Scripps, Max Planck are getting incentives, not corporate welfare

By John R. Smith We read the occasional ain't-it-awful diatribe from anti-business types about how investments of tax money in Scripps Research Institute and Max Planck are corporate welfare.

[keboca]

I need a place to park my boat, The place I used to park has condo's on it now. The owner of the property had his property tax's raised from $17,000 to over 100,000 in one year.
Now how about helping a core industry, resterant's, marina's any industry on the water need's to be protected from crazy tax's, even 10% a year is a death sentence.

[JOHN DOE]

Biotechnology is not the computer industry. Biotech companies are usually very small and employ very few people. Also, where are all the schools and colleges in this area where all this training for biotech is supposed to be happening? PBCC has a new two year program in its beginning stages, but no four year or graduate school in the area is offering anything yet. They are all waiting to see if it's worth it. The biotech industry, if it can be called that, is still very unstable. The majority of biotech companies do not survive beyond their first few years of existence. Creating drugs or genetically engineered products is very different than creating a new software program or airplane. Also, Florida is getting into this business late. Other areas of the country, notably Boston and San Francisco have well established biotech centers with famous, top flight scientific universities nearby to support them. Can Florida say that? Maybe in twenty or thirty years. Do you think students of today will want to wait around that long? Would you? Finally, Scripps and these other institutes funded by our taxes are under no obligation to stay here in Florida. Their contract with Florida says that they can up and leave Florida any time they want without paying any penalty. Nor are they obligated to hire people from Florida. They have openly stated that they will do what they want when they want and accept no responsibility for anything. That was part of the agreement to get them to come here. So what exactly are the taxpayers of this state getting for all this investment besides the bill?

[eagle]

JOHN DOE wrote:

Biotechnology is not the computer industry. Biotech companies are usually very small and employ very few people. Also, where are all the schools and colleges in this area where all this training for biotech is supposed to be happening? PBCC has a new two year program in its beginning stages, but no four year or graduate school in the area is offering anything yet. They are all waiting to see if it's worth it. The biotech industry, if it can be called that, is still very unstable. The majority of biotech companies do not survive beyond their first few years of existence. Creating drugs or genetically engineered products is very different than creating a new software program or airplane. Also, Florida is getting into this business late. Other areas of the country, notably Boston and San Francisco have well established biotech centers with famous, top flight scientific universities nearby to support them. Can Florida say that? Maybe in twenty or thirty years. Do you think students of today will want to wait around that long? Would you? Finally, Scripps and these other institutes funded by our taxes are under no obligation to stay here in Florida. Their contract with Florida says that they can up and leave Florida any time they want without paying any penalty. Nor are they obligated to hire people from Florida. They have openly stated that they will do what they want when they want and accept no responsibility for anything. That was part of the agreement to get them to come here. So what exactly are the taxpayers of this state getting for all this investment besides the bill?

ask jeb