Rick Scott

Rick Scott Compares Picking on Mitt Romney's Business Past to Holocaust

​You've surely heard Martin Niemöller famous quote about the German intellectual and religious communities complacency during the Nazis' rise to power in 1930s Germany. It includes the line, "Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew."Well, Rick Scott decided to a ... More >>

Rick Scott Won't Offer Primary Endorsement: Both Newt and Mitt Breathe Sigh of Relief

It's not exactly like anyone was chasing the big Rick Scott endorsement anyway, but today Florida's popularity challenged governor made it clear that he will not be endorsing anyone ahead of the state's Republican primary. We doubt either Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney will lose much sleep over being ... More >>

Occupy Florida Interrupts Rick Scott's "State of the State" Entrance (Video)

The Occupy movement made its debut at last night's opening of the legislative season in Tallahassee with a move carefully calibrated to resonate with ordinary Floridians -- they yelled some stuff at widely loathed Gov. Rick Scott.As Scott made his way into the House, protesters lined the hallway yel ... More >>

GOP Lawmaker Files Bill to Raise Florida's Sales Tax by 3 Percent

​It's not often you see Republican politicians filing bills to raise taxes, but that's exactly what Rep. Fred Costello of Ormond Beach has done. He has introduced a bill that would add a 3 percent surtax to Florida's sales tax. The bill also supports the idea of added taxes to Internet purchases a ... More >>

Rick Scott Still Mum on Casinos, Wants More Lotto Sales

​The debate over whether Florida should allow destination casinos is certainly one of the biggest in the state. Yet Gov. Rick Scott has remained mostly silent on the issue. That's not to say he doesn't have some form of gambling of the mind. To fund a $1 billion increase in the education budget, h ... More >>

FAMU Students Occupy Rick Scott's Mansion; Governor's Reply Is Kinda Racist

Thousands of Florida A&M students marched to the governor's mansion last night after Rick Scott demanded the school suspend its president over a band member's hazing death. Scott agreed to meet students out front and, oy, that might have been the wrong decision.The white guv bizarrely attempted ... More >>

Rick Scott Hits New Poll Low at 26 Percent; More Now Believe in Ghosts Than Gov.

​Boy oh boy does everybody hate, hate, hate Rick Scott. Everybody! Well, more than seven in ten Florida voters can't stand the guy, at least, according to a new poll out this morning from the Public Policy Polling firm.Scott's 26 percent approval rating is so dismal, it got us at Riptide wondering ... More >>

Daily Show Reporter Asks Rick Scott to Pee in a Cup

​You can bet that whoever let The Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi into increasingly unpopular Gov. Rick Scott's press conference today is going to get a dressing down tonight. The comedian, who we're assuming is preparing an upcoming piece on Scott for the show, asked the governor to pee in ... More >>

Here's Video of Gov. Rick Scott (AKA DJ Govvy Gov) Dancing

​Now, you may think that our tall, white, lanky, bald governor could be a horrible dancer, but we have to say he moves with such grace and enthusiasm it almost moved us to tears. His feet move like finely timed fireworks in slow motion, exploding with elegant energy. He's a master of the lock step ... More >>

Rick Scott Is Spending the Day Working at the Port of Miami

An excuse to use this image again? Yes, please. ​As part of his "Let's Get to Work" publicity stunt, Florida Governor Rick Scott will be spending the day working at the Port of Miami. Scott was spotted in a hardhat, orange vest and work gloves at the port early this morning, and will spend time wo ... More >>

Rick Scott on the Occupy Movement: "I'm Glad People Come Out and Tell Us What They Think"

Even though the Occupy Wall Street movement entering its second month, and similar protests popping up around the globe, most politicians are remaining mum. Those of the Republican variety, in most cases, have been pretty flippant. Take Herman Cain's "if you don't have a job and you're not rich, bla ... More >>

Rick Scott: "I Don't Have to Create Any Jobs"

​Rick Scott's central campaign promise seemed pretty simple: His economic plan would create 700,000 additional jobs on top of normal job growth over seven years. In the past month, Scott has been flip-flopping wildly on that promise, and this morning on a conservative radio show, he said, "I could ... More >>

Disappointed Dad? Rick Scott's Daughter Was an Anthropology Major

​Rick Scott's bizarre attack on anthropology majors seemed completely random. Well, apparently his remarks may have had some family drama implications. Turns out that Rick Scott's own daughter majored in anthropology and never found a job in her field.

