Beech King Air and Cessna Citation aircraft as soon as he took office. Prior to his election, and obviously playing on the negative public sentiment created when the CEO's of the Big Three auto makers traveled to DC by company aircraft to request government bailout money, Scott promised that if elected, he would get rid of the airplanes. He preached to the voters that business aircraft are, plain and simple, a waste of money (See my January 14, 2011 Blog). All this anti-aircraft rhetoric from a man who built his Columbia/HCA empire (which became the largest, private for-profit health care company in the US) using his personal Gulfstream jet for business travel (which he still uses). Clearly, Governor Scott knows the utility, and time and cost savings, of travel by business aircraft. And now the icing on the hypocritical cake. On Dec 5, 2011 I attended the opening of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer’s Global Customer Center at the Melbourne, Florida airport. Anyone in the world who is buying an Embraer business jet will come to this state of the art facility to choose the details of their aircraft. Embraer, a world leader in the manufacture of business jets, also opened its first aircraft assembly facility in the US at the Melbourne, Florida airport earlier this year. Embraer's $50 million, 150,000 square foot high tech facility will employ hundreds of skilled workers. Fortunately, Embraer made its committment to Florida before Scott became governor. Governor Scott attended the opening, and talked about how wonderful it is that Embraer is building business jets in Florida, and how wonderful it is that the Global Customer Center is in Florida, and how wonderful it is that Embraer plans future expansion, and how he hopes they sell lots of business jets. For a Governor who campaigned on a promise to get rid of the State's business aircraft as wasteful and carried out the promise, Governor Hypocrite has proven how skillful he is at tailoring his message to what he believes his audience wants to hear. Yes, Governor, business aviation creates jobs, pumps money into the economy, and saves business travelers time and money. Embraer builds some of the best business jets, and as a result Florida will benefit.