Charlie Crist
44th Governor of Florida
In office January 2, 2007 – January 4, 2011
Lieutenant	Jeff Kottkamp
Preceded by	Jeb Bush
Succeeded by	Rick Scott
35th Attorney General of Florida
In office January 7, 2003 – January 2, 2007
Governor	Jeb Bush
Preceded by	Richard Doran
Succeeded by	Bill McCollum
21st Education Commissioner of Florida
In office January 2001 – January 2003
Governor	Jeb Bush
Preceded by	Tom Gallagher
Succeeded by	Jim Horne
Personal details
Born	Charles Joseph Crist, Jr. (1956-07-24) July 24, 1956 (age 55) Altoona, Pennsylvania
Political party	Independent (2010–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican Party (1986–2010)
Spouse(s)	Amanda Morrow (1979–1980) Carole Rome (2008–present)
Residence	St. Petersburg, Florida
Alma mater	Florida State University Samford University
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Methodist
Signature
Website	charliecrist.com

Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. (pronounced /ˈkrɪst/; born July 24, 1956) is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General. He was elected governor in 2006 with 52.4 percent of the vote (against opponent Jim Davis), and took office the following year.

Crist's term as governor ended in January 2011. Crist announced on May 12, 2009 that he would run instead for the United States Senate seat being vacated by then-fellow Republican Mel Martinez. He later decided to run as an independent in the general election, but lost to Republican Marco Rubio.^[1]

Early life and education[link]

Crist was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania^[2] on July 24, 1956, to Charles Joseph Crist, Sr., an American physician of Greek Cypriot descent, and Nancy (née Lee), of Scots-Irish American descent.^[3] His family name is adapted from the original Greek name "Christodoulou".^[4] Crist moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, as a child, where he attended Riviera Middle School^[5][6] and graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1974. He is the second of four children and has three sisters: Margaret Crist Wood, Elizabeth Crist Hyden, and Catherine Crist Kennedy. He attended Wake Forest University for two years, where he played quarterback for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team. Crist earned his undergraduate degree from Florida State University where he was elected Vice President of the student body and became a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He received his J.D. from Samford University Cumberland School of Law.^[7][8]

Law career[link]

After graduating from law school in 1981, and having passed the bar on his third attempt,^[9] Crist was hired as general counsel to Minor league baseball, which was headquartered in St. Petersburg. Drawn to politics, Crist was a candidate for public office for the first time in 1986, as a Republican, in the primary race for a state Senate seat in Pinellas County. After losing in a runoff, Crist joined his brother-in-law in private practice in St. Petersburg, but soon returned to politics as an aide in the successful 1988 United States Senate campaign of Connie Mack III, whom he has since described as his political mentor.^[10]

Florida Senate[link]

Crist was elected to the Florida Senate in 1992, representing parts of St. Petersburg,^[11] defeating longtime incumbent Democratic State Senator Helen Gordon Davis of Tampa.^[12] Crist was able to unseat Gordon Davis following Florida's redistricting, which created an entirely new state senate district.^[12] His victory was credited with ending the 128-year control of the Florida Senate by the Democratic Party, resulting in an even 20-20 tie in Senate between the Democrats and Republicans following the 1992 election.^[12]

He established a reputation as a law-and-order senator, sponsoring legislation requiring inmates to serve at least 85% of their sentences before becoming eligible for parole.^[2] He supported teacher salary increases, co-sponsored laws that created charter schools, and created a vanity license plate sold to raise funds for Everglades conservation.^[11] As chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, Crist pursued an investigation into actions of then-governor Lawton Chiles amid allegations that Chiles' campaign had made "scare calls" to senior citizens days before the 1994 gubernatorial election. Chiles eventually testified before Crist and the committee and admitted that his campaign had made the calls.^[2][10]

Florida Education Commissioner[link]

Crist gained statewide name recognition in 1998 as the Republican challenger to the popular incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Graham. He lost to Graham by 26 percent^[13] but was elected Education Commissioner of Florida in 2000 – a position he held until it became an office filled by political appointment in 2003, pursuant to a 1998 constitutional amendment.^[10]

Florida Attorney General[link]

