Gov.-elect Rick Scott spent Sunday night at the Governors Mansion, up early enough to walk his dog Reagan, a yellow labrador, around the grounds. Reagan was obtained from a shelter during the campaign.
Reagan didnt make a public appearance Monday morning. But Scott was seen leaving the mansion at 8:24 a.m., shaking hands with a couple of Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents before boarding his motorcade out of Tennessee Street to Florida State Universitys Alumni Hall for a Salute to Women in Leadership breakfast, which drew about 300 invitees.
Morning temperatures in Tallahassee hovered around 35 F. That gave the crowd entering the FSU event something to talk about.
Its not as cold as it was for Jeb Bushs first inaugural, horse-track lobbyist Wilbur Brewton recalled. My feet were frozen at that.
Former Gov. Bob Martinez said his 1987 inaugural still was chillier. But he was ready to offer some advice for the new guy.
Theyve put together a good team, Martinez said of Scott and Lt. Gov.-elect Jennifer Carroll. Its not complete. But they should be able to work with the Legislature.
Martinez also noted the $3.5 billion budget shortfall. Money is always a huge challenge, he said.
Among those spotted coming in for the nosh: former Florida Insurance Commissioner Bill Gunter, ex-Florida Republican Party Chair Carole Jean Jordan, GOP fund-raiser and BellSouth lobbyist Mike Hightower, state GOP Vice Chair Deborah Coxe-Roush, Scott lawyer and lobbyist John French (on crutches, nursing a torn quadricep), House Budget Chair Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Lake Placid, and former Florida Secretary of State Sandra Mortham.
Incoming Cabinet members, Attorney General-elect Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner-elect Adam Putnam were also there. Bondi was given a video introduction and handed the microphone for the womens event.
She recalled campaigning and having teenaged girls surrounding her.
Young girls would come up to me, 14, 15 and 16, and say I want to go to law school because of you. I want to be attorney general because of you, Bondi said, although she added, its not all about me.
I tell you there is no glass ceiling, she said, because of people who have come before.
The breakfasts featured speaker: Fox News host Greta Van Susteren. She derided Washington as home to the Hatfields and McCoys because of its partisan divide.
You can either mimic Washington with this ridiculous gridlock weve had, or you can do better, Van Susteren told the crowd. Floridas 12 percent unemployment rate -- thats bad. Thats horrible. But, she said, if bipartisan work can get the jobless rate down a couple of points -- to say, 10 percent --thats success.
People arent looking for miracles, theyre looking for progress, she said. If you can bring it down, you can own that one.
Van Susteren touted bipartisanship to the almost exclusively Republican gathering.
Its a team sport, Van Susteren said of governing. You can either be on the team, or off the team. Sometimes you have to compromise. She said bringing down Floridas unemployment rate, would mean you all get bragging rights, no matter what party youre in.
Following Van Susteren, Carroll was introduced, praising her for common-sense reporting. Carroll soon segued into the women themes of the breakfast.
I know I will be making a way for other women to one day walk in my shoes, Carroll said.
It is because of a forward-thinking man, a political outsider who is secure in who he is, that I stand before you today, Carroll said of Scott, who headed to the stage with a standing "o."
Rick Scott's remarks
It was an easy choice for me to pick Jennifer as my running mate, Scott said.
Scott noted he and wife, Ann, are the parents of two daughters. I hope they feel there is no limit to their lives, Scott said.
He also recalled the challenges facing women, remembering his law school days in the late 1970s when women had to fight legally for opportunities and advancements.
No woman who has come up in the past 50 years as a female has had an easy job, Scott said, before sliding into his economic theme.
This is the beginning. Were going to turn this state around, Scott said.
It doesnt matter if youre male or female, black or white anything is possible, Scott said. Im going to do everything I can to make sure everybody in this state has that opportunity.
John Kennedy is a reporter for News Service of Florida, selected to provide stories at restricted-media inaugural events.
