Health-care executive Rick Scott, the leading candidate in a contentious battle for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, struck back at primary opponent Bill McCollum Tuesday, accusing him of deliberately attempting to damage Solantic Urgent Care -- a business of which Scott is an investor.
At a debate with Scott last week and at an event Mondaywith former Gov. Jeb Bush in Jacksonville, McCollum alluded to recent reports about Scott being forced to give a deposition involving a Solantic employee fired for mismanaging narcotics in November 2009.
The law office of Steven R. Andrews -- a Tallahassee-based trial attorney who made a financial contribution to the gubernatorial campaigns of both McCollum and Democratic front-runner for governor Alex Sink -- issued Scott a subpoena to testify at the Florida Press Center in Tallahassee on Aug. 20 -- four days before the primary.
Bill McCollum has stooped to an all-time low in Florida politics, Scott told a roomful of Tallahassee reporters. He is abusing his power to try to do anything to rig the race so that he can hang onto power.In short, he is the Tonya Harding of Florida politics. This is what career politicians do: They attack with lies. They attack with trial lawyers. They attack with bureaucrats under their control."
Scott said that the McCollum campaign has harassed Solantic employees and is threatening to damage the business.
Executives of Solantic, a company that hires more than 500 Floridians and operates 34 clinics around the state, also criticized McCollum for his comments, saying the attorney general is threatening their business.
Solantic is being unfairly and wrongly used by the McCollum campaign as a political stunt, said Dr. Nate Newman, chief medical officer of Solantic. The McCollum campaign is putting Solantic at risk.
Scott contrasted his own record in business with McCollums three decades in political office. Bill McCollum is a creature of government, said Scott.
"You wonder why we don't have jobs? asked Scott. Jobs, he said, should be the No. 1 priority in the gubernatorial race. With Obama in Washington and career politicians like Bill McCollum in Tallahassee, businessmen are regularly treated as targets for taxes, for fees, for every kind of government obstruction, and should they dare to run for office, for smear campaigns.
I have helped build a great Florida business that continues to grow even in the recession, added Scott. It is called Solantic Urgent Care, and I am proud of it. It employs over 500 Floridians and has provided quality, convenient health care to 2 million patients at a fraction of the cost of emergency rooms. But my opponent cares only about his own job ... not jobs for Floridians.
Scott left no room for doubt as to what he thought of the deposition filed by Andrews.
Now in a desperate attempt to revive his dying campaign and keep his government job, Bill McCollum has unleashed a smear campaign that would impress Obama and the Chicago political machine, said Scott. He has used a campaign contributor to file a bogus lawsuit against a good company and put Florida jobs in jeopardy. It is easy to find a few disgruntled employees, but it is hard to build a business that employs over 500 people.
On behalf of all the Floridians who are looking for a job and all the Solantic employees whose jobs are now in jeopardy because of Bill McCollums political stunts, I call on you, Mr. Attorney General, to quit abusing your office for political gain at the expense of Floridians, said Scott.
Scott said he would not release the deposition on the terminated Solantic employee, noting that it was a private matter.
Solantic officials said the employee was terminated for violating the companys medical malpractice policies -- namely conducting doctors' visits away from company premises and prescribing narcotics when not in the office.
Kelli OLeary, vice-president of human resources for Solantic, said on Tuesday that Scott, who is an investor and not a company executive, had little input on operations. Rick Scott is not involved in the day-to-day hiring process, said OLeary.
McCollum's camp struck back at Scott, calling on him to release the deposition.
If the stakes werent so high, Rick Scotts performance in Tallahassee today would have been laughable. Unfortunately, running for governor is no laughing matter, said Matt Williams, McCollums campaign manager.
Just six days before Rick Scott entered the race for governor, he was personally deposed in a civil case alleging criminal activity by his company, added Williams. "Now, Rick Scott is refusing to release this and other relevant information to voters.
Today, Rick Scott called the deposition a private matter, continued Williams "But as a candidate for governor, his role in a possible third-degree felony is a very public matter, one that could have ramifications for all Republicans running for office. Floridians deserve the facts. If Rick Scott wont come clean with Florida voters now, how can he be trusted to lead the fourth largest state in the nation during these challenging economic times.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859
