3/31/16 – By Don Gaetz
Like the mongoose and the cobra, politicians and the media are natural enemies, watching each other warily and always ready to strike at the other’s vulnerabilities. So it was an uncomfortable moment for some in the political establishment when Rep. Ritch Workman of Melbourne and I introduced anti-corruption legislation authored by the Gannett newspaper group.
A Gannett editor, Matt Reed, was ridiculed and chastised by a veteran senator for having the gall to testify for the bill before a Senate committee. Continually stalled and quietly sidetracked by opponents without the guts to fight it in the sunshine, SB 582 finally passed during the last days of the legislative session. Then, lastweek, in a jolt to some politicians and their private sector BFF’s who live on public contracts, Gov. Rick Scott signed our “Anti-Corruption Act” into law.