A few quick things to report from this week:

First off, here’s a quick recap:  Monday – I visited a VFW Retirement Home and Rotary Club in Ocala.  Then spent the afternoon at the Marion County Emergency Operations Center (it was very impressive).  On Tuesday, I was back in Hernando County, among other things, for the ribbon cutting at a new restaurant opening on Mariner Blvd (also very impressive). And then on Thursday, I headed back up to Ocala in the morning to visit with Rep. Paul Ryan during his brief stop there, and finally headed back over to Citrus County.

All in all, it was a busy, but productive week.  I did also want to share a bit of much-needed good news on the economic front.

Before I headed over to the VFW on Monday, I was at the Hernando County Airport bright and early.  I wasn’t there for a flight, obviously.  I was there to witness the opening of the beautiful new control tower that has just come on line.  This is a big deal. The tower is a sign that the businesses and community leaders expect that the level of business going through and around the airport is going to continue growing.  And I can tell you that this optimism isn’t coming out of nowhere.  

You may recall that on October 4^th, Accuform Signs announced that would be expanding their manufacturing facility near the airport and adding almost three hundred new sustainable, private sector jobs. Accuform is taking a chance on Central Florida, first and foremost, because of what they believe the future will hold for their company. But they chose to expand in Central Florida specifically because they’ve made the calculation that this location makes the most business sense for them.  It isn’t magic.  It’s economics. And that is exactly what Central Florida (and much of the rest of the United States) needs.  We need investment.  And there is only one way that we get that kind of investment – and that is with the proper mix of confidence and incentives.

The more Washington can do to give businesses a reason to believe that the next few years will be better than the last, the more investment will continue to happen.  And if we combine that certainty and optimism with the proper incentives – at both the state and federal level – the more we can ensure that this investment is going where we need it.

The same holds true whether it is a new manufacturing facility or a new restaurant.  Two days after the airport tower opening, I attended the ribbon cutting for a new restaurant on Mariner Blvd.  As anybody in the restaurant business can tell you, it is one of the most competitive, high-risk businesses anywhere.  And we’ve got individuals who are feeling confident enough about this community that they are ready to take that risk.

These things may not seem like such a big deal at first, but I can assure you that for the families who are looking for work right now, who will find a job because these entrepreneurs took a chance on our community, it is a very big deal.  This is what a recovery will look like.  When you see the scaffolding and bulldozers and you see the banners hanging in the windows advertising, “Grand Opening”, you know that the community is headed in the right direction.  I am going to continue pushing for policies that help encourage new businesses, instead of rubber stamping regulations that put up roadblocks for these new businesses. 

In any case, I was encouraged by what I saw this week, and I wanted to make sure you were aware of it. The other important thing to note this week is the beginning of the annual Open Enrollment Period for Medicare. 

Seniors who want to explore if there are better options available can and should do so during this period.  For more information, seniors should visit www.medicare.gov.  The following link in particular contains information that will routine for most of you, but for some it may be a helpful introduction to the process. 

http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/11219.pdf

As always, if you have any questions – about open enrollment or anything else – please don’t hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Rich Nugent

Member of Congress