Florida Governor Rick "Run The Government Like A Business" Scott chose the eve of the one year anniversary of the BP oil spill to give Transocean, the business, a break by announcing that Florida won't join the other Gulf states in a lawsuit against the company, just as he had hinted last week:
Scott told reporters at the event that he saw no need for a lawsuit."I'm very comfortable that my discussion so far with BP is that they're going to continue to do the right thing," he said.
From Scott's announcement today:
“It doesn’t make sense that the state join that lawsuit. We have a plan to make sure our state is treated fairly with regards getting reimbursed by British Petroleum for the damages done to our state,” Scott told reporters on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the oil rig blast that spewed 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
Scott spoke with reporters at Eastern Shipbuilding in Allenton, outside Panama City, where he and the Florida Cabinet will meet later this afternoon. The governor is in the Panhandle for a two-day swing as the region’s cheerleader-in-chief, coinciding with a $30 million marketing effort paid for by BP to the seven Gulf Coast counties hardest hit by the oil disaster.
Scott added that hopefully the state will just settle with BP rather than going to court. Or in Scott's words:
“That would be utopia,” Scott said of reaching an agreement with the oil giant.
Speaking as someone who has had to go to court over his business practices more than once, I suppose that would be "utopia." Unfortunately, there are many in the state whose businesses and livelihoods have suffered because of the oil spill. Florida isn't a "business" and Scott isn't its CEO.
Carlos Muñiz, deputy attorney general, told reporters Scott has a different goal in mind:
...the goal of the governor and Attorney General Pam Bondi is to use the Oil Pollution Act to obtain damages from BP and its partners, Transocean and Halliburton, but will not join the multi district lawsuit against Transocean in a New Orleans federal court, which has a filing deadline of Wednesday.
"Regardless of what other state’s are doing, the attorney general and the governor are focused on getting the maximum recovery for Florida’s taxpayers in the shortest possible time and we believe that the best way to do that is through the Oil Pollution Act claims process and, if necessary, filing litigation against BP," Muñiz said.
Scott and Bondi have come under criticism for not pursuing the lawsuit against the rig operator. Steve Yerrid, a Tampa attorney who served as special counsel on the oil spill to Scott’s predecessor, Gov. Charlie Crist, said the state has a solid claim against Transocean and the governor is obligated to get all the money it can for Florida taxpayers.
Scott recently came under scrutiny for conflict of interest over his shares in his family's health care chain, Solantic, which he had transferred to his wife. He subsequently sold those shares to an investment firm, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe last week.
A nearly $20.4 million investment in Drives Acquisition LLC. He created the company to purchase Drives LLC, a manufacturer of mechanical chains, in 2008. The company’s markets include North America and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
What kind of company is Drives, LLC?
Drives, LLC, is a company that makes chains and drills for oil exploration. But he said he doesn't sit on the company's board and has pledged to put his investments in a blind trust if elected.
Oil exploration.
A "blind trust." Where have we heard that one before?
