Attorney General Pam Bondi joins Cabinet scrutiny of Gov. Rick Scott's actions in FDLE firing

TALLAHASSEE Florida Cabinet members are turning up the heat on Gov. Rick Scott over the botched removal of a top state police official, with Attorney General Pam Bondi raising "serious questions" about Scott's conduct.

Bondi on Wednesday became the last of the three elected Republican Cabinet members to distance herself from the ouster last month of Gerald Bailey as commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Bailey alleges that Scott and his aides meddled in law enforcement business and used strong-arm tactics to pressure him to resign.

Taking indirect aim at Scott on his preference for secrecy over transparency, Bondi said that she and the public have a right to know the truth and that she would insist that the Bailey matter be discussed "thoroughly and in the sunshine" at the next Cabinet meeting Feb. 5.

"The recent process behind the appointment of a new FDLE commissioner has raised serious questions, and those questions should be answered to ensure transparency and the public's right to know," Bondi said in a statement that held back on explicitly criticizing Scott or anyone in his administration.

The firing has mushroomed into the messiest controversy of Scott's governorship and tarnished the start of his second term. At the same time, Cabinet members, at least two of whom are expected to run for governor in 2018, are frantically trying to extricate themselves from an issue that they could have avoided.

By law, the head of the FDLE works for the governor and Cabinet. All three Cabinet members have said they did not anticipate Bailey's ouster, but not one of them publicly questioned the decision at last week's Cabinet meeting. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam was the first to fault Scott's actions.

Bondi's extended silence was watched closely by the state's close-knit law enforcement network because, as the state's chief legal officer, her office works with law enforcement officials at all levels.

"I take the rule of law very seriously, especially in matters affecting the safety and security of the people of Florida," Bondi said.

Her statement came a day after Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater broke ranks with Scott and fellow Cabinet members, calling for a new search for Bailey's replacement. Rick Swearingen, a 30-year FDLE employee, was Scott's handpicked choice for the job.

"We need a better process," Atwater said. "One that's transparent."

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Attorney General Pam Bondi joins Cabinet scrutiny of Gov. Rick Scott's actions in FDLE firing