Governor Rick Scott is set to visit California next week, in another effort to lure businesses to Florida.
 
Ahead of the trip, the Governor’s office released a radio ad that will run in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.  

In it, two women briefly discuss California’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2022.
 
Woman #1: Every day you hear of somebody else losing a job.
 
Woman #2: Sure seems like it.
 
Woman #1: And we will lose more jobs soon - seven hundred thousand.
 
Woman #2: Excuse me?
 
Woman #1: Seven hundred thousand. That’s how many California jobs will be lost thanks to the politicians raising the minimum wage.
 
Woman #2: How can that be?
 
Woman #1: Economists predict it will be too much for companies to afford, so they will do layoffs. Replace people with computer kiosks and robots.
 
Woman #2: That will hurt people on a fixed income.
 
Woman #1: Exactly. The minimum wage hike hurts the same people it was supposed to help.
 
Woman #2: It’s time to leave California.
 
Woman #1: You got that right.
 
Woman #2: This place is beautiful, but you just can’t afford to live here.
 
“What they’re doing is hurting their economy,” Scott said.  “And hurting the people that need the jobs the most.”
 
Rebecca Harris, a USF St. Petersburg economics instructor, calls it a scare tactic.
 
“Nobody really knows. It’s a gradual increase,” Harris said. “It’s going to take place over a number of years so businesses have time to adapt.”
 
Bay News 9 reached out to California Governor Jerry Brown’s office for a reaction.
 
“As one of the millions of tourists flocking to the Golden State this time of year, we’d like to extend a warm welcome to the Governor,” said spokesperson Evan Westrup.  “We can understand why he’s coming back -- there’s lots to do and plenty to learn. In fact, since his last 2,000 mile cross-country jaunt, California has added twice as many jobs as Florida, while paying down debt, building a robust rainy day fund and taking bold action on issues Governor Scott continues to ignore, like climate change and poverty.“