Oops. Adam Hollingsworth did it again.
After twice lying years ago about getting a 1990 college degree, Gov. Rick Scott's current chief of staff didn't fully disclose the date he received his bachelor's when he filled out a 2011 application for a high-level state post.
Hollingsworth received his University of Alabama communications degree in 2009 -- not 1990 as he suggested on his May 27, 2011 application for an appointment to the board of Enterprise Florida Inc., the state's public-private economic development agency.
Hollingsworth wouldn't comment, but a spokeswoman for the governor's office said he wasn't misleading.
"The EFI application, which Adam completed after 2009 when he had his degree, did not request a graduation date so one was not provided," Melissa Sellers wrote in an email.
Hollingsworth last week acknowledged a "misrepresentation" and "failure in judgment." But he denied that his departure from CSX was linked to his false claim that he had earned a degree when he hadn't.
Also, Hollingsworth didn't tell Scott about his deception until a reporter asked him Friday.
Scott, however, is standing by his chief of staff and said Tuesday that Hollingsworth will "continue to do a great job."
On Tuesday, new records released by the governor's office showed that Hollingsworth wasn't completely forthcoming when it came to the Enterprise Florida application. The application instructions had straightforward demand for transparency: "The questionnaire MUST BE COMPLETED IN FULL."
On his application for the Enterprise Florida appointment Hollingsworth wrote: "University of Alabama, 1986-1990, BA, Communications."
The official state document, submitted to the governor's office, was notarized and date-stamped. Hollingsworth signed the form, which stated he swore the information was "complete and true."
-- with Steve Bousquet
Here's Hollingsworth's inaccurate 2011 disclosure with the Florida Senate:
Here's the Senate requirement for FULL disclosure:
Here's the accurate disclosure given the following year:
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