Mitt Romney's campaign released a new television ad Thursday hitting President Barack Obama's handling of the Florida economy.
"Four years ago, Barack Obama was concerned about Florida's economy," says a narrator. The ad then shows a clip of Obama speaking in Orlando, Fla., in 2008.
"When wages are flat, prices are rising, more and more Americans are mired in debt, our economy as a whole suffers. Our competitiveness as a nation suffers. Our children's future suffers," Obama says.
"But under President Obama, [there is] 8.6 percent unemployment, record foreclosures, six hundred thousand more Floridians in poverty," says the narrator. "He focused on Obamacare instead of jobs. Barack Obama -- what a disappointment."
Florida's economy, however, has improved somewhat since the depths of the economic crash. The unemployment rate fell from 11.1 percent from December 2010, when Gov. Rick Scott (R) took office, to a still-high 8.6 percent in July. The state has the sixth-highest foreclosure rate, according to RealtyTrac, but down 56 percent from July 2010.
The relative economic improvement has reportedly caused some friction between Scott and the Romney campaign, which asked the governor's office to tone down its statements touting economic improvement.