Florida politics wouldnt be nearly as entertaining without a scandal every now and then -- and fortunately there never seems to be a shortage of political scandals in the Sunshine State.
Here are a few that rocked the state in 2013:
Jennifer Carroll resigns as lieutenant governor
Jennifer Carroll became Gov. Rick Scotts lieutenant governor in 2011, but Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials questioned Carroll about her ties to a purported veterans charity organization which was at the center of a $300 million multistate racketeering investigation. She left abruptly from her position the day after questioning.
Carroll was the owner of a public relations firm that represented Allied Veterans, the organization in question. When she served in the Florida House of Representatives she worked for the company.
Carroll has not been replaced.
Joe Garcia's camp caught in voter fraud
U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., was caught in the middle of controversy after his chief of staff, Jeffrey Garcia (no relation), resigned after admitting he had engineered a plot to submit fraudulent absentee ballot requests for the 2012 primary election. Investigators also raided the homes of Garcias former campaign manager and his communication director, but there was no evidence the congressman was involved or even aware of the ballot scheme.
Garcia washed his hands of the political disaster, placing communications head Giancarlo Sopo on administrative leave, but not before Republicans pounced on Garcia over the ballot scheme.
Call Joe Garcia today. Tell him that we are tired of the corruption and the fraud. If he cant tell us the truth, the right thing to do is resign, said an ad that ran on three radio stations in Garcias district.
Tony Bennett splits from Department of Education
Former Commissioner of Education Tony Bennett found himself in hot water after allegations that he had changed the letter grade of Christel House, a charter school in Indiana. The school was founded by prominent GOP donor Christel DeHaan, who gave $2.8 million to the Republican Party since 1998, including $130,000 to Bennett himself.
Christel House received an "A," despite poor test scores in algebra that initially earned it a "C letter grade, but Bennett consistently denied any wrongdoing and was confident he had not made a mistake.
Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senate President Pro Tempore David Long, both Republicans, hired outside investigators to determine the validity of the new "A" to "F" school rating system for the 2011-12 school year. What the investigators found in their report backed Bennett's claims and ultimately concluded that he had fairly applied the grade change, but Bennett resigned as commissioner shortly after the news broke about the grade change.
Trey Radel arrested for cocaine possession
U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., rocked Florida politics when word got out that hed been arrested in October for misdemeanor possession of cocaine in Washington, D.C. The Fort Myers congressman plead guilty to the charge and was sentenced to a year of probation. Radel opted to enter rehab but did not resign from his post, despite several calls -- some from his own party members -- for his resignation.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen at Allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter at @AllisonNielsen.
