Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday that hes been trying to sell his health clinic business since November, though he said the primary reason was that he doesnt have time to focus on it, not because hes concerned about any conflicts of interest.
But the governor also reiterated that the company, control of which he has transferred to a trust in his wifes name, wont do any business with the state. The company has had contracts in the past with the states workers' compensation benefits management company.
I dont intend for Solantic to enter into state contracts, Scott told reporters again on Tuesday after a visit to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
The clinic company also does drug testing, and Scott is pushing for state benefits recipients to be required to have drug tests. He also recently ordered new state workers to be drug-tested, leading to questions by some of his critics as to whether the company would reap the benefit of thousands of new tests, to which Scott has repeatedly said it wont.
While hes been dogged for weeks by questions about whether his ownership of the company represented a conflict, Scott only just revealed this week that hes been trying to sell his interest all along. Officials in the governors office first told the Palm Beach Post earlier this week that the family was trying to divest his wifes shares in the company. Then Scott elaborated on Tuesday, saying hes been looking to get rid of his interest for months.
Since I was elected last Nov. 2, Ive been in the process of looking to sell Solantic, Scott said. But quickly divesting from a privately held company isnt easy. And, in business, nothings done until its done, the governor said.
Scott spokesman Brian Burgess told the St. Petersburg Times earlier this month, and reiterated to the Post this week, that the criticism has failed to account for the fact that sellers have to find buyers in the private market.
I get that people think theres a conflict, but I dont get what people think should be done about it, Burgess told the Post. If he cant divest instantly, what should he do?
Scott left the companys board when he was a candidate, in January of 2010, and the clinic chains co-founder, Karen Bowling, said in March that she hadnt talked to Scott since before he was elected.
Scott continued to say Tuesday, as he has all along, that he wasnt concerned about the potential conflict. The reason he wanted to sell the familys interest was one of focus.
Its just an issue with how I spend my time, Scott said. This (being governor) is more than a full-time job. So Im not spending my time on business.
Some Solantic clinics do see patients referred by HMOs that treat Medicaid recipients, so technically those patients care is ultimately paid for in part by taxpayers.
Scotts wifes trust doesnt control all of the companys shares a private equity firm is the second largest shareholder.
The St. Petersburg Times also reported this week that an ethics complaint has been filed against Scott over his Solantic interest. Such complaints can be filed by anyone with little or even no evidence of any wrongdoing, and the state ethics commission doesnt confirm theyve been filed until the commission has found probable cause to move forward.
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