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Nancy Smith

Beware the Wrath of Rick Scott

May 2, 2017 - 8:15am
The stool Gov. Lawton Chiles held up during his 1991 inaugural address
The stool Gov. Lawton Chiles held up during his 1991 inaugural address

Poking the bear is always a bad idea, especially when he's bigger than you. Especially when his name is Rick Scott. And, dare I say it, especially when he's right.

Legislators, lucky for you, you still have time to save yourselves.

The plan where you give the governor just $25 million for Visit Florida, $0 for a dike; $0 for economic incentives; and $75 million for tax cuts? Don't go there. Turn it around. Backtrack like a team of sled dogs straining for home.
 
Frankly, your over-the-top oratory -- dismissing Gov. Scott's wish list as so many "cockroaches"  -- soils the office of governor and the accomplishment of one of the strongest and most pragmatic leaders Florida has ever seen.

Let me take you back for a minute.

Few who were at the inaugural speech in 1991 of Gov. Lawton Chiles, the old 'He-Coon' himself, will ever forget it. To dramatize the importance of consideration for all three branches of state government, he held up a three-legged stool as high as he could lift it.

I Beg to Differ

"Look at this stool," he said. "It's got three legs. If you pull one out, it won't stand; it needs all three."

Respect the office of governor and the governor's priorities as you do your own, Chiles was saying.

Too bad most current members of the Legislature were too young to have witnessed it.

Don't think Rick Scott isn't taking names. And I don't mean just the leaders' names. I would lay odds he knows right now who in each chamber is backing him and who isn't. And if the 2017-2018 budget goes through as it stands, still crushing his priorities, expect a fair amount of hell to pay.

All Florida governors I've seen in action over the years have played that kind of payback game to some extent. But Scott comes from corporate world. He plays hard and he plays mean.

Rick Scott and Don Gaetz
Rick Scott and Don Gaetz

Scott, who couldn't get his personal pick for Republican Party of Florida chairman elected during the last two party cycles, still isn't raising a dime for RPOF. You think that isn't payback?

And ask former Senate President Don Gaetz. Gaetz got crossways with Scott and paid a big price. Not only did the governor veto virtually every one of his priorities, but in 2016 he personally and successfully lobbied each member of the board of the University of West Florida to hire Martha Saunders as UWF president instead of Gaetz -- a job Gaetz was suited to and definitely wanted.

In February, Scott supporters said the governor was counting on Senate President Joe Negron to stand up against House Speaker Richard Corcoran's determination to defeat his priorities. But now Negron "sold his soul for a reservoir," as The Miami Herald put it, and cut a deal with Corcoran. 

The future should get interesting for Corcoran and Negron, both of whom look to seek higher office -- Corcoran as governor in 2018, Negron perhaps as attorney general. The point is, they could be in for a rough ride: pursuing their dreams in the shadow of a powerful enemy with deep pockets and an 80 percent approval rating among Florida Republicans.

No one should underestimate Rick Scott. He -- not Corcoran, not Negron -- has the bigger bully pulpit. 

"The governor has been very clear that this is the most important thing to him," said Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, the next leader of the Senate Democrats, told the Herald. "If that's what matters to him, and the Legislature doesn't respect the governor's role in this process, why wouldn't he veto the budget?"

If Scott vetoes the entire budget -- a definite possibility -- legislators would have to return in June and fight through a re-do. A budget must be in place by July 1, or some state services would shut down.

Consider what Gov. Scott was asking for this year: $100 million for Visit Florida; $200 million for dike repairs (to be 100 percent reimbursed by the federal government); $85 million for economic incentives; and $618 million in tax cuts -- tax cuts, for heaven's sake, mother's milk for conservatives. Where are the Legislature's conservatives hiding?

In an $83 billion budget, we're talking about $1.003 billion. Minus out the $200 million dike money the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would repay and you've got less than one-third of the this year's surplus. A surplus, by the way, largely created through Scott's maligned priorities.

If you can truthfully say the governor's priorities haven't been good for Florida, we're looking at different quantifiers. 

Following Scott's first election, when a woefully deep recession had dragged on into 2010, his policies and focus saved the day for our triple-A bond rating, recorded positive job growth, improved jobless numbers and grew tourism, even when national headlines were unkind to Florida. Why would we put all that at risk?

