Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) broke the law this week when he used on duty officers as political props at an event for his re-election campaign.
Video of Gov. Scott using the cops as props :
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The Tampa Tribune reported that the on duty officers thought they were there to provide security and that they were attending an official event, “Spokesmen for two of the agencies involved, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, said their officers’ attendance resulted from a misunderstanding; they thought they were invited either to provide security or that it was an official governor’s office event.”
Gov. Scott’s campaign says the purpose of the event was made clear in the invitations, but the officers say that they didn’t get the message. It is illegal in the state of Florida for public employees to take part in political activities during working hours, so somebody clearly broke the law by sending on duty officers to the Scott event.
It seems like a bit too much of a coincidence that Gov. Scott was able to get a great photo op surrounded by uniformed officers all because of a misunderstanding. Rick Scott isn’t above using dirty tricks to get reelected, and the man has demonstrated in the past that he is well acquainted (14 felonies) with breaking the law.
Rick Scott is fighting for his political life. The unpopular governor is dumping millions of dollars into television ads against his opponent former Gov. Charlie Crist. Scott currently finds himself deadlocked with Crist, with the Real Clear Politics average of polls showing Crist with a slim two-point lead.
Scott is pulling out all of the stops, including deceiving public employees into breaking the law in order to help his struggling re-election campaign. Gov. Scott had to resort to trickery to get the photo-op that he needed because in 2011 Florida police left the Republican Party in a mass exodus over the governor trying to bust the state’s police unions.
Gov. Scott is once again showing why Florida voters need to elect a governor that they can trust.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
