Addressing a crowd of the party faithful yesterday evening at the local Republican Executive Committee’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner held at the Bent Pine Country Coub, Gov. Rick Scott urged his fellow Republican to help him maintain a course he believes has made Florida a model for the nation. 

Scott said by cutting spending, regulation and taxes Florida has added 300,000 private sector jobs since he took office in 2010.  In his campaign for the governor’s office, Scott laid out seven steps to creating 700,000 jobs in seven years.  

Though his approval rating is sputter near record low levels, and though he is trailing former governor Charlie Crist in early polling, Scott seemed both confident of his policies and optimistic about his prospects for reelection. 

“We are doing the right things,” Scott reiterated throughout his speech Monday evening.

With unemployment in Florida now below the national average, and the state’s housing inventory as a five-year low, Scott said he is optimistic the Florida economy will continue to rebound. 

Scott pointed to the investment his administration has made in Florida’s 15 seaports as an example of the kind of government investment that can lead to job creation.  Florida’s challenge, he said, is to attract more manufacturing jobs.  Though the state has more seaports than any other state in the nation, it lags in manufacturing.  

“I haven’t met one person in the state who shouldn’t be a Republican,” Scott said to loud applause. 

Earlier in the day, the governor visited the new Royal Palm Pointe offices of local ratio personality Rhett Palmer.  Scott used the opportunity to underscore his theme that government cannot create jobs, but, by reducing regulation and taxes,  can encourage businesses to invest and grow.