Florida’s Rick Scott Shakes Things Up
Florida Governor Rick Scott promised that it wouldn’t be “business as usual” anymore in Tallahassee , and just over a month into his first term, Scott has hit the ground running.
Scott kicked off his new governorship with a pricey inaugural ball that prompted a firestorm of controversy as the bill allegedly reached upwards of 3 million dollars. The tab was paid by big donors, but even that came under question: at least $45,000 came from big-gaming interests including the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the Gulfstream Park Racing Association, and the Palm Beach Kennel Club, all groups that have concerns over upcoming bills that, if passed, would give Las Vegas-style casinos a piece of the Florida gaming pie. One of the state’s biggest employers, Office Depot, kicked in $25,000 to Scott’s inauguration ball, garnering criticism from whistleblower David Sherwin and others who see the donation as an effort to gain favor with the governor following years of fraudulent overcharging scandals by the office supply company. Office Depot ended up settling with the state of Florida and consumers for $4.5 million.
Although Scott had few comments concerning the donors or any potential conflicts of interest, he wasted no time firing Department of Management Services Secretary Linda South amid investigations linking the agency to a lack of oversight concerning the Office Depot overcharging scandal and its cost to taxpayers.
Further on Scott’s promise to hold government officials accountable, state offices got a thorough housecleaning. Juvenile Justice Secretary Frank Peterman and Lottery Secretary Leo DiBenigno were asked to leave, as well as Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham, who jumped ship even before Scott’s transition, saying, “I would not have worked for Scott even a single day, even if I had been asked to stay.”
Also sent packing was the head of Florida’s Department of Health, Ana Viamonte Ros, who resigned in shame under criticism from Scott’s team for reckless six-figure spending and weekend getaways.
Scott’s made some appointments, too. Jack Miles, a former senior director at CIGNA, will lead the state’s Department of Management Services. Miles will have his hands full re-shaping the public image of the DMS following Linda South’s mismanagement of Office Depot’s overcharging of state purchasing contracts.
Maybe governors like Florida’s Rick Scott and New Jersey’s Chris Christie will lead the way in reforms in this country? Maybe the path for Washington to reform itself will be through the states? This will be especially true if the states manage to overturn Obamacare. Finally, the states would be flexing their Constitutional muscles by putting a stop to Washington’s excesses. It will be interesting to see how the states with Republican governors do when compared to the more liberal Democratic governors, like Brown in California. People will have a clear choice on which way is best to run a state and, ultimately, the country.
Cancellation of the Rail was a great move…sure the Fed pony up $2.4 million but also bring their regulations to a project that is pure waste to begin. That waste plus corruption guarantees a huge overrun followed by revenue shortfalls.
Who in their right mind will drive or take a bus to a railhead, check bags, pass security to ride a train for an hour to repeat the nonsense 70 miles away or rent a car? Right…normal people are going to drive their own car or rent one in Tampa and drop it off after using it in Orlando. Florida has no car drop off charges. If the money is to be spent, widen I-4 and I-95. Deepen JAX port for container ships while improving the movement of freight to get the trucks off the road, not the people.
The reason why Republicans are against the high-speed-rail projects has nothing to do with fiscal matters, even though they cloak it in such language and concern. The real reason why Republicans are against the high-speed-rail is that they are philosophically opposed to increasing mobility among the citizenry. If people are mobile they can market their labor or goods and services (really, were talking about labor mostly) to a wider audience. Republicans don’t like this. They would prefer a citizenry that is confined to a certain locale, so they are forced to live under the conditions that their Republican overlords deem best. They want the slaves to stay on the plantation, so to speak. Moreover, mobility allows those who don’t have adequate transportation to vote when that time comes. Republicans don’t like this either. Statistically hight turn out favors Democrats. Mobility is against their bottom line in terms of their business model and in terms of the party.
That is about the most inane comment I have ever read.
Praetorian is a typical Petulant Leftie: too lazy to walk and too broke to ride unless his homies in the gubmint can squeeze a ticket out of someone.
Inane wouldn’t be the word I’d use. Stupid comes to mind more so. Who in th eir right mind woould say conservatives don’t want people working?
Yeah. Republicans don’t like people to work. That’s gotta be it…..
Sorry Praetorian….Republicans do not like High speed transit because the private enterprises(remember them?) do not like them. If private industry dislikes high speed rails for their lack of profit, then why should taxpayers want anything to do with it? Am I going too fast here?
So why should the taxpayer pay to make it easier for relative wealthy people to party????
If anything makes economic sense, private investment would snap it up quickly . . . provided government permits were issued promptly.
I live in Ohio and our new Republican Governor John Kasich killed the high speed rail as soon as he was inaugerated. That was the smartest decision ever. This railroad made NO sense. Who in their right mind would take a train between any of the big cities in Ohio when you can drive I71 without any security checks and in less time than the train would take?
Besides this the train had been estimated to run at a $17 million dollar deficit each year. That means this train, which would probably carry very few passengers, would cost taxpayers $17 million in additional taxes every year it was in existance. That train was just another bird-brained Obama project.