As real-estate tycoon Donald Trump made his way to South Florida for a press conference on the night of the Super Tuesday primaries, there was rampant speculation that Gov. Rick Scott might endorse Trump's insurgent campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. National news personalities said they had heard Scott would announce his support for Trump that night.
There was some logic to the idea. Like Trump, Scott was an outsider businessman in 2010 who beat the political establishment to claim a Republican nomination, though in his case it was for governor. Scott also had written a laudatory op-ed about Trump; there's even been talk he could make the short list for Trump's running mate.
Whatever the rationale behind the speculation, though, it ended up to be incorrect. Scott remained in Tallahassee on Tuesday night and said nothing publicly about his preference in the presidential race. Two days later, Scott announced on Facebook that he would stay on the sidelines ahead of the state's critical primary election.
"I trust the voters, so I will not try to tell the Republican voters in Florida how to vote by endorsing a candidate before our primary on March 15," Scott said. "I believed in the voters when I first ran for office, and I still believe in them today."
In explaining his reasons for staying out, Scott pointed to one of the similarities with Trump that led some to think Scott's support for the unconventional candidate was likely.
"The political class opposed me when I first ran for office, they did not want a businessman outsider, but the voters had other ideas," he wrote.
Left unsaid was that even as Trump marches toward the GOP nomination, winning the vast majority of the states that have voted so far, endorsing him remains a risky bet. Trump has come under fire for his campaign bluster, and some critics have said he was not clear enough in denouncing support from white supremacists who have said they support the Republican front-runner.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's experience shows what can happen; after he endorsed Trump, half a dozen Garden State newspapers backed an editorial calling on Christie to resign.
Scott also faced a unique quandary: Florida still has a favorite son in the race in the form of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, whose campaign would be devastated if Trump won in the Sunshine State. Scott has shown no warmth for the state's establishment, but supporting Rubio's rival would still invite avoidable hostility from Rubio's in-state supporters, including those in the Legislature.
And Trump might not need Scott's backing to win Florida: While Rubio's camp has dismissed public polls, Trump holds a double-digit lead among state Republicans in some recent surveys.
AN UBER OBESSION
Uber may leave some lingering skid marks in the Capitol as it has ratcheted up efforts to get Senate President Andy Gardiner to take up a House regulatory proposal that is friendly to the ride-sharing company. Gardiner, R-Orlando, instead has focused on a Senate bill that includes insurance requirements for such "transportation network services."
The company held a conference call Tuesday that was deeply critical of Gardiner. The popular app-based service followed that by sending alerts to thousands of its riders and posting an online ad as it seeks an "up or down" vote in the Senate on the House proposal.
The House measure (HB 509) would in part block local governments from regulating ride-sharing services.
"One person stands between Florida and secure access to Uber," the alert from the San Francisco-based company said.
"Tell Sen. Gardiner it's time to put the brakes on corporate special interests," the online ads states.
Uber has singled out for criticism the Orlando-based taxi company Mears Transportation.
While Gardiner has said his insurance-focused position "has nothing to do" with anyone on either side of the issue, the Florida Taxicab Association on Wednesday came to his defense.
The association posted its own online ad that questions the adequacy of background checks and insurance coverage for drivers for companies such as Uber and Lyft.
"I use them (ride-sharing) sometimes," the voice of a young woman says in the taxi association ad says. "But I have to admit, some stories I read make me nervous about riding, especially by myself."
AWAITING THE WRATH OF SCOTT?
Gov. Rick Scott publicly is keeping hope alive for his priority requests of $1 billion in tax cuts and $250 million in economic incentives.
But the ideas crashed last week in the Legislature --- and don't show much sign of getting revived. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said lawmakers have "moved on from it" after settling on $400 million for tax cuts and zero dollars for business-recruitment incentives.
The legislative stance led to Scott's typically on-message answers sounding even more curt than normal Wednesday.
"We still have, what, nine or 10 days this legislative session," Scott told reporters when asked if he would veto a budget that doesn't include his priorities. "Let's see what happens with the budget and then I'll review the budget at that time."
Could that mean another year of Scott dipping deep into the ink of his veto pen, topping the 450 lines he slashed last year that removed $461.4 million from a spending plan approved by the Legislature? Or, as some in the Capitol speculate, will Scott go the full rejection route?
On Wednesday Scott maintained that his loftier tax-cut and incentive numbers are needed to keep Florida's economy rolling.
"We're working on tax cuts to make sure we can diversify our economy," Scott said. "We're working on money for Enterprise Florida so we can diversify this economy, help make sure all of our citizens can get a job. I propose a budget and after they pass a budget then I'll review it."
Asked if he should have shown a willingness to lower his requests as lawmakers talked compromise, Scott --- who for months ran TV ads, held bus trips and recruited lawmakers and local officials to sign pledges endorsing his priorities --- said, "Everyone knows what I proposed."
Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Tom Lee said Wednesday night "we did our best to reach him in tax cuts."
Lee, R-Brandon, also said he would advise Scott to look long-term.
"He's going to be the governor for the next two years and we're going to work with him for the next two years. And some years it goes better than others," Lee said. "We did everything that we could to try to get him as close to as possible. He's our friend. He's our governor. And to the extent that he's disappointed, we're disappointed."
TWEET OF THE WEEK: "None of this would be happening if we'd let Al Gore win that blinking recount"---David Frum (@davidfrum), a former aide to former President George W. Bush and conservative critic of Donald Trump, on a theory of how the GOP could have avoided its current predicament in the presidential race.
