Florida News Straight From the Source
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson took a swipe at his GOP opponent for lacking integrity, as he was campaigning across the state Monday with former Vice President Joe Biden. [Read more…] about Former VP Biden stumps for Nelson, Dems
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s campaign unveiled a new ad today that’s sure to get voters jumping. [Read more…] about Nelson unveils new ad that aims at Scott’s bad enviro record
“The Senate race comes down to one question: who has the independence to put Florida first?”
That’s what U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson says in a new television spot to begin airing tomorrow. The 30-second spot, titled “Closer,” showcases Nelson’s deep roots in the state. “Folks, I’m a fifth-generation Floridian. I’ve always put Florida first – and I always will,” Nelson says.
He also says in the ad that “when President Trump asks for something that’s good for him and bad for Florida, I know what I’ll do: I’ll say ‘no’. And we all know what Rick Scott will do – he’ll say ‘yes’.”
The message is scheduled to start airing in most Florida markets tomorrow, excluding the parts of the Panhandle hardest hit by Hurricane Michael.
Here’s a link to watch “Closer” followed by the script:
“CLOSER”
The Senate race comes down to one question, who has the independence to put Florida first.
When President Trump asks for something that’s good for him and bad for Florida, I know what I’ll do: I’ll say no.
And we all know what Rick Scott will do, he’ll say yes.
Folks, I’m a fifth-generation Floridian.
I’ve always put Florida first – and I always will. Nelson says.
“[Sen. Bill] Nelson has long been a bulwark against oil drilling off Florida’s coast, a bipartisan position that protects Florida’s shoreline, and the state’s important tourism industry, from the petroleum industry’s greed.”
So stated Florida’s second largest newspaper in endorsing U.S. Bill Nelson today for re-election.
It brings to a half-dozen the number of such endorsements Nelson has earned so far in the Senate campaign. The most recent nod came from the Orlando Sentinel editorial board, which called Nelson “a centrist” and praised him for his bipartisan willingness to join with Republicans often.
The Sentinel concluded: “He’s a decent person who has served Florida and his country well, both in the military and in politics. Bill Nelson has earned another term in the U.S. Senate.”
The newspaper contrasted Nelson’s record with that of his GOP opponent, Rick Scott.
“Scott will further the political tribalism that’s dividing this country, to the peril of us all,” the editorial board stated.
The Sentinel’s assessment has been widely agreed upon by editorial boards around the state.
Florida’s largest newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times, noted: “U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has built a commendable career in public service as a moderate who steadily works in a bipartisan fashion on issues important to Floridians. … Gov. Rick Scott, who has consistently sided with the wealthy and the well-connected as he has eroded the interests of working families. Nelson has served Floridians well and deserves a fourth term.”
The Miami Herald’s judgment was succinct: “Re-elect Bill Nelson to the Senate. He puts Florida’s interests first.” And “Scott has been an election-year Johnny Come Lately to many issues of the utmost importance to the state,” the newspaper wrote. “His poor environmental record … has led to the red-tide crisis on one Florida coast and a slick of blue-green algae on the other.”
The South Florida Sun Sentinel said: “Nelson has been a workhorse, not a show horse. … It’s not just the people of Florida who need Bill Nelson back in the Senate. It’s all of the people of the United States of America.”
The Palm Beach Post cited Nelson’s leadership on issues of critical importance to the state, including fighting the opioid crisis and protecting Florida’s natural resources and delivered a scathing rebuke of Nelson’s GOP opponent, Scott, slamming his time in office as “marked by cronyism” and “high-handed legal actions to fight government transparency that have cost state taxpayers millions.”
And the nation’s only trilingual newspaper, Tampa’s La Gaceta slammed Scott for being “a bad governor.”
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Rep. Val Demings on Thursday met with area residents concerned they could lose their health care coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions. [Read more…] about Floridians with pre-existing conditions meet with Nelson
Senator want-to-be Rick Scott got rich by ripping off Medicare; and, “everywhere he’s gone [since], Rick Scott has stuffed his own pockets.”
That’s the stark message of a new TV spot that hits the airwaves across Florida today in the U.S. Senate race. The new 30-second spot, previously scheduled to start airing today, was done by the Bill Nelson for Senate campaign.
Ironically, the ad comes hard on the heels of an explosive investigative report published this morning in the New York Times that shows how Scott has enriched himself in office with investments tied to state business – and he hid it from the public behind a phony blind trust.
“An examination of Mr. Scott’s finances shows that his trust has been blind in name only,” the Times report stated. The report also stated Scott’s “investments have included corporations, partnerships and funds that stood to benefit from his administration’s actions.”
Meantime, the TV ad, airing statewide, highlights the $300 million golden parachute Scott received after being forced out as the head of a health care company later fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud. It also notes the $550 million Scott made in one secret transaction while serving as governor.
“Everywhere he’s gone, Rick Scott has stuffed his own pockets,” the ad says. “You just can’t trust him.”
Here is a link to the aforementioned Times investigation.
Below is a link to view the Nelson ad, followed by the script and a list of some of Scott’s questioned investments.
SCRIPT: “GOT RICH”
Question: How did Rick Scott get rich?
Answer: Ripping off Medicare.
As a CEO, Scott ran a health care company that was fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud.
Then Scott got $300 million when he was forced out the door.
As governor, Scott got even richer. Making $550 million on one transaction hidden from the voters.
Everywhere he’s gone, Rick Scott has stuffed his own pockets.
Rick Scott, you just can’t trust him.
Here are recently published reports on some of Scott’s investing:
– An online Florida investigative news site reported that Scott may have funneled money from his phony blind trust to a family member and disguised it as a business loan. [Florida Bulldog: “Gov. Scott’s federal financial disclosure disguised blind trust loan to daughter”]
– South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial says Scott makes “a mockery” of Florida’s once-model sunshine and open government laws.
– Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that Scott and his investment managers bought millions of dollars of Gilead stock while Scott was directing tens of millions of tax dollars to the company, despite the fact that Congress had blasted it for gouging consumers at $1,000 a pill.
– The Miami Herald reported that Scott made $550 million in one deal as governor from the sale of a plastics company to a Japanese firm he met with on a state-funded economic development trip to Japan.
– The Tampa Bay Times reported that Scott has a financial stake in Florida’s high speed rail project on which he used millions of state tax dollars. Scott previously rejected stimulus money to build a similar high-speed rail.
– Politico reported that Scott’s wife gave a large loan to a member of the firm managing Scott’s so-called “blind trust.”
– The online watchdog news site Bulldog found that Scott owned an enormous financial stake in the Chinese company that supplied parts for Florida’s high speed rail project.
Florida’s largest newspaper endorsed U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson for re-election today, while slamming Nelson’s GOP opponent Rick Scott as someone who “cannot be counted on to stand up for Floridians.” [Read more…] about Florida’s largest newspaper endorses Nelson, slams Scott for failures as governor
The latest sign that Florida’s U.S. Senate race is shifting in Sen. Bill Nelson’s direction came today when Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced in Orlando his endorsement of Nelson’s campaign for re-election to the Senate. [Read more…] about Puerto Rico’s governor endorses Nelson
The Miami Herald today endorsed Bill Nelson for U.S. Senate today. The endorsement comes on the heels of another major newspaper giving the nod to Nelson. And the release of three new major polls last week all showing the close race leaning toward Nelson. [Read more…] about Significant new endorsement of Nelson comes with strong rejection of Scott
