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You are here: Home / Archives for Rick Scott

Rick Scott Gets No Love from the MAGA Base

March 4, 2021 at 4:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “The billionaire-turned-politician is trying to build his own national brand ahead of a potential run for president, but some early stumbles — including a recent pivot away from Trump — aren’t endearing him with the base.”

“Trump’s GOP is largely foreign to Scott, a former health care executive who embraces focus groups and adheres to the talking points of the day, not the off-the-cuff brashness Trump embraces. That, along with his well-known lack of charisma, could spell early trouble for Scott’s White House ambitions.”

Filed Under: 2024 Campaign, Senate Tagged With: Rick Scott

Rick Scott and Matt Gaetz Go To War

March 5, 2019 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Politico: “After simmering behind the scenes for months, the conflict came to a boil when Scott accused Gaetz of witness intimidation for threatening Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer-turned-congressional-informant, via Twitter.”

“Once a semi-secret rivalry, the relationship changed in January after Gaetz helped lead the transition team for Scott’s successor, Gov. Ron DeSantis, and publicly criticized Scott for being disrespectful of the new GOP leader in Tallahassee.”

Filed Under: State House Tagged With: Florida, Matt Gaetz, Rick Scott

Scott Will No Longer Keep Assets In Blind Trust

February 11, 2019 at 12:49 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) “will no longer keep his vast wealth in a blind trust, like he did during his eight years as Florida’s governor,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“Instead, Scott said he will report his assets to the public in annual financial disclosure forms required of all members of Congress. He didn’t elaborate further.”

Filed Under: Senate Tagged With: FL-Sen, Rick Scott

Rick Scott’s ‘Blind Trust’ Wasn’t Blind

October 17, 2018 at 11:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “To shield himself from future conflict charges, Mr. Scott, who is now running to unseat the incumbent senator Bill Nelson, created a $73.8 million investment account that he called a blind trust.”

“But an examination of Mr. Scott’s finances shows that his trust has been blind in name only. There have been numerous ways for him to have knowledge about his holdings: Among other things, he transferred many assets to his wife and neither “blinded” nor disclosed them. And their investments have included corporations, partnerships and funds that stood to benefit from his administration’s actions.”

“Only in late July, when compelled by ethics rules for Senate candidates, did Mr. Scott disclose his wife’s holdings. That report revealed that his wife, Ann Scott, an interior decorator by trade, controlled accounts that might exceed the value of her husband’s. Their equity investments largely mirrored each other, meaning that Mr. Scott could, if he wanted, track his own holdings by following his wife’s.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: FL-Sen, Rick Scott

Inside Rick Scott’s Plan to Pack the Florida Supreme Court

September 13, 2018 at 11:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Slate: “On Jan. 8, 2019, a new governor of Florida will be sworn in. On that same day, three of the Florida Supreme Court’s seven justices will complete their final terms. Based on those facts alone, you might assume that the new Florida governor will have the opportunity to select these justices’ replacements.”

“That, however, is not at all clear—because current Republican Gov. Rick Scott has declared his intent to replace them hours before his term concludes. He is now moving forward with this plan to pack the court. And the only people who can stop him are the current justices themselves.”

Filed Under: State House Tagged With: Florida, Rick Scott

Scott Breaks with NRA on Minimum Age to Buy Guns

February 23, 2018 at 11:44 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) called for raising minimum age to buy firearms from 18 to 21, a break from National Rifle Association, the Washington Post reports.

Scott also called for a ban on “the purchase or sale of bump stocks.”

Filed Under: Gun Control Tagged With: Rick Scott

Governor Calls on FBI Director to Resign

February 16, 2018 at 3:25 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The FBI failed to act on a tip in January from a person close to Nikolas Cruz warning that he owned a gun and might conduct a school shooting, the bureau acknowledged on Friday, an admission that prompted Gov. Rick Scott of Florida to call for the bureau’s director to resign,” the New York Times reports.

Filed Under: White House Tagged With: Rick Scott

Governor Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Speech

October 17, 2017 at 11:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has declared a state of emergency as hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the state gather at the University of Florida in advance of a Thursday event by white nationalist Richard Spencer, USA Today reports.

“The governor’s executive order places the state agency usually responsible for hurricanes at the front of the effort to preserve order during the event. It also places the Florida National Guard on standby.”

