Obama Critic Rick Scott Jumping in Gov. Race

Naples businessman Rick Scott, best know for leading Conservatives for Patients' Rights, declared his candidacy for governor this afternoon. Scott will be running as a Republican despite the fact that Attorney General Bill McCollum and Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, are already in the race.

Scott founded the Columbia Hospital Corporation in 1987 but was removed by his board of directors in 1999 when the company, then known as Columbia/HCA, was mired in controversy involving fraud. Scott also founded Solantic, which now operates more than 30 clinics throughout Florida.

As the founder of Conservatives for Patients' Rights, Scott played a prominent role in the federal health-care debate. Casting himself as a political outsider, Scott already has a Web site up.

In his announcement, Scott insisted that, as an outsider and with his business experience, he could help Florida in these rough times.

Scott clearly thinks there is an opportunity in the race. While McCollum stumbled in two runs for the U.S. Senate, the attorney general has waged an impressive campaign so far for governor. In the first quarter of 2010, he outraised state CFO Alex Sink, the leading Democratic candidate in the race. McCollum has also generated a good deal of attention with his lawsuit to stop the new federal health-care law.

While he may be calling himself an outsider, Scott brought a political veteran to his team. Jennifer Coxe-Baker, best known for stints with former U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and with U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinsons failed bid to knock off Texas Gov. Rick Perry, is listed as the campaign contact.