Rick Scott created nearly 2 million jobs as Florida's Governor and handed his successor a state running below the national unemployment average.
Now he's standing next to Trump's pick to replace that successor – and quietly making the case that the last eight years squandered what he built.
What Scott said in Doral on Monday left no doubt about who he blames for Florida's slide – or who he's betting can reverse it.
The Numbers DeSantis Doesn't Want You to See
Florida's unemployment rate hit 4.8% in May 2026.
That's nearly a full point above where it stood a year ago – and half a point above the national average.
The state shed more than 22,000 jobs over the past 12 months, with losses hitting construction, financial services, manufacturing, and hospitality.
Florida ranks 28th in the country for job growth.
Twenty-eighth.
https://twitter.com/PeterSchorschFL/status/2082069184779850088?s=20
Scott has been calling it out for months.
"Florida's unemployment rate is ABOVE the national average and it's only GROWING," he wrote in April. "Florida had one of the worst performing job markets over the past year."
“Higher costs of living in Florida are driving people away from the state. That’s bad for Floridians, bad for business, and bad for everyone,” Scott added.
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez put it plainly on national radio: "When you talk about Rick Scott and the amount of jobs that he brought into the state, that was unprecedented. We haven't seen it since."
What Scott Built and What He's Betting on Now
When Scott took office in 2011, Florida's unemployment rate was catastrophic – nearly 11%.
Eight years later he handed Ron DeSantis a state at 3.3% – a full point under the national average – with job growth that had outpaced the rest of the country in 79 of his final 80 months in office.
That's not spin.
That's what it looks like when a Governor makes jobs the only thing that matters.
Now Scott is throwing that legacy behind Byron Donalds – Trump's endorsed candidate to succeed the term-limited DeSantis.
"When Byron's there, jobs are going to flow to the state, 'cause he knows what it takes," Scott said Monday in Doral. "We're going to recruit companies. We're going to make sure small businesses can succeed. We're going to reduce the regulatory environment."
“Every time we can figure out a fee or a tax we can reduce, we’re gonna do that,” he continued. “And we’re going to support our law enforcement.”
Donalds raised $45 million in 2025 – a record for this stage of a Florida governor's race – and leads every Republican primary poll by double digits.
https://twitter.com/ScottforFlorida/status/2081798222507294834?s=20
A sitting U.S. Senator doesn't travel to Doral to endorse someone and simultaneously torch the outgoing Governor's economic record unless both moves are deliberate.
“Great morning campaigning with Florida's next Governor, Byron Donalds!” Scott wrote. “Packed house in Doral to tell everyone why Byron is the candidate who will help grow our economy and support small businesses,” he continued. “Early voting opens in many counties next week – make sure to get out early to support Byron!”
DeSantis spent eight years winning cultural fights – Disney, drag shows, college professors – and he won most of them.
But the man who handed him a thriving economy is now publicly telling Florida that the job numbers speak for themselves, that the state fell behind on the one thing that actually pays people's bills, and that it's going to take someone with Donalds's background in finance and business to get it back.
Scott didn't just endorse Donalds.
He indicted his successor's record to do it.
Sources:
- A.G. Gancarski, "Rick Scott says jobs will 'flow' back to Florida under Byron Donalds," Florida Politics, July 28, 2026.
- A.G. Gancarski, "Rick Scott pleads for state leaders to turn around troubled job market," Florida Politics, May 6, 2026.
- A.G. Gancarski, "As unemployment ticks up under Ron DeSantis, Daniel Perez recalls Rick Scott's legacy of creating jobs," Florida Politics, May 5, 2026.
- "Florida's jobless rate continued to rise in March," WUSF, May 3, 2026.
- "State Employment and Unemployment Summary," U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 2026.
- "Unemployment in Florida was at 4.8% in May 2026," USAFacts, July 6, 2026.
- "Byron Donalds posts record $22M quarter to kick off 2026 Governor's race," Florida Politics, April 1, 2026.
