Rick Scott Pledges Auto Registration Fee Cuts in Tampa

Gov. Rick Scott made a stop in Tampa Wednesday evening to tout his plan to roll back auto registration fees. The plan that would amount to $401 million in annual savings wouldundo a 54 percent increase in automobile registration fees signed into law in 2009 by former Gov. Charlie Crist.

According to Scott's office, the estimated annual savings for each motorist would be $25. Florida issues about 15 million sets of vehicle registrations every year.

The governor announced the plan last month at the Hilton Westshore Tampa Airport.

"Florida is on a roll," Scott told the crowd, pointing to Florida State University's victory in the BCS Championship, record tourism numbers, and jobs as some reasons why Florida is on a track of success.

There had been rumors swirling that Scott would announce a new lieutenant governor at the event, but the Tampa stop was mostly focused on cutting taxes. Scott did, however, mention Tom Lee at the event, saying the Brandon senator was "very supportive" of his plan to cut taxes. When asked by reporters about the recent lawsuit filed to force Scott to choose a lieutenant governor, Scott said he was still looking for "the right person" for the job.