In 2002, Crist was elected Attorney General. Supporters of his candidacy included America's Most Wanted host John Walsh, who filed Crist's gubernatorial candidacy paperwork, citing his work with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. During his term as Attorney General, Crist was praised by civil rights and consumer groups for expanding the powers of his office to prosecute civil rights and fraud cases; for combating spam e-mail; freezing utility rates; adding restrictions to telecom companies, and protecting the environment.^[2][14] He was criticized by pro-life advocates during the Terri Schiavo case when he ended official attempts to keep Schiavo on life support.^[2][15]

In September 2006, Canadian anti-consumer-fraud activist and author Les Henderson criticized Crist's handling of the Lou Pearlman-Wilhelmina Scouting Network affair in his self-published book Under Investigation. In 2004, Jacqueline Dowd, the assistant attorney general leading the investigation, was dismissed by the office of the Attorney General. Her successor, John MacGregor, ended the investigation in 2004. Dowd stated that she did not know why she was dismissed. During the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, Crist's campaign manager said that she had resigned, amicably, over a difference of opinion on her contact with the press. Henderson, citing $5,000 in campaign contributions from Pearlman companies to Crist received a year after the investigation was complete, argued that the investigation was dropped because of Pearlman's political connections.^[16][17] A lawsuit stemming from the Ponzi scheme and investment scandal alleges that Crist and other state regulators failed to protect investors, and also cites campaign contributions.^[18]

As Attorney General, he was noted for his position in the Terri Schiavo case, where he disagreed with governor Jeb Bush. Crist received criticism from both sides on this issue.^[19]

Florida Governor[link]

Crist in Brazil, 2007.

Crist has received criticism for his fiscal approach, for his support of President Barack Obama's fiscal policies, and for his official schedule.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Crist supported capital punishment^[24] and gun rights. In 2008 he signed a provision that prevents employers from prohibiting employees' bringing firearms to the workplace, as long as the weapons are secure and individuals maintain a concealed carry license.^[25][26]

His position on abortion issues is not clear-cut.^[27] In 1998 Crist ran for Senate as a pro-choice candidate,^[27] and has stated that he opposes overturning Roe vs. Wade.^[27][28] Crist has said that he opposes a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before a woman can undergo an abortion.^[27] In the 2010 Senate campaign, Crist first presented himself a pro-life Republican^[29] but after he lost the Republican nomination and became an unaffiliated candidate, had all pro-life statements removed from his website.^[30] On June 11, 2010 Crist vetoed a bill which would have removed taxpayer funding for abortion,^[31] as well as require a woman to have an ultrasound before having an abortion.^[32]

Crist supported efforts to ban same-sex marriage in Florida, and supported the current ban on adoption by homosexual prospective parents – saying that a "traditional family provides the best environment for children."^[33][34] His position led gay rights groups to protest the passage of the Florida Amendment 2 (now Article 1 Section 27 of the Florida Constitution) ban on same-sex marriage during his wedding in 2008.^[35][36] He shifted in June 2010, when he stated that he no longer supported Florida's ban on same-sex adoption: "A better way and approach would be to let judges make that decision on a case-by-case basis."^[37]

On other issues, Crist differs from other Republicans, particularly on environmental policy, an important issue in Florida. He announced plans to sign executive orders to impose strict air pollution standards in the state, with aims to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent of the 1990 levels, by 2050 .^[38] In his gubernatorial campaign, Crist opposed offshore oil drilling. Crist altered that position in June 2008, when oil reached peak prices, saying "I mean, let's face it, the price of gas has gone through the roof, and Florida families are suffering, and my heart bleeds for them." ^[39][40]

As an environmental advocate, Crist proposed in June 2008 that the State of Florida buy 187,000 acres (760 km²) of land for conservation. Crist described the deal "as monumental as our nation's first national park."^[41] The agreement, which still faces legal and financing challenges, would give the state 73,000 acres (300 km²) of sugar and citrus plantations for Everglades restoration projects.^[42][43][44]

