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Gov. Scott Thanks Jacksonville's Sweet Pete's Candy For Creating Jobs

Gov. Scott awards "Sweet Pete" Behringer with a Governor's Business Ambassador medal for hiring 75 new employees over the last year after relocating downtown.
Lindsey Kilbride
/
WJCT News
Gov. Scott awards "Sweet Pete" Behringer with a Governor's Business Ambassador medal for hiring 75 new employees over the last year after relocating downtown.
Gov. Scott awards "Sweet Pete" Behringer with a Governor's Business Ambassador medal for hiring 75 new employees over the last year after relocating downtown.
Credit Lindsey Kilbride / WJCT News
/
WJCT News
Gov. Scott awards "Sweet Pete" Behringer with a Governor's Business Ambassador medal for hiring 75 new employees over the last year after relocating downtown.

At Sweet Pete’s downtown, kids marched up the stairs Monday to learn about candy making in therepurposedhistorical building, once the Seminole Club.Across the hall, Gov. Rick Scott was awarding the owners of the business, Sweet Pete himself and wife Allison Behringer, with Governor's Business Ambassador medals for hiring 75 new employees over the last year after relocating downtown.

 

Pete Behringer says Scott’s award is an honor.

“We are planning on growing,”Behringersaid. “We just recently opened  a store in Illinois in the Chicago area, and so we are working on just growing more Internet sales and also our business here in Jacksonville.”

As part of his $1 billion tax cut proposal, Scott wants to permanently do away with a tax on manufacturing equipment. He says that could help others expand too.

“How many people like Pete here and Allison don’t want to build a bigger business?” Scott asked. “They all do it. We put more money in their pockets, they’re going to build a bigger business and expand all across our state.”

Scott says he’s confident he’ll be able to get the tax cuts through the Legislature, but some powerful lawmakers have expressed doubts about the feasibility.

Copyright 2020 WJCT 89.9 FM Jacksonville. To see more, visit WJCT 89.9 FM Jacksonville.

Lindsey Kilbride joined WJCT News in 2015 after completing the radio documentary program at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine.