Florida and Georgia are rivals on a sizable scale. The annual football game between UF and the University of Georgia in Jacksonville can resemble preparations for a large war between two enemies, but it seems that the two rivals have more in common than we think.
Both states have incumbent governors that need to go.
The lack of ethics and alleged corruption oozing from governor’s mansions in Tallahassee and Atlanta make the two southern states top targets for Democrats this fall and for good reason.
The alleged corruption might not reach the scale of the Nixon administration, but Florida’s Rick Scott and Georgia’s Nathan Deal are making headlines with decisions that make them both look like Nixon-wannabes.
What they fail to understand is that Nixon would laugh at the childish games carried out by Scott and Deal. Childish games or not, it’s time for both governors to get the boot this fall. Scott and Deal rode the Tea Party wave to victory in 2010 and just four years later, their own poor decisions and hubris might cost them their respective jobs.
Perhaps voters in Florida and Georgia didn’t properly vet their gubernatorial candidates well enough, or perhaps they didn’t care. Hatred for the Obama administration led to the Republican victories in 2010, but the results of those elections put the southern rivals on a far more politically-destructive path.
Rick Scott — our humble governor — was once CEO of a company that defrauded the federal government out of millions in Medicaid and Medicare money. Scott’s company, Columbia/Hospital Corporation of America, plead guilty and agreed to a $600 million fine. When called on to testify, Scott plead the Fifth.
His reward? A fresh start in Florida. And just seven short years after he made Florida home, he was its chief executive.
Scott’s time as governor has been marred by controversy and the appearance of impropriety. In just one example of Scott’s hubris, he rejected $2.4 billion in federal money to start construction of a much-needed high-speed rail line in Florida. A top advisor to Scott — Adam Hollingsworth — had told Scott to reject the money, claiming that cost overruns could cost Floridians billions.
Now, Hollingsworth is singing a different tune.
After taking a job with an infrastructure company, Hollingsworth started lobbying Scott’s office to fund high-speed rail. Scott’s now on board for trains in Florida, and instead of accepting free money from the feds, Florida taxpayers are on the hook for millions.
Hooray for transparent and honest government!
Nathan Deal — the Republican governor of Georgia — was once a Democratic member of Congress, and then like all good politicians, he switched parties during the 1990s.
Deal resigned from Congress to focus on the gubernatorial race in 2010, but he had a dirty little secret: Congressional officials opened an ethics investigation to look at how Deal was earning income outside of Congress.
By resigning, the investigation ended and Deal was free to run for governor without the fear or a censure or criminal investigation. Ethical problems are once again plaguing Deal, whose administration is accused of meddling with the state ethics commission, in an attempt to end an investigation into Deal’s 2010 campaign.5
Democratic challengers to both governors are within striking distance and if Scott and Deal can’t turn it around soon, Florida and Georgia will likely have new governors come January.
If Florida and Georgia’s football teams don’t win, it’s likely the end of the road for the schools’ coaches. The same may be true for Rick Scott and Nathan Deal. Over the last four years, they’ve made a mess of their states and what was shared with you today only scratches the surface.
In fact, Google Scott or Deal’s name followed by controversy or corruption and have fun: the search will occupy a sizable chunk of time.
With all that said, what’s clear is that it’s time for new leadership in the south. Scott and Deal need to go.
[Joel Mendelson is a UF grad student in political campaigning. His columns appear on Thursdays. A version of this story ran on page 6 on 7/17/2014 under the headline "Lousy governors for Florida and Georgia"]
