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A History of Columbia County Florida (1996) Edward F. Keuchel 246/340

A History of Cohan bi a County, Florida

for his seven paid political workers. Cone’s platform called for
“lowering the budget to balance taxes instead of raising taxes to
balance the budget.” He was opposed to a sales tax, legalized slot
machines, employment of outside labor in Florida, and dual office
holding. As governor, Cone followed David Sholtz, a Daytona
Beach attorney, who was closely identified with Franklin
Roosevelt’s New Deal. Sholtz’s administration was characterized
by an increase in state governmental services in the area of
education, welfare, pensions, park service and conservation. Sholtz
took pride in obtaining fifty million dollars in federal funds for the
state without any matching funds from the state.12
Cone demonstrated his fiscal conservatism early in his ad­
ministration when he recommended no increase in school funds
and vetoed two teacher pension bills. This prompted the Tampa
Tribune to speculate that he must have no further political in­
tentions. Cone’s reluctance to accept federal support for roads
actually resulted in a decline during his administration. Under
Sholtz the federal government funded nearly $18 million for 580
miles of roads in the state, but this was reduced to $15 million for
360 miles of roads under Cone. A proposal for a three percent retail
sales tax did not get the governor’s attention. In 1939 he proposed
higher salaries for elected officials, but the money was to come
from savings and an increase in the racing tax rather than taxes
shared by the bulk of Floridians. Cone, nevertheless, remained a
friend of Franklin Roosevelt and a supporter of the New Deal in
national politics.13
Some historians have criticized the Cone administration, hold­
ing that such conservative fiscal policies had adverse effects in

,2Cox and Dovell, Florida, pp. 189-190; “Notes on Cone’s Life.”
13Cox and Dovell, Florida, pp. 192-193; Tebeau, History of Florida, pp.
408-409; Baynard Kendrick, Florida Trails to Turnpikes (Gainesville, 1964),
p. 138.
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