NetChoice pushes further Big Tech innovation in Florida, dings California

TAMPA, Fla. – Technology company NetChoice, a nonprofit based out of Washington, D.C., is pushing to broaden Florida’s Big Tech footprint on the domestic and international stage.

“The way that we do that is by educating lawmakers, the media and the public about different tech issues about the importance of the tech industry to the U.S. economy,” Rob Winterton, director of Public Affairs for NetChoice, told Florida’s Voice.

Florida currently has three cities in the top 25 for tech jobs added, with Miami in fourth place. Orlando placed 16th and Tampa Bay placed 21st.

Overall, the state created over 10,500 new tech jobs in 2021 along with over 2,700 new businesses.

As a result, Florida has amassed $70 billion into its economy.

“I think that means that Florida, especially when it comes to incoming technologies, and new ways of doing business, you know, new products for consumers, Florida’s gonna be an important place for businesses to have presence,” Winterton said.

Advocating for limited government, competition and choice in the tech market, NetChoice has brought its cause to the federal and state level, including Tallahassee.

Winterton pointed to the use of artificial intelligence by companies as one way Florida could propel itself as a lead driver and future engine of Big Tech innovation.

“As our member companies have grown in importance have, you know, really become national companies, they employ people all over the country, they employ a huge amount of people in Florida,” Winterton said. “And have really helped kind of develop the economy of the state from something which maybe before wasn’t quite as competitive as it is today.”

While NetChoice pushes its advocacy in Florida, Winterton contrasted the approach with California’s big government style on the industry, which has centered itself around Silicon Valley.

He argued that the blue state’s policies on Big Tech along with its regulations have driven up costs and took away jobs and people from the state.

Winterton noted California’s privacy laws as one reason the state was going in the wrong direction.

“The California model is there’s just like a broad regulation that can be applied in so many different ways to so many different businesses that is hugely complicated,” Winterton said. “It takes a whole huge team of lawyers and every company to comply with it and obviously, a lot of small businesses can’t afford that.”

While positioning itself against California, Winterton alluded that Florida could have a bigger place on the international stage, particularly against China.

The Chinese Communist Party’s big government policies and massive regulations on its population could offer a window for Florida to take advantage.

“I think that Florida has a real opportunity there to lead on the regulation and economic side of things, both, I would say for the tech industry and just more broadly,” Winterton said.

“When it does come to international competition and keeping the United States ahead of China, we’re not going to do that by acting like China,” Winterton said. “We’re not going to do that by passing top down regulations, having government control the economy.”

Winterton also pointed to Florida’s free market style and business system as one way it could assert itself over China on the global stage.

“We are far more free market state,” Winterton said. “I think it’s important that we keep ourselves as a free market state so that we can attract more business and really show that the way that the U.S. secures its position in the economy in the world of the future, is through free enterprise free markets and just freedom overall.”