Anthropologists Hit Back at Rick Scott

​Rick Scott can't open his mouth without causing some sort of controversy. While pushing the need to get more Florida college students to major in things like science and math, he dissed anthropologists."Is it a vital interest of the state to have more anthropologists? I don't think so," he said.N ... More >>

Rick Scott Still Trying to Figure Out Exactly What His Campaign Promises Meant

Back when he was running for Governor, Rick Scott promised that he'd add 700,000 jobs in Florida over seven years in addition to what the economy would produce regardless of who was Governor. It seemed like a simple enough promise at the time, but now ten months into his term he's still ap ... More >>

Rick Scott No Longer Promises Floridians 700,000 New Jobs

Rick Scott's pledge that he'd create 700,000 new jobs for Floridians in addition to expected job growth was perhaps one of the least controversial themes of his election campaign. Yeah, well, sorry -- he's flip-flopped on that. He's no longer promising 700,000 jobs in addition to the jobs the state ... More >>

Judge Rules Rick Scott's "Docs and Glocks" Law Unconstitutional

​Florida's Republican legislature and Gov. Rick Scott passed and signed so many controversial bills into law this year that it's hard to keep track.Earlier this year, Scott signed into law an NRA-backed bill that for some reason prohibits doctors from asking patients about gun ownership. (So much ... More >>

Rick Scott Thinks Obama Stole His Slogan

​Well, undoubtedly the line President Obama used most during his jobs speech last week was "Pass this jobs bill." Though, he also managed to slip in the phrase "Lets get to work." Which, besides being a somewhat common phrase in its own right, it also the favored slogan of Florida Governor Ric ... More >>

Rick Scott Wins "Worst Governor Ever" Race

​It was real neck and neck at the end, what with the surprise surge by Texas Governor Rick Perry. But Florida's own Rick Scott has been named the "Worst Governor Ever" in a drawn-out, online poll conducted by the Transportation Workers Union of America. With the way things are going right now, it ... More >>

Rick Scott Supports Oil Drilling in Everglades

​What the hell sort of strange Pandora's box did Michele Bachmann reopen by suggesting she'd support drilling for oil in the Everglades. Now, Governor Rick Scott is dipping into the Tea Party's hive mind, and has said he's support some drilling for oil in the Everglades as well. Its ludicrous ... More >>

Rick Scott's Office Just Got an $80,000 Upgrade Thanks to Taxpayers

​Florida taxpayers are stuck munching on some carpet bills. Even while their cutting budgets, the offices of state lawmakers are getting costly upgrades to their carpets and other amenities. Governor Rick Scott's office just got a near $80,000 facelift. Two hundred thousand dollars has been spent ... More >>

Rick Scott Pays Just $360-a-year For His Taxpayer-Subsidized Health Insurance

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average health plan costs an American family $13,770 in premiums a year. Governor Rick Scott pays just $360 to insure himself and his wife thanks to a state Government plan he's enrolled in. Yep. the average American pays 38.25 percent more for their he ... More >>

Poll: Slightly Fewer People Hate Rate Scott Now

​Gov. Rick Scott's popularity is climbing ever so slightly out of the toilet. Now 35 percent of Floridians approve of the way he's handling his job. That's up from only 29 percent in May. That makes Rick Scott probably the only politician in America right now who's happy with a 35 percent appr ... More >>

Gov. Rick Scott Makes Doughnuts, Gets Pink-Slipped

Doh! and Nuts!​On his first day returning to his "hard-worker roots," Gov. Rick Scott got served. Yesterday, Florida's leader was behind the counter of Nicola's Donut Shop in Tampa taking and handing out orders as part of his image rehabilitation campaign to connect with regular folk ravaged by un ... More >>

