Registration opens for Florida Jobs Summit

TALLAHASSEE Registration has opened for the statewide-focused Florida Jobs Summit that Senate President-designate Mike Haridopolos and House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon will convene in January to build consensus on a policy direction for the 2010 session of the Florida Legislature for boosting investment, economic growth and job creation in the Sunshine State.

Participants can register for the event at www.FloridaJobsSummit.com. The event will be held Jan. 15 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, and the $75 registration fee for the event includes breakfast and a served lunch. The deadline for registration is 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11.

The event will bring together diverse stakeholders representing business, government, education and labor to discuss and develop a smart, strong and strategic agenda for restoring the state's economy to robust growth.

Gov. Charlie Crist, members of the Florida Cabinet, state legislators and local elected officials are expected to participate at the summit. Groups that have already expressed such interest include Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Retail Federation, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the AFL-CIO and the Florida Education Association.

With some economists predicting Florida's job woes may persist to 2012 or beyond, the Summit will focus on developing a meaningful state strategy in three key action areas:

•Identifying and removing barriers to new jobs development,

•Developing appropriate financial and tax incentives to lure new jobs to Florida, and

•Enabling existing employers to create new jobs and retain existing jobs.

For more information, please visit www.FloridaJobsSummit.com.