Crist was the first Republican governor to accept the state's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) invitation to a convention, and has been described^{[by whom?]} as the state's "first black governor." Crist endorsed legislation requiring paper records of all ballots cast during an election, stemming from criticism that votes were being undercounted in black communities by computerized voting machines. He has also tackled the state's regulation of the insurance industry, particularly for property (in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) and health insurance. While new property insurance legislation has proved controversial – in particular the creation of the Citizen's Property Insurance Corp and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (both of which have been described as risky and underfunded) – the health insurance reform efforts have been well received. Standing next to former football star Dan Marino (whose son, Michael, is autistic and who inspired the Dan Marino Foundation^[45]), Crist signed a law expanding health coverage statewide for autism disorders and he has also signed legislation expanding low-income coverage and creating public and private insurance options in the state.^{[46][47][48][49][50][51]}

Post-gubernatorial career[link]

On January 7, 2011 it was announced that Charlie Crist would join personal-injury law firm Morgan and Morgan in Tampa.^[52] In addition, he will be a part time instructor at Stetson University College of Law.^[52]

Political positions[link]

Future of the Republican Party[link]

On November 12–14, 2008, Crist hosted the Republican Governors Association (RGA) annual meeting in Miami. After the Democratic Party win in the 2008 election,^[53] there was speculation about the tone of the Republican Governors meeting. Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was a featured participant and speaker.

Crist's speech at the RGA conference, "Listen to the Voters and Serve" included his sentiments on how the GOP should evolve:

Crist held a joint interview with Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina and they discussed the split in the Republican Party over where to direct the party's next efforts to gain more voters.^[55]

Political campaigns[link]

Role in 2008 presidential election[link]

Senator John McCain played a major role in Crist's 2006 campaign for governor, endorsing Crist and traveling the state to campaign with him. The day before the general election, Crist chose to hold a campaign event with McCain in Jacksonville. Later, when the Republican Presidential primary debates were held in St. Petersburg, Crist embraced McCain and offered a tepid welcome to the other presidential candidates. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had campaigned for Crist during the gubernatorial election, had sought his endorsement to support a campaign strategy that relied on winning the Florida primary.^{[56][57][58][59]}

In May 2007 Crist signed a bill moving the date of Florida's presidential primary to January 29, 2008. Such adjustments of state primary dates – intended to increase the prominence of an individual states' role in the nominating process of the major political process and known as front-loading – are a violation of the primary rules of both major parties. The change prompted the Democratic National Committee to strip Florida (and Michigan, which made a similar change) of their superdelegates and 50 percent of their regular delegates to the Democratic nominating convention, and the Republican National Committee said it would strip 50% of all of the state's delegates.^[60] Crist joined Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm in demanding that their states' delegates be seated. Ultimately, the Democratic National Committee decided to seat all Florida and Michigan delegates while granting each delegate a half vote, and the Republican National Committee came to a similar conclusion.^{[61][62][63][64]}

On January 26, 2008, Crist endorsed McCain in the Republican primary race, saying, "He's a great friend and will do a great job for the United States."^[65] McCain later won the primary by five percentage points.^[66]

On October 28, 2008 Crist extended early voting hours of operation and declared that a "state of emergency exists" due to record voter turnout and resultant hours-long waits at locations throughout the state.^[67] Some Republican operatives were disappointed with the decision, including one anonymous source who said "He just blew Florida for John McCain."^[68][69]

On October 29 and October 31, 2008, Crist appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe in which he told former Florida congressman Joe Scarborough that the race was tightening in Florida.^[70][71]

2010 Senate campaign[link]

Wikinews has related news: Musician David Byrne sues Florida governor over campaign song

Crist announced May 12, 2009, that he would not run for re-election as Governor and would run for the US Senate in 2010. His main Republican opponent was House Speaker Marco Rubio,^[72][73] in addition to Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek.^[74]

Crist was considered the front runner in the Republican primary, but eventually trailed Rubio by 20 points in polls.^[75][76]

As a result, Crist announced his intent to run as an unaffiliated candidate in the 2010 senate election, while at the same time, according to a press release from his campaign, he would remain a registered Republican.^[77] Crist officially changed his registration status to "non party affiliated" on May 13, 2010. After initially signaling that Crist might return former campaign donors' contributions, Crist's campaign later indicated that it will not do so.^[78] Crist eventually lost the race to the more conservative Republican candidate Marco Rubio, Crist receiving 30% of the vote, compared to 49% for Rubio and 20% for Meek.

