Steve Bousquet, Marc Caputo and Mary Ellen Klas report that "Florida Cabinet members are turning up the heat on Gov. Rick Scott over the botched removal of a top state police official, with [even] Attorney General Pam Bondi raising 'serious questions' about Scott's conduct."
Bondi on Wednesday became the last of the three elected Republican Cabinet members to distance herself from the ouster last month of Gerald Bailey as commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Bailey alleges that Scott and his aides meddled in law enforcement business and used strong-arm tactics to pressure him to resign.But she hasn't quite grown a complete spine:
Taking [only] indirect aim at Scott on his preference for secrecy over transparency, Bondi said that she and the public have a right to know the truth and that she would insist that the Bailey matter be discussed "thoroughly and in the sunshine" at the next Cabinet meeting Feb. 5.Big of her.
All three Cabinet members have said they did not anticipate Bailey's ouster, but not one of them publicly questioned the decision at last week's Cabinet meeting."Attorney General Pam Bondi joins Cabinet scrutiny of Gov. Rick Scott's actions in FDLE firing."
Torpid editorial boards begin to call for an investigation
The Miami Herald editors: "Investigate FDLE allegations."
"FDLE chief's ouster could force changes"
"The abrupt ouster of the leader of Florida's main law-enforcement agency could lead to a major shake-up in how the state Cabinet and the governor hire top officials." "FDLE chief's ouster could force changes in Cabinet hiring of leaders."
Second amendment stoopid
"Pinellas toddler finds his father's gun, kills himself."
"Bondi (included only for comic relief)"
John Romano writes: "The words were polite and the tone was measured, but the message Gov. Rick Scott delivered in a letter to Jeff Atwater seems unmistakable:"
Kiss off.Romano insists that ScottAnd while the letter was addressed to the state's chief financial officer, it might as well have gone to every politician in Tallahassee and every voter in Florida.
For what Scott really did was draw a line in the sand and ask if anyone was tough enough to cross it.
There really is no other way to interpret Scott's response when Atwater suggested the Cabinet reconsider the hiring of a new commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
be called out by his Cabinet colleagues. By Atwater (a strong possibility), by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam (a lesser possibility) or by Attorney General Pam Bondi (included only for comic relief). . . .Much more here: "If Rick Scott gets away with this, Florida is in trouble."More people voted against Scott than for him in consecutive gubernatorial elections. He has nothing approaching a mandate and no cause to believe he can act with impunity.
What he has done this week is behaved like a bully.
And if no one has the courage to knock him down, his disregard for laws, transparency and common courtesy will only get worse.
JU, Really?
"Mitt Romney to Receive Honorary Degree from JU."