Florida lawmakers in both parties are reacting with disappointment at Gov. Rick Scott's veto of a prison inmate re-entry bill. The measure (HB 177) passed both houses easily; only four GOP House members voted against it.
Scott vetoed the bill because he said it would have eased sentencing requirements on some inmates, which he opposes. The chief Senate proponent of the bill, Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, said she was "phenomenally disappointed" by Scott's decision. The tenacious Bogdanoff said she spent six years trying to pass the legislation, which by political necessity had to be watered down and would have applied to only 337 inmates in the state prison system. More detail in Steve Bousquet's column here.
As a tax payer and home owner I do not want my tax money locking up people who are non-violent drug offenders. Rick Scott is the anti-Christ as evident of his lack of compassion for his fellow man and his love of the almighty dollar. This guy makes Hugo Chavez & Fidel look like Mr. Rogers.
Posted by: Maria Colonzo | April 09, 2012 at 07:22 PM
Phenomenal kudos from law enforcement goes unmentioned.
Posted by: Billy Bob Thornton III | April 09, 2012 at 08:43 PM
Rick Scott has the compassion of a door mat. I won't be voting for him again. The only thing he is good at is cutting the budget on all things that don't affect himself. This bill would help a lot of people and actually our whole state. But will it help Scott? No, so he won't waste his valuable time on it.
Posted by: Vicki | April 10, 2012 at 01:24 PM
Anyone who pleaded the 5th, on medicare fraud should have been sitting in jail, not in the Gov. mansion!
Can't wait to vote him out!
Posted by: penni | May 04, 2012 at 05:21 PM