Personal life[link]

This section requires expansion.

Former Florida Governor and Former First Lady Carole Crist

In July 1979, Crist married Amanda Morrow; they divorced less than a year later.^[79] Crist became engaged to Carole Rome on July 3, 2008 after 9 months of dating, and was married^[80] on December 12 of that year at the First Methodist Church of St. Petersburg, where Crist is a member.^[81]

In April 2009, Crist was one of the subjects of the documentary Outrage, which purports to out politicians who are closeted and opposed LGBT rights legislation.^[82] Crist says he is heterosexual and is not gay.^[83][84][85]

In April 2011, as part of a settlement of a copyright lawsuit brought by musician David Byrne, Crist apologized for his Senate campaign's use of Byrne's song Road to Nowhere without permission authorization.^[86]

References[link]

External links[link]

Florida portal

Wikinews has related news: Musician David Byrne sues Florida governor over campaign song

• Charlie Crist official campaign site
• Biography at the National Governors Association
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Charlie Crist FL Channel on YouTube
• Video with Charlie Crist, WEDU, April 2007, 30-minute interview
• Jennifer Santiago One on One Interview with Crist and Tour of Governor's Mansion, September 10, 2007
• Dinner with Charlie, Ray and Jeff: 'We work as a team', Miami Herald, November 17, 2008

v t e Governors of Florida Military (1821) Jackson Territorial (1822–1845) Duval Eaton Call Reid Call Branch State (since 1845) Moseley Brown Broome Perry Milton Allison Marvin Walker Reed Hart Stearns Drew Bloxham Perry Fleming Mitchell Bloxham Jennings Broward Gilchrist Trammell Catts Hardee Martin Carlton Sholtz Cone Holland Caldwell Warren McCarty Johns Collins Bryant Burns Kirk Askew Graham Mixson Martinez Chiles MacKay Bush Crist Scott

Rick Scott
45th Governor of Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2011
Lieutenant	Jennifer Carroll
Preceded by	Charlie Crist
Personal details
Born	(1952-12-01) December 1, 1952 (age 59) Bloomington, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Ann Scott (née Frances Annette Holland)
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Missouri, Kansas City Southern Methodist University
Profession	Lawyer; business executive
Religion	Evangelical Christian
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1971–1974[1]
Rank	Petty officer, third class[2]
Unit	USS Glover

Richard Lynn "Rick" Scott (born December 1, 1952) is a businessman and the 45th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Florida. He served in the U.S. Navy and then went into business. He earned a business degree and law degree and joined a Dallas firm where he became partner. His net worth was almost $219 million USD in 2010, but by 2011 was estimated at $103 million.^[3] He spent an estimated $75 million of his own money on his successful 2010 run for Governor of Florida.

In 1987, at age 34, he co-founded Columbia Hospital Corporation with two business partners; this merged with Hospital Corporation of America in 1989 to form Columbia/HCA and eventually became the largest private for-profit health care company in the U.S. He resigned as Chief Executive of Columbia/HCA in 1997 amid a controversy over the company's business and Medicare billing practices; the company ultimately admitted to fourteen felonies and agreed to pay the federal government over $600 million; Scott was not implicated.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} Scott later became a venture capitalist.

Scott announced his intention to run for Governor of Florida in 2010. He defeated Bill McCollum in the Republican primary election and defeated Democrat Alex Sink in a close race in the 2010 Florida gubernatorial election.^[9]

Early life and education[link]

Rick Scott was born in Bloomington, Illinois, the second of five children born to financially struggling parents. He was raised in Kansas City, Missouri, where his father, Orba Scott, was a truck driver, and his mother, Esther, worked as a clerk at J.C. Penney, among other jobs.^[10] Scott graduated from high school in 1970, and then attended one year of community college after which he enlisted in the United States Navy. He was in the Navy for 29 months^[11] and served on the USS Glover as a radar technician. He attended college on the GI Bill, later graduating from the University of Missouri–Kansas City with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned a law degree by working his way through Southern Methodist University.^[12]

In 1972, he married his high school sweetheart, Frances Annette "Ann" Holland; they have two daughters.^[10] They live in Naples and are founding members of Naples Community Church.^[13]

