The Rick Scott Experiment

I've been trying to figure out what (besides funny videos and casual observations) might be relevant and of interest to readers as I'm now down in South Florida and no longer entrenched in the daily DC grind. People here don't live and breathe politics like they do in Washington so it's much easier not to get as riled up. However, I have found following our old friend Rick Scott a fairly adequate substitute. See, almost every day, The Miami Herald has a story about Florida's new Governor, and very few - if any - have been flattering.

According to the Herald and other state papers, Scott has offended African American lawmakers, promised to repeal a much-needed program that would monitor Florida's dangerous pill mills, rejected federal money for a popular high-speed rail program, held a private dinner that possibly violated state law, and released a budget thick with cuts but thin on details. Keep in mind Scott's been in office 6 1/2 weeks, and this is only a fraction of the news. In fact, it's only a fraction of what I've read in the print edition of the Herald since I moved here at the beginning of the month.

And then there's this gem I just discovered via a quick Google search. Reported locally in October last year, the state of Florida once sued Scott for insider trading:

The Florida civil suit, which was separate from the federal investigation of Columbia/HCA that led to $1.7 billion in fines, was filed in Tennessee state court. But it was shelved in favor of a larger federal case that leveled many of the same claims as the Florida state suit. The list of defendants in the federal case also included Scott, who had been forced out as the company's CEO on July 25, 1997, about two weeks before the civil actions were filed.

The suit was settled six years later for about $14 million. Scott was never criminally charged.

I'm more than familiar with Scott's history as head of Columbia/HCA, but I didn't know that he'd once been party to a civil suit against the hospital chain. How rich.

So here's what I'm planning to do. Each time I happen upon a Scott story that may be of interest, I'm going to repost it. If there's even a shred of truth to the absurd suggestion that Scott may seek higher office someday, someone should be keeping track of the ridiculousness going on down here right now. The public tends to have a short memory, and I would hate to see Rick Scott successfully slither his way up the political ladder unchecked. After all, the man's a total snake.