Cabinet members step up attacks on Gov. Rick Scott over FDLE firing

TALLAHASSEE

The raging controversy over Gov. Rick Scott's removal of a respected law enforcement official escalated Wednesday as Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said he was "misled" by Scott's office and a St. Petersburg lawyer formally accused top state officials of Sunshine Law violations.

In addition, Attorney General Pam Bondi surprisingly said that she believed Scott's staff members orchestrated the ouster of Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey without the governor's knowledge.

"We all knew there were going to be changes in the coming months," Bondi told an Associated Press gathering of state reporters. "But did I know that Jerry Bailey was going to be told he was fired and have his things packed up, his entire life as a career law enforcement officer in a cardboard box, and be told to be out of the office before the end of the day? Absolutely not. Nor do I believe the governor knew it."

Scott faces intense criticism from all directions over his removal of Bailey, who served as FDLE commissioner for eight years until he was forced out Dec. 16 with no public discussion of his performance. Bailey was one of several state agency heads who report not only to the governor but also to the three elected Cabinet members.

Bailey has called Scott a liar for saying that he resigned, and he has accused Scott's office of repeated political interference charges Scott again denied Wednesday.

The three Republican members of the Cabinet, who have been harshly criticized for acquiescing to what they now view as a heavy-handed, back-room political maneuver, have become increasingly critical of Scott's actions.

The harshest criticism came from Putnam, who is seen as a leading candidate for governor in 2018. Putnam, who met with Bailey on Wednesday, all but accused Scott's office of lying in the way it orchestrated the dismissal, by sending messages through staff members that Scott wanted "new leadership" at FDLE.

"We were misled as to the timing and the process of