Early business career[link]

Scott made his first foray into business while working his way through college and law school, initially buying and reviving two Kansas City donut shops. After graduating from law school, Scott practiced law in Dallas, Texas. He was a partner at Johnson & Swanson, which was the largest law firm in Dallas at that time. A major client was Tom Hicks of HM Capital Partners.^{[citation needed]}

Scott history at Columbia Hospital Corporation[link]

In April 1987, Scott made his first attempt to buy the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). While still a partner at Johnson & Swanson, Scott formed the HCA Acquisition Company with two former executives of Republic Health Corporation, Charles Miller and Richard Ragsdale.^[14] With financing from Citicorp conditional on acquisition of HCA,^[15] the proposed holding company offered $3.85 billion for 80 million shares at $47 each, intending to assume an additional $1.2 billion in debt, for a total $5 billion deal.^[16] However, HCA declined the offer, and the bid was withdrawn.^[17]

In 1988, Scott and Richard Rainwater, a financier from Fort Worth, each put up $125,000 in working capital in their new company, Columbia Hospital Corporation,^[18] and borrowed the remaining money needed to purchase two struggling hospitals in El Paso for $60 million.^[19] Then they acquired a neighboring hospital and shut it down. Within a year, the remaining two were doing much better.^[11] By the end of 1989, Columbia Hospital Corporation owned four hospitals with a total of 833 beds.^[19]

In 1992, Columbia made a stock purchase of Basic American Medical, which owned eight hospitals, primarily in southwestern Florida. In September 1993, Columbia did another stock purchase, worth $3.4 billion, of Galen Healthcare, which had been spun off by Humana Inc. several months earlier.^[20] At the time, Galen had approximately 90 hospitals. After the purchase, Galen stockholders had 82 percent of the stock in the combined company, with Scott still running the company.^[19]

In 1994, Columbia purchased Scott's former acquisition target, HCA, which had approximately 100 hospitals. In 1995, Columbia purchased Healthtrust, which had approximately 80 hospitals, primarily in rural communities. By 1997, Columbia/HCA had become the world's largest health care provider with more than 340 hospitals, 130 surgery centers, and 550 home health locations in 38 states and two foreign countries. With annual revenues in excess of $23 billion, the company employed more than 285,000 people, making it the seventh largest U.S. employer and the twelfth largest employer worldwide. Based on market capitalization, Columbia ranked in the top 50 companies in America and top 100 worldwide. That same year, the company was recognized by Business Week magazine as one of the 50 Best Performing Companies of the S&P 500.^{[citation needed]}

Columbia/HCA fraud case details[link]

On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.^[21] The Columbia/HCA board of directors pressured Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO following the inquiry.^[22] He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement. He also left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.^[23][24][25] In 1999, Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA, Inc.

In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA pled guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.^[26] In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.^[27]

Venture capitalist[link]

After his departure from Columbia/HCA in 1997, Scott launched Richard L. Scott Investments, based in Naples, Florida (originally in Stamford, Connecticut^[28]), which has stakes in health care, manufacturing and technology companies. Between 1998 and 2001, Scott purchased 50% of CyberGuard Corporation for approximately $10 million. Among his investors was Metro Nashville finance director David Manning.^[28] In 2006, CyberGuard was sold to Secure Computing for over $300 million. In February 2005, Scott purchased Continental Structural Plastics, Inc. (CSP) in Detroit, Michigan. In July 2006, CSP purchased Budd Plastics from ThyssenKrupp, making Continental Structural Plastics the largest industrial composites molder in North America. In 2005-06, Scott provided the initial round of funding of $3 million to Alijor.com, which offered hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers the opportunity to post information about their prices, hours, locations, insurance accepted, and personal backgrounds online.^[29] The company was founded with his daughter Allison.^[28] In 2008, Alijor was sold to HealthGrades.

