Gov. Rick Scott visited St. Petersburg’s Jagged Peak Thursday morning as part of an ongoing, statewide campaign to highlight job creators.
Afterward, in a brief, five-minute Q&A with the media, Scott addressed a few questions in the news, including a brewing disagreement with the Florida Cabinet about next week’s process to review and possibly get rid of certain agency heads. Among those targeted by Scott: Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty:
“I’m not sure they (the agency heads) are going to be there,” he said, addressing a bone of contention between his office and Cabinet member aides.
Asked directly whether agency heads like McCarty were being invited to sit in on their reviews, Scott said: “I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
(In a statement later Thursday, Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz explained the latest gameplan for the Cabinet meeting: “Those agencies do not have presentations scheduled, however, it would be beneficial for them to attend in the event Cabinet members have questions on their agency.”)
Here are a few other questions the governor responded to:
— On recurring technological programs this week with a school testing program statewide:
“A couple things. We’re looking at which tests we should have so our students are spending time learning rather than testing. We’ve already eliminated one test in the 11th grade and we’re working with the Legislature to see which tests we might want to get rid of.
Second, the tests that they’re doing right now. Commissioner Pam Stewart is very focused to make sure 8th, 9th and 10th graders are going to be able to get their writing tests done in their 90-minute sessions. Many school districts are saying the system has worked for them. The way this is set up they have two additional weeks to get all this accomplished. She’s confident that timeframe will get all these tests done.”
— On whether Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email account for business while Secretary of State raises transparency issues and his own issues over email disclosure:
“I don’t know; I’m not familiar with what she did… I don’t use email for business; I only use it for my family.”
— On the standstill with the federal government over continuing funding for a health care program that targests low-income Floridians:
“The federal government often starts a program, and remember they’re funded with our state tax dollars. now what they’re saying is they’re not sure if they’re going to continue it… This is for our low-income families so I’ll be very, very, very disappointed if they don’t continue it.”
— On President Obama’s executive order with immigration:
“Everybody wants to have immigration reform – to have comprehensive immigration reform – but the president has failed us on that. What he’s done by going around Congress is just the opposite of what you have to do; like I have to do. I work with my Legislature. If I want to get something done, I work with them; I can’t just do an executive order and not work with them. By doing that he’s slowed down what we need to get done. It starts with fixing our borders but all of us want to have comprehensive immigration reform.”
Original article here.