Rick Scott Falsely Claims Florida's Unemployment Rate Has Fallen Faster Than Any Other Since He Took Office

​Rick Scott spent his entire morning today serving doughnuts at a shop in Tampa in an effort to paint himself as a creator-of-jobs governor and score some publicity points. Of course, directly after, he got on a talk radio show to talk all about it.Scott was chatting on WFTL 850 AM in Pompano Bea ... More >>

Rick Scott Calls New Times Article Inappropriate

​This past June, reporters from two of our sister papers, New Times Broward-Palm Beach and the Dallas Observer, hunted down a tip that Gov. Rick Scott has a brother residing in Texas who was living off government handouts and with a criminal record that included drug possession. It was mildly ... More >>

Should Florida Veterans Hall of Fame Include Rick Scott and Six Confederate Soldiers?

​We all know the Rick Scott administration isn't big on creating new government programs, but Scott's former chief of staff, Mike Prendergast, who now heads the state Department of Veterans Affairs, wants to institute a Florida Veterans Hall of Fame. Scott signed off on a bill authorizing the crea ... More >>

Rick Scott Administration Bans Pornography in Prisons

​Despite the fact Rick Scott used to owns shares in a social media company that partnered with Playboy, his prison chief was so distraught by the site of a Playboy centerfold hanging in a jail that he's now banned all pornography from state prisons.

Now You Too Can Have Rick Scott Eyes

Lady Gaga: Totally prettier with Rick Scott's eyes, right?​Yesterday we brought you some of the most hauntingly beautiful images on the web -- beautiful women like Katy Perry and Emma Watson sporting the piercing baby blues of our esteemed governor, Rick Scott.Well we didn't want to leave out you, ... More >>

Chicks With Rick Scott's Eyes: A Party of Horror Starring Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber

The only thing scarier than chicks with Rick Scott's eyes: Rick Scott with Rick Scott's eyes.​In case the real Gov. Rick Scott hasn't given you enough nightmare fuel to last a thousand bloody dreams, our in-house graphics department (commonly called "Pam Shavalier") has compiled a new collection f ... More >>

Letters from the issue of July 21, 2011

Rick Scott's dirtiest deeds

Is Rick Scott America's Worst Governor?

Rick Scott: Florida's Sith overlord.​Clearly, Rick Scott is America's least popular governor. His numbers are so low that if he were a baseball player, his manager would have long ago slapped his ass and demoted him to AA. He's more politically radioactive than Anthony Weiner's twitter account. Th ... More >>

Rick Scott's Approval Rating Falls to 27 Percent in Conservative Poll

​The Democratically aligned Public Policy Polling and the nonpartisan Quinnipiac University polling service have both shown that Rick Scott's approval ratings are about the worst of any governor in the nation. But some of Rick Scott's fervent supporters might be the type to doubt the accuracy of " ... More >>

Bill Clinton Calls Rick Scott's Felon Disfranchisement Rules Racist and Politically Motivated

Not very many people in Florida like Governor Rick Scott, so we really didn't expect former democratic President Bill Clinton to like the guy much either. While speaking at a conference for young progressive activists in D.C. today, Clinton called out Scott's effort to strip voting rights from convi ... More >>

Rick Scott Gets Over His Fear of Trains and Approves SunRail

​Gov. Rick Scott has seemed to overcome his hesitations about funding Central Florida's SunRail commuter train program and announced his approval of state funding for the program today. Scott's first big decision in office was surprisingly killing a federally funded high-speed train project, a mov ... More >>

Stephen Colbert Starts His Own Rick Scott Letter Writing Campaign

​In a miscalculated move to try and boast public support, Florida Gov. Rick Scott's website asked his fervent supporters, all five of them, to sign their name to a pre-written letter and send them off to Florida's newspapers letter to the editor section.Well, at least one fake conservative pundit ... More >>

Report: Rick Scott Pushed to Completely Eliminate Florida Highway Patrol

​Rick Scott wants to be known as the job creation governor, but almost seven months into office he's become more known for what he's destroyed, or tried to. After killing Florida's federally funded high-speed rail program, and reports that he attempted to do away with Citizens Property Insurance, ... More >>

