Governor Rick Scott called for teacher pay raises and a manufacturing tax break in his annual State of the State speech on Tuesday.
Instead of his tag line "let's get to work," Scott had a new phrase:
"And after two years of hard work, this update can be summed up in two words: 'It's working.'"
Scott touted job growth, lower unemployment and a generally improving economy since he took office.
They could be talking points for a re-election campaign in which he might face former Governor Charlie Crist. Scott talked about job losses during the four years before he became governor – when Crist held the post.
Scott's Republican colleagues gave only polite applause when he called for a 25-hundred dollar pay raise for teachers.
And when, near the end of his speech, Scott referred to his proposal to accept federal money to expand Medicaid for three years. Republicans didn't applaud at all – but Democrats gave him a standing ovation.
"I concluded that for the three years the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost of new people in Medicaid, I cannot, in good conscience, deny the uninsured access to care."
The first day of session came against a backdrop of protests on issues including the Stand Your Ground law and immigration.