In May 2008, Scott purchased Drives, one of the world's leading independent designers and manufacturers of heavy-duty drive chain-based products and assemblies for industrial and agricultural applications and precision-engineered augers for agricultural, material handling, construction and related applications.^{[citation needed]}

Scott reportedly has an interest in a chain of family fun centers/bowling alleys, S&S Family Entertainment, in Kentucky and Tennessee led by Larry Schmittou, one of baseball's legendary minor league owners.^[30]

America's Health Network (AHN)[link]

In July 1997, Columbia/HCA Healthcare purchased controlling interest in America's Health Network (AHN), the first 24-hour health care cable channel. They pulled out of the deal on the day of the closing because Scott and Vanderwater were terminated, which caused the immediate layoffs of more than 250 people in Orlando. Later that same year, Scott became majority owner of AHN.^[31]

In 1998, Scott and former Columbia/HCA Healthcare President David Vandewater were the leaders in a group of investors that gave AHN a major infusion of cash so that the company could continue to operate. By early 1999, the network was available in 9.5 million American homes.^[32]

In mid-1999 AHN merged with Fit TV, a subsidiary of Fox; the combination was renamed The Health Network.^[33] Later that year, in a deal between News Corp., the owner of Fox Network, and WebMD, the latter received half-ownership of The Health Network. WebMD planned to relaunch The Health Network as WebMD Television in the fall of 2000, with new programming, but that company announced cutbacks and restructuring in September 2000, and in January 2001, Fox regained 100% ownership.^[34] In September 2001, Fox Cable Networks Group sold The Health Network to its main rival, the Discovery Health Channel, for $155 million in cash plus a 10 percent equity stake in Discovery Health.^[35]

Solantic[link]

Solantic, based in Jacksonville, Florida, was co-founded in 2001 by Rick Scott and Karen Bowling, a former television anchor whom Scott met after Columbia bought what is now Memorial Hospital (in Jacksonville, Florida) in 1995.^[10] Solantic opened its first urgent care center in 2002. It provides urgent care services, immunizations, physicals, drug screening, and care for injured workers. The corporation attracts patients who do not have insurance, cannot get appointments with their primary care physicians, or do not have primary care physicians. Solantic is an alternative to the emergency room care that these types of patients often seek, or for not seeing a doctor at all.

In 2006, Scott said that his plans for Solantic were to establish a national brand of medical clinics.^[10] In August 2007, the company received a $40 million investment from a private equity firm and said that it expected to open 35 clinics by the end of 2009, with annual revenues of $100 million once all these clinics were open, compared to $20 million at the time.^[36] As of March 2009, Solantic had 24 centers, all located in Florida.^[37]

Solantic was the target of an employment discrimination suit, which claimed that there had been a policy to not hire elderly or obese applicants, preferring 'mainstream' candidates. It was settled for an undisclosed sum on May 23, 2007. Scott responded to Salon regarding the claims of discrimination pointing out that "currently 53 percent of Solantic’s employees are white, 20 percent black and 17 percent Hispanic." ^[38]

Pharmaca[link]

In 2003, Scott invested $5.5 million in Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacies,^[39] which operates drugstores/pharmacies that offer vitamins, herbal medicine, skin products, homeopathic medicines, and prescriptions. Other investors in Pharmaca include Tom Stemberg, founder and former CEO of Staples, and Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot.

Other work[link]

In the 1990s, Scott was a partner of George W. Bush as co-owner of the Texas Rangers.^[40]

Political career[link]

Conservatives for Patients' Rights[link]

In February 2009, Scott founded Conservatives for Patients' Rights (CPR), which he said was intended to put pressure on Democrats to enact health care legislation based on free-market principles.^[41] As of March, Scott had given about $5 million for a planned $20 million ad campaign by CPR.^[42] CPR opposes the broad outlines of President Obama's health-care plans and has hired Creative Response Concepts (CRC), a public relations firm which previously worked with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth among others.