Rick Scott has fulfilled every one of his promises during both election campaigns. He has increasing clout in Washington. Yet he hasn't stayed at home curled up in the fetal position while the Legislature acts. He has fought harder these past several weeks than any conservative governor with a conservative majority Legislature should have to, simply to hold onto the tools of Florida's post-recession success.

Now the governor has fallen quiet. Beware the calm before the storm. I'm just saying, beware a quiet Rick Scott.

Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith

Comments

Bill, What pharmaceutical scam are you referring too? Can't find that in LAW360 or the Florida Bar Journal? Maybe something else???? Sam

Great article, Nancy!! I agree with you~ Governor Rick Scott has been a wonderful governor. Like you said, he has kept ALL of his campaign promises. I hope that the idiots in Tallahassee listen to you. I don't know what Corcoran's problem is, but I will NEVER vote for him for governor. We the People are paying attention , and you either fix this , or you will Lose big time in the election.

Gov Scott priorities - wanting to save $ for tourism (Richard doesn't like pit bull we all know that, but do u know who does? The Latin Community in South America who spends billions in this state.). Money to save our dukes that will be refunded 100%. Money to incentive businesses- did the it to be reformed? Yes but a proven winner. Legislature priorities- passing a bill that will allow liquor to be sold in Walmart. Who is kowtowing to corporate money? That is all to obvious. No insurance reform more trial lawyer incentives who is on whose payroll again?

What is going on with Mr. Corcoran. Why does he want to take money away from promoting Florida. If he watched T V sometime he would see that other states such as Texas, Michigan, New York an a few others are on T V telling people that there states are great for business an visitors. When you have something that works, you do not cast it aside, you keep it going. Maybe Mr. Corcoran has blinders on or maybe he has no business sense, but he cannot see promoting Florida is the right thing to do he may as well put all his plans on running for Governor aside because he does not have the good of the State of Florida as first for all of us.

Florida does well, when the nation does well. We are bound by tourism. Giving away free handouts to businesses with no guarantees is bad business for tax payers. See the Pitbull deal, the English racing team deal, see the Lockheed Martin deal in Oldsmar, FL. They passed out millions to renovate the place and guaranteed jobs, then after the contract was already done. EP came back and said, OK, no extra jobs, we'll just amend the contract to say you don't have to produce any jobs, i.e., free money, on the tax payer dime. The return on investment on these funds is terrible. Rick Scott is not a Floridian. He does not care of about Florida. He is a Midwesterner, intent on using FL to get where he wants to go. The more he can hand out to make friends in the process, the better. Guess where these businesses will go when the money runs out, they will beeline out of FL to the next highest bidder. This is typical quick money business you are seeing at its finest, at our expense.

Is that your Richard?

I stopped reading this comment minute you said Rick Scott doesn't care about Florida. What a shameful and absurd statement. Maybe mistakes have been made in EF and VF, but many of the bad practices that allowed those mistakes to happen have already been corrected and the ones that haven't can be. Florida's successes were not created in Washington, Ms. or Mr. Florida Does Well. They were created by state leaders who show their commitment and play a WINNING hand. I am not a part of state government, EF or VF, but I do want to say, thank you, Rick Scott. I am praying for our sake you can spend the rest of your term serving Florida in the great manner you have since 2011.

Flo, did you know Scott and his princess only have interests in the medical facilities they've invested in. PLEASE Flo, we do NOT need another career politico representing Florida! Scott sucks and his buddies in the Legislature have been paying him back. Good riddance Rick!

Flo, you are part of the trailer park honeys that Rick Scott the crook is counting on to push him into higher office...

Then I hope I am successful.

Well said Nancy. I would suggest that Governor Scott plays hard and plays to win. He has put Florida first and has done exactly what he said he would do...create jobs and economic opportunity. Thank you Governor Scott

I just returned from Mexico where I met many Canadians who said they are boycotting the USA. Normally they spend vacations in Florida bye this year they have chosen Mexico. Go ahead, take away the money to promote Florida. But I better not hear one of you complain when our tourist industry withers up and dies!

OH, THANK GOD!!! Now maybe the traffic here will clear up; and maybe when I go out to a restaurant the sugar packets and sweetener packets, and catsup packets and mustard packets etc will STAY in their cute little holders, rather than the cute little packets having to make the arduous trip ALL THE WAY BACK TO CANADA, and into motel rooms all along the way. The Canadians are, (in a replacement word): "frugal"..to a fault; not to mention loud, rude and crude.. and poor "tippers" for the service they DEMAND; and maybe we won't see plastic bags of garbage casually strewn along "98" on the route back to Ontario. (HEY Canuks: You DO know it's warmer further South, don't you?) NO,.. I much prefer large Biker groups who 'tour' and spend a few bucks visiting our attractions and Restaurants, than large Canadian groups who think they are doing us a favor (maybe we should extend the "front end" weeks of "Spring Break" to keep the Canuks from drinking on the beach too...) Let 'em eat cake,...and drive a little further to get it...

