Gov. Rick Scott Accepts Responsibility for Event Shutout, Sends Brian Burgess to Make the Announcement

Brian Burgess, communications director for Gov. Rick Scott, released the following statement late Friday about the bill-signing event in The Villages, in which Democrats were told by a governor's staffer to leave:

Governor Scott did not make, nor was he aware of, any decision regarding who would be allowed to attend the recent event at The Villages.

There appears to have been confusion among event staff, including an employee of the governors office, about whether the event was public or private.Although it was held on private property that was reserved for the event, the public was invited to attend. The field staffer should not have participated in decisions related to event attendance or admission to the venue.

The governor accepts responsibility for decisions by his staff.Governor Scott requested and received assurances from the employee, the employees supervisor, and his entire staff, that this confusion and the results it created will not happen again.