Mike Huckabee Defends Rick Scott, Calls Riptide an "Idiot" on Fox News

So apparently Mike Huckabee reads Riptide, and apparently he thinks we're just idiots. The former Arkansas Governor-turned-Fox News host had Rick Scott on his program this weekend, and the two discussed Scott's dismal poll numbers. Huckabee decided to blame the press, and as evidence flashed a Ripti ... More >>

Poll: Rick Scott's Unpopularity Could Help Obama in Florida

​Fresh off of its Republican primary poll yesterday, Public Policy Polling, a democratically-aligned polling firm, has released new numbers showing that large numbers of Florida voters are less likely to vote for a Republican presidential candidate in 2012 thanks to the actions of Rick Scott. ... More >>

Thousands of Florida Doctors Ask Judge to Block New Law Barring Them From Asking About Guns

​The party that supposedly favors deregulation and keeping the government out of people's lives passed a state law this year that barred doctors from asking patients about gun ownership. Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law, but now a group of thousands of doctors and gun control gr ... More >>

Rick Scott's Brother Is a Welfare Recipient With a History of Drug Charges

​Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a bill that requires all people seeking welfare take mandatory drug tests. Interestingly, it turns out Scott has a younger brother who receives welfare and seems to have a history of drug charges.

Florida's Teenagers Can Now Sext Without Worrying About Becoming a Felon

​Gov. Rick Scott delivered terrific news for the state's horny and technologically advanced teenagers today. He's signed a bill that lowers the penalties for minors sending pictures of their junk to each other. Used to be kids could get charged with big-time felonies like distribution of child por ... More >>

Rick Scott's Governing Is Straight Out Of Monty Python, Opa-Locka Woman Argues In Lawsuit

Never, never make Rick Scott laugh.​Gov. Rick Scott's first months running Florida have yielded plenty of gems that would be comedy gold if we didn't actually have to live with them in real life. Drug testing every state employee? To benefit a medical company he co-founded? Didn't we see that one ... More >>

Rick Scott Administration Ghostwrites Positive Letters to the Editor

​Florida's Rick Scott is the most unpopular governor in the nation, and while his administration is sticking to a Bush-like refrain that poll numbers don't matter, it sure seems that deep down he realizes that his basement-level approval ratings spell trouble. So in an effort to turn public pe ... More >>

Rick Scott Halts Drug Testing For State Employees Thanks to ACLU Lawsuit

illustration by Derf​DMV blunt smoking part-ay! Gov. Rick Scott today put a temporary hold on his harsh-mellowing plan to randomly drug test all state employees -- an absurd idea in the first place that would have cost millions just to root out the odd pothead or two at the parks service. (All whi ... More >>

Lie: Rick Scott Infers He's Better at Creating Job Than Obama

​It's one thing for a politician to twist facts and figures to support his own agenda. Unfortunately, it's just business as usual for the political class. It's quite another for a politician to have such little faith in the intelligence of his constituents that he straight-up lies about figures an ... More >>

Could Charlie Crist Take on Rick Scott in 2014 As a Democrat?

​Gov. Rick Scott's leadership hasn't given Floridians much to celebrate. He's the most unpopular governor in America, and his poll numbers don't appear to be getting any better. But Democrats see a silver lining in the dark cloud. Scott's deep unpopularity gives them renewed electoral hope. I ... More >>

Anti-Gay Group Says Rick Scott Is Hosting a Prayer Day (Update: He's not.)

YAY HATE GROUPS​Update 2:54 p.m.: Rick Scott spokesman Lane Wright said there's no day of prayer and no Florida event planned, and that Scott has not committed either way to the Texas event.Texas Gov. Rick Perry invited the 49 other governors to his football-stadium prayerfest spectacular in Augus ... More >>

Neither Gimenez nor Robaina Has Much Nice to Say About Rick Scott

​No matter who becomes Miami-Dade's next mayor, don't expect him to have the rosiest of relationships with deeply unpopular Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The race is nonpartisan, but both Carlos Gimenez and Julio Robaina are registered Republicans. However, at a debate this morning, both made it clear ... More >>