Politicians across Florida were quick to react Tuesday night to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address — with Republicans taking aim at the president and his administration and Democrats defending them.

Gov. Rick Scott issued a response that hinted at his own budgetary plans which will be unveiled on Feb. 7.

“Tonight, we heard President Obama describe this moment in America as a ‘Sputnik moment.’ But to face the challenges of our day, we don’t need decades-old history lessons, we need leadership,” said Scott. “We need elected officials who will take on special interests, make tough choices and focus on the right priorities.

"We need fiscal conservatives who recognize the solution to every problem is not a new government program. We need to take less money out of the pockets of Americans, and we need to get government out of the way of those who create jobs. Innovation comes from creating an environment where Americans want to build new companies. Government seldom does a good job of selecting successful innovators."

Added Scott, “In the next few weeks, I will unveil a budget for the state of Florida that reflects leadership and demonstrates the will to make tough choices. It will reduce the tax burden on Floridians and champion a less-burdensome government. Florida will be the place for innovators, not because the state of Florida knows which individuals will succeed, but because we are the place where innovators want to live, raise their families, and build their companies. ..."

Newly inaugurated Republican Sen. Marco Rubio offered his take, giving the president poor marks for his fiscal plans.

“Tonight, I had hoped to hear the president outline real solutions to fundamentally tackle our national debt crisis and help clear the way for urgently needed job creation,” said Rubio. “Instead, we heard him talk about more ‘investment,’ which is what most Floridians I know would simply call more government spending.  Instead of fruitlessly turning to government to create jobs, we should be working to cut spending, promote free-enterprise initiatives and give job creators the certainty they need to hire more workers.

“While I was encouraged by the president’s support for an earmark ban and will work with him toward that goal, his call for a mere budget freeze does not go far enough in tackling our record debt,” added Rubio. “At the very least, we should freeze nondefense and nonveterans' discretionary spending to what it was before Washington began its unprecedented, record-setting spending binge two years ago. But most importantly, we need to finally begin fundamentally reforming the way our government spends the American people’s money.

“In 2011, both parties have a golden opportunity for true cooperation on complex issues of great consequence,” noted Rubio. “If we take care of business, our children and grandchildren will one day thank us for giving them the chance to inherit the greatest society in human history. For President Obama and congressional Democrats, it’s a chance to prove they heard the American people’s call for fiscal discipline in November. For Republicans, it’s a chance to practice what we’ve preached by being responsible stewards of the American people’s tax dollars. As Florida’s senator, I will work with anyone else who believes 2011 has to be the year when we stop postponing the tough decisions.”

Republican members of the Florida congressional delegation joined Rubio in hammering Obama on fiscal issues.