Florida Gov. Rick Scott visited Connecticut Friday to make a pitch to local businesses to relocate to the Sunshine State.

The governor spoke to Connecticut business leaders in the wake of discontent over tax hikes in the state's recently passed budget.

"I am unabashedly interested in getting every job you have in Florida," said Scott, who headquartered his own company in Stamford until 2003. "Yeah, I did business -- I moved it to Florida because it was a better place to do business."

Two years ago, the former governor of Texas had come to make the same play but left empty-handed. Now, however, high-profile companies like General Electric are threatening to leave Connecticut over the tax hikes.

Scott has made a point of publicizing his success at attracting jobs, but federal labor figures show those jobs pay much less than positions in Connecticut.

Additionally, schools in Florida receive about half the funding of their Connecticut counterparts.

Connecticut Democrats called Scott's visit a stunt.

"People enjoy the quality of life here in the state of Connecticut," said state Sen. Bob Duff. "We have good schools. We have great beaches. We have a great quality of life here. That costs money."