Enterprise Florida’s board has approved about $6 million in cuts. Enterprise Florida is the agency designed to bring more business to the state.
The cuts include up to 26 positions out of a total of 90. Officials say 15 of those positions are currently vacant. Some of the jobs being eliminated are in central Florida.
Alan Becker is vice chairman of the Enterprise Florida Board. He said some international offices that aren’t providing a good return on investment will close.
“For example, our most expensive office was in China and yet we’ve gotten almost no return on that in terms of Chinese companies investing in Florida,” said Becker.
Also cut from the budget: funding for the foreign offices in Japan and South Africa.
The board is also asking the Florida Legislature to transfer Visit Florida and Florida Sports Foundation out of Enterprise Florida’s supervisory authority, saying tourism is not part of its core mission.