Gov. Rick Scott is well into his second term in office. The Republican focused his inauguration address on jobs and tax reform. In that speech, he claimed this:

"Over the last 20 years, millions of people have escaped from states with climbing tax rates to move to states with lower taxes. For starters, estimates say individuals who escaped these high tax states have taken with them around $2 trillion of adjusted gross income. They’re voting with their feet."

PolitiFact Florida examined the claim for its truthfulness, and reporter Joshua Gillin said it rates MOSTLY FALSE. Gillin said the numbers don’t paint the full picture.

“Even economists who support this theory of all this money going to other states say, ‘You have to keep in mind adjusted gross income on their tax returns doesn't necessarily mean that they're taking that money to the new state,’ ” Gillin said.

The figures come from a book, How Money Walks: How $2 Trillion Moved Between the States, and Why It Matters. Author Travis Brown argues that it appears there is a correlation between state personal income tax rates and income migration.

But a number of experts disagree. One pointed out that it’s not clear if the $2 trillion figure represents all the money moving out of high tax states into low tax states or if it’s just all the money that didn’t stay in the same state over a 15-year period.

There are also many ways to interpret that number. The figure doesn’t account for people who move to new states but continue to work in old states. It also leaves off people who move because they are laid off.

Finally, there is research that shows of the people who move between states, few of them cited state taxes as a reason. Because of those facts, PolitiFact rated the claim MOSTLY FALSE.

SOURCES: $2 TRILLION WORTH OF INCOME MOVING TO ESCAPE HIGH TAXES