Filed Under: State House Tagged With: Richard Spencer, Rick Scott

Scott Won’t Extend Voter Registration In Florida

October 7, 2016 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), the chairman of the super PAC backing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has refused to extend the Tuesday deadline for voter registration as requested by Hillary Clinton’s campaign due to Hurricane Matthew, Politico reports.

Said Scott: “Everybody has had a lot of time to register.”

For members: The Politics of Hurricane Matthew

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Rick Scott

Scott Won’t Endorse Rubio’s Senate Bid

June 23, 2016 at 1:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) “won’t endorse Sen. Marco Rubio’s newly announced reelection bid, painting the incumbent’s Republican opponent as a good friend, businessman and an outsider,” Politico reports.

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Marco Rubio, Rick Scott

Trump Will Meet with Scott Amid Veep Speculation

June 3, 2016 at 8:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 70 Comments

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) “will travel to New York to meet with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday as Trump begins plotting his general election campaign in Florida,” the Washington Post reports.

“While the meeting is about strategy, according to a Scott aide, it could also stoke speculation about Trump’s vice presidential selection process. Scott, who endorsed Trump in March, has said he is not interested in being the mogul’s running mate. Nevertheless, their warm relationship makes him a name to watch.”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Donald Trump, Rick Scott

Scott Not Interested In Running with Trump

May 5, 2016 at 6:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 21 Comments

Florida Gov. Rick Scott made it clear that if offered, he would decline to be a vice presidential candidate on the GOP ticket with Donald Trump, Politico reports.

Said Scott: “I like my job. I worked hard to get this job. I’m going to stay in this job.”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Donald Trump, Rick Scott

Bonus Quote of the Day

April 21, 2016 at 5:14 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 37 Comments

“We can’t take a chance that we’re accused of any monkey-business. Tricks. Stunts. Anything.”

— Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), quoted by Politico, talking to RNC members about this summer’s convention.

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign, Republicans Tagged With: Rick Scott

Scott Attacks Constituent In New Ad

April 8, 2016 at 10:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 69 Comments

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) political action committee released an attack ad against a woman who verbally lashed out at him at a Starbucks earlier this week.

Filed Under: State House Tagged With: Rick Scott

Rick Scott Runs Into Angry Constituent

April 6, 2016 at 9:51 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 108 Comments

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) probably wishes he stopped at a different Starbucks this morning.

Filed Under: Health Care, State House Tagged With: Rick Scott

Scott Will Not Make Endorsement

March 4, 2016 at 7:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), “a Republican who won a 2010 primary as an insurgent businessman running against a veteran politician, said on Thursday that he would not make an endorsement before the presidential primary in his state on March 15,” the New York Times reports.

“The statement came amid speculation that Mr. Scott might endorse Donald J. Trump, another insurgent outsider who owns property in Florida. Mr. Scott recently praised Mr. Trump in a newspaper opinion piece.”

Filed Under: 2016 Campaign Tagged With: Florida, Rick Scott

Florida Officials Told Not to Use Term ‘Climate Change’

March 9, 2015 at 8:17 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 40 Comments

Officials at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have been ordered not to use the term “climate change” or “global warming” in any official communications, emails, or reports, the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting reports.

“This unwritten policy went into effect after Gov. Rick Scott took office in 2011 and appointed Herschel Vinyard Jr. as the DEP’s director, according to former DEP employees. Gov. Scott, who won a second term in November, has repeatedly said he is not convinced that climate change is caused by human activity, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.”

Filed Under: Environment Tagged With: Rick Scott

Top Republicans Call for Investigation Into Scott

January 23, 2015 at 4:55 am EST By Taegan Goddard 6 Comments

As Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) “faced mounting questions about the ouster of the top state law enforcement chief and allegations of improper political meddling, two influential fellow Republicans called for an inquiry on Thursday into the potentially damaging accusations,” the New York Times reports.

Former Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey told the Tampa Bay Times “he was pressured by Scott’s office or his campaign to doctor details of a criminal investigation, use state cars to ferry campaign workers, help write Scott’s campaign platform on law enforcement and intervene in a federal investigation of a possible Scott appointee.”

Filed Under: State House Tagged With: Rick Scott

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Follow me on Twitter, Mastodon and Post.News.

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