GrayRobinson's recent Community Leader Forum held on July 10, 2013 in the firm's downtown Orlando office featured Jesse Panuccio, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Panuccio has served on Governor Scott's staff since 2011 and accepted the Executive Director position with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) earlier this year. The Legislature created DEO as a single state agency charged with coordinating and streamlining various economic development functions. Working with its partners at Enterprise Florida and Workforce Florida, the DEO handles a broad array of responsibilities including re-employment assistance, labor-market analysis and forecasting, community development and planning, granting and monitoring of economic incentives, and monitoring of regional workforce boards.
Echoing the sentiments of Governor Scott, Panuccio was pleased to announce that "It's Working." He believes that the 2011 legislation created the tools necessary to help foster economic prosperity in this state by lowering taxes for businesses and streamlining regulatory processes. Florida's economy has nearly 300,000 private sector jobs since Governor Scott took office, and the state's annual job growth rate has exceeded the national average every month since March 2012. Panuccio expressed his commitment to helping Governor Scott and the Legislature continue these positive trends.
Through its Community Leader Forums, GrayRobinson brings together clients, attorneys and friends of the firm to hear high-profile business and community leaders and elected officials discuss issues of importance to the state of Florida.