2010 Florida gubernatorial campaign[link]

Scott ran against Democratic nominee Alex Sink.^[43] On April 9, 2010, Scott announced his candidacy for the 2010 Republican Party nomination for Governor of Florida.^[44] Susie Wiles, former communications chief to Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton, served as his campaign manager, and Tony Fabrizio was his chief pollster. It was reported on May 7 that Scott's campaign had already spent $4.7 million on television and radio ads.^[45] Scott's first video advertisement was released to YouTube on April 13.^[46]

During the primary campaign, Scott's opponent, Bill McCollum, made an issue of Scott's role at Columbia/HCA. Scott countered that the FBI never targeted him. Marc Caputo of Miami Herald contended that a 1998 bill sponsored by McCollum would have made it more difficult to prosecute Medicare fraud cases, and was counter to his current views and allegations.^[47] Scott won the August primary with approximately 47% percent of the vote, compared to 43% voting for McCollum, with McCollum conceding the race after midnight. By the October 25, 2010 Tampa debate between Scott and Alex Sink, Scott had spent $60 million of his own money on the campaign compared to Democratic opponent Alex Sink's reported $28 million.^[48] The Fort Myers News Press quoted Scott as saying in total he spent $78 million of his own money on the campaign, although other figures indicate he spent slightly over $75 million. He won in the general election for Governor of Florida, defeating Sink by around 68,000 votes, or 1.29%.^[49] He assumed office as the 45th Governor of Florida on January 4, 2011.

Redistricting amendments[link]

In the 2010 elections, Florida voters passed constitutional amendments banning gerrymandering of congressional and legislative districts.^[50] In February 2011, Scott withdrew a request to the United States Department of Justice to approve these amendments, which, according to The Miami Herald, might delay the implementation of the redistricting plan because the Voting Rights Act requires preclearance of state laws likely to have an impact on minority representation. Scott said he wants to make sure that redistricting is done properly.^[51] Several advocacy groups sued Scott in federal court to compel Scott to resubmit the acts to the Justice Department.^[52] Richard Pildes, a professor of constitutional law and expert on election law at New York University School of Law, called Scott's actions "extraordinary" because Scott was "essentially using a federal law obligation that binds the states to attempt to avoid enforcing a state law that he apparently would prefer the state had not adopted."^[53]

Rejection of federal funding for high-speed rail[link]

On February 16, 2011, Scott rejected $2.3 billion in federal funding to develop high-speed rail between Tampa and Orlando. Scott cited concerns about ridership and cost overruns.^[54] In response, a veto-proof majority in the Florida Senate approved a letter rebuking Scott and asking the Department of Transportation to continue funding.^[55][56] On February 18, United States Senators from Rhode Island Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse sent a letter to Ray LaHood, the United States Secretary of Transportation, to ask LaHood to redirect some of the rail funding intended for Florida to Rhode Island. Reed and Whitehouse said the money would improve Rhode Island's rail system and provide jobs in the state.^[57]

On March 1, 2011, two state senators filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court to compel Scott to accept the rail funds on the grounds Scott lacked constitutional authority to reject funds which had been approved by a prior legislature.^[58] On March 4, the Florida Supreme Court held that Scott's rejection of the rail funds did not violate the Florida Constitution.^[59]

Port of Miami development[link]

Following his rejection of Central Florida's High Speed Rail project, Scott moved to have the Florida Department of Transportation amend its work plan to include $77 million for dredging the Port of Miami to a depth of 50 feet. Once the port is dredged, Panamax-sized vessels coming through the expanded Panama Canal could load and unload cargo there.^[60]

Florida law requiring drug screening for welfare applicants[link]

In June 2011 Scott signed a bill requiring those seeking welfare under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to submit to drug screenings. Applicants who fail a drug test may name another person to receive benefits for their children.^[61] In an interview with CNN host Don Lemon, Scott said, "Studies show that people that are on welfare are higher users of drugs than people not on welfare" and "the bottom line is, if they're not using drugs, it's not an issue". Government researchers in 1999-2000 reported "that 9.6 percent of people in families receiving some type of government assistance reported recent drug use, compared to 6.8 percent among people in families receiving no government assistance at all."^[62] However preliminary figures show that just 2.5% of applicants tested positive for drugs, with 2% declining to take the test, while the Justice Department estimates that around 6% of Americans overall do drugs.^{[63][dead link]}

Election history[link]

2010 Florida Gubernatorial race[link]

Source: Florida Division of Elections

Other[link]

• Member of the National Board of the United Way, 1997^[65] to 2003.^[66]
• Time Magazine, America's 25 Most Influential People, June 1996^[11]
• Financial World magazine, silver award for the CEO of the Year, 1995^[67]
• Columbia University, School of Nursing, Second Century Award for Excellence in Health Care, 1995^[67]

References[link]