Rick Scott’s FDLE scandal blows open, demands probe

by Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel

If someone accused Rick Scott of being a liar who abused the power of his office, I wouldn’t normally call that big news.

I might just call it Tuesday.

Scott, after all, is one of the least popular governors in Florida history. And he’s been dogged by critics since the day he stepped in office.

But the latest accusations against Scott aren’t coming from longtime critics. They’re coming from one of Florida’s top law-enforcement officials — a respected veteran who worked closely with the governor for the past four years.

And that, my friends, is a big deal … and why Scott now has a full-fledged scandal on his hands.

For those who missed it, the former head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement — 35-year-veteran Gerald Bailey — has started spilling the beans.

Bailey portrays Scott and his staff as a group of unethical, hard-core politicos who would go to great lengths — willing even to fabricate a criminal investigation — to get themselves out of a jam.

The question now is: Who is going to demand answers and accountability?

I may know just the guy — a respected politician in a position to demand answers, and who could benefit politically by doing so.

But first, a quick primer on the scandal.

It started last month when Bailey shocked everyone by suddenly deciding to resign.

At least that’s what Scott wanted everyone to think. The governor shed crocodile tears about Bailey’s departure, calling him “a terrific leader in our law-enforcement community.”

Bailey, however, said there was nothing terrific about his departure — or the way Scott ran the state.

Instead, he told the Tampa Bay Times that Scott forced him out — a top Scott staffer surprising him with an ultimatum: “Retire or resign.”

Why? Well, Bailey said he had made the mistake of standing up to the governor and his staff when he had been asked to do improper things.

Among Bailey’s claims:

•Scott’s office asked Bailey to falsely claim that a local official was being criminally investigated in connection with an escape from a state prison — an escape Scott’s staff didn’t want to be blamed for.

•Scott’s staff asked Bailey to quickly conclude an investigation into an ally whom Scott wanted to appoint to a state board. Said Bailey: “Scott wanted the case to go away.”

•Scott’s campaign improperly asked Bailey to get involved with Scott’s re-election campaign. When Bailey objected to mixing public and private business, he said Scott’s staff told him to simply delete the email … even though it was sent to his public email account.

There were more accusations, including Bailey telling the Times he was asked to hire unqualified people and that special interests may have inappropriately paid for FDLE agents to travel with the governor on a political trip.

And keep this in mind: All these claims come from a man who worked closely with the governor — a veteran pro who Scott himself called “a terrific leader.”

Now, though, Scott’s team says Bailey is all wrong. Staffers told the Times that no agency “would be told to fabricate information” and that Bailey’s other complaints were either baseless or “petty.”

Basically, the governor doesn’t want you to trust the man he trusted to run the state’s top cop agency for the last four years.

Obviously, the public deserves answers.

So far, however, members of the Florida Cabinet — who theoretically also control FDLE — have been little more than patsies for the governor.

We’ve learned to expect as much from Attorney General Pam Bondi. And Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is also earning a reputation of being more of a lap dog than a watchdog — especially after he was caught taking a Big Sugar-funded junket that he refused to talk about.

But CFO Jeff Atwater may hold promise. Atwater has demonstrated an independent streak in the past. And, as a guy who may want to be governor himself one day, this is the perfect time to prove his mettle.

One thing is sure: Someone needs to restore credibility to the state’s top law-enforcement agency. And the only way that will happen is by exposing the full story.

After all, the guy who says things stink was close enough to the Governor’s Office to catch a whiff.