An Orlando banker who was called on by the gubernatorial campaign of Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum to make the case for a corporate tax increase ultimately had to apologize for calling the state a "shithole."
Ken LaRoe, founder and CEO of First Greenbank, made the remarks during a conference call with reporters about why a 2 percent corporate tax increase would be a sound investment in public education, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. He was joined on the call by Gillum's running mate, Chris King.
Gillum has proposed increasing Florida's corporate tax rate from 5.5 percent to 7.75 percent. LaRoe was supposed to argue that the money raised by the tax hike would help make Florida's workforce more competitive, thereby attracting high-tech and major corporations to the state.
"What is the dollars lost with Amazon not moving here?" LaRoe asked. He calculated First Greenbank would have a net profit of $10 million next year and could afford the estimated $200,000 tax increase. He added that he agreed with Gillum that collaboration between business, government and education is necessary for a competitive workforce.
At that point, LaRoe said, "What is the dollars lost when every other business won’t come here because quite frankly Florida is a shithole. It is a shithole in every measure whether it is caring for the elderly, care for the mentally ill, care for the developmentally disabled."
Later in the call, after King spoke, Gillum staffers brought LaRoe back to the phone to apologize for his choice of words. He said his comment reflected conversations he has had with executives around the nation about Florida.
"The rest of the country has looked at this state, the state of Florida, and what has happened to it under 20 years of Republican rule and that is what my comment is referring to," LaRoe said.
King distanced himself and Gillum from LaRoe’s comments.
"Mayor Gillum and I don’t share that view," King said. "We see a state that has so many great aspects to it that is incredible and beautiful in so many ways. ... But we also see a state that for many years has not had leadership that has cared for the needs of all of our people."
Gillum, who has touted his has touted his "unapologetic" progressive agenda on the campaign trail, is running against Republican candidate Ron DeSantis in a closely watched race for Florida governor.