For the second time in less than a year, Gov. Rick Scott will be seeking a new chief of the Department of Economic Opportunity. State 'jobs czar' Hunting Deutsch abruptly resigned his post on Tuesday in the midst of the governor's four-day trade mission in Bogota, Colombia.
The governor's office confirmed Deutsch's resignation but said a resignation letter was not immediately available.
Deutsch drew controversy recently following revelations by The Current news site that he had collected state unemployment benefits between 2009 and 2011.
-- Steve Bousquet
daniel imperato should be running this state with the governor.
Posted by: rasa | December 04, 2012 at 12:33 PM
I can hear that conversation take place now:
DEUTSCH: But your highness, I’m the ‘Jobs Czar’. Why can’t I go to Colombia with you and everyone else?
SCOTT: You nincompoop. You, if anyone, should know there are no jobs to bring back to the state in Colombia! We are only going because it makes for a nice trip right here before the holidays. And I need to get away from all that election crap that they pinned on me.
DEUTSCH: But, but what about all the nurses that are about to lose their jobs in the prisons. I still haven’t found any decent jobs for all of them yet. There are almost 2,000 people that will lose their jobs right here at Christmas time. And I only managed to get ADT to hire 128 of them, and that’s without any benefits.
SCOTT: WHAT! Do you know that’s going to make me look like an even bigger Scrooge than I am? How can I make myself look better to the poor state employees? I know, I’ll give them Christmas Eve off. And I’ll even pay them. But someone has to take-one-for-the-team Deutsch. I want your resignation first thing in the morning.
Posted by: RSisS | December 04, 2012 at 01:04 PM
Can Florida afford to have Gov. Rick Scott hire another ethically-challenged public official? The answer is NO. Which is why outgoing Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti must not be another Scott hire. Lamberti is gunning for the job of state Dept. of Corrections chief, another office where he wouldl have power and authority. What would Lamberti do as chief of the DOC? As Broward Sheriff he had a secret slush fund that was just uncovered last month. He is well known for his dealings with Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein and for hiring criminals like cocaine trafficker Bill Lewis on the BSO staff. Can we expect Lamberti to make illegal and unethical deals with car dealerships for state patrol cars like his deal with Maroone for BSO patrol cars? The answer is YES. Lamberti isn’t fit to be dog-catcher, let alone chief of the DOC.
Posted by: Lady Yehenara | December 05, 2012 at 02:07 PM