You ARE a moron.

Thank you, Nancy!!!! I have wondered the same thing. If the governor wanted money to do things that never showed results or didn't benefit the people of Florida and save jobs, I might think twice. But the speaker and the president are taking away WHAT WORKS! If you look back, you will see that other governors have wanted a lot more. Nancy, go back and look at Jeb Bush's wish list which he was NOT DENIED.

Nancy Smith's article is spot on. Where are the conservatives to back up Gov. Scott's very well thought out priorities? I guess Republican officials in Florida as well as at the Federal level either don't know how to govern or just don't like governing because they will be gone at the next election. Come together and support the Governor's agenda or start looking for another job.

Governor Scott is a Business Politician -- a new class of people who UNDERSTAND how to MANAGE. He is a great man, and has done well for Florida. Anyone who has a beef with that is likely uninformed. Let me add, SSN does a pretty good job of being factual - probably because they are NOT "Lawyers"!

I am not a politician, a law maker, or anyone important in the Tallahassee food chain. I am a Republican, Florida native, and father of four. Please explain to me how giving Governor Scott a $100 million dollar slush fund to pay for million dollar Pitbull videos about sex on the beach, corporate welfare giveaways, and other high dollar shenanigans is good for the tax payers of Florida. Our roads are falling apart, bridges rusting, government workers with a pay raise, support services are lacking, but Scott wants millions for his friends in the corporate world. Sorry, Governor Scott I do not support my hard earned tax dollars being put into a fund, so you can distribute to corporate CEO cronies. Want to come to Florida? Then do like the rest of us and move south setting up a business. No one at the governors office is offering mom and pop entrepreneurs millions to come south. Scott is a lame duck. If he wants to shutdown the process, veto the budget, then so be it, and we voters will remember what he did in 2018. In this whole process the constituents of Florida have been forgotten. Please, excuse me while tire of this debate over millions being offered to Scott, so he can look important handing out corporate welfare tax money.

"Bully pulpit"? Rick Scott?? BWAAA-ha-ha-ha!!! The awkward clown can barely string a sentence together. Negron "sold his soul"?? Hardly. He gave up his law partnership to stop the algae, defying the US Sugar barons (the guys who pay the bills for Sunshine State News, btw). (Also, the article was from the Tampa Bay Times, not the Miami Herald -- but what's accuracy to a sloppy sugar sheet like SSN?)

Agree

Idiot. You don't read many newspapers, do you? The Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times share the same office in Tallahassee and stories run in both newspapers. I think I know who you are, Henry Williams. You have a Bull Sugar IQ

Scott's name will ALWAYS be synonymous with "The most successful economic period in Florida's history"... Thank you Governor !

Scott's priorities have not been good for Lorida and I am a Republican! He has destroyed the DEP and WMDs and Florida's lanscape and waters are paying the price!!!!!!! Wake up!

Governor Scott is the greatest Florida governor since Lawton Chiles. He actually helped FLORIDA. Rick Scott is a Statesman, and if you don't agree then go to hell says Harry S. Truman. These politicians in Leon County better help Florida, or the line item veto will bite their ass worse than first Territorial Florida Governor Major General Andrew Jackson, for whom Jacksonville is named.

Greatest governor ever? This is a man who can't even get along with his own party, is petty and vindictive, CEO of the biggest pharmaceutical scam in history, always on the lookout to improve his bottom line with business deals. What did Scott do when the green ooze was seeping down our rivers and lagoons? Nothing, but blame others crying about the dike repair on Lake Okeechobee, while at the same time poking fun at the president. Really, was that tactic suppose to gain us more federal dollars? Scott may have done a lot for big sugar, utilities, the for-profit prison industry, and his wife's ownership of a mosquitoe control company (Zika), but the man cares not a hoot for average mom and pop entrepreneur, worker, and middle class Republican.

I really enjoy reading your editorials. Agree with you or not, you have a very entertaining style. Thanks, again. Kind regards

Comments are now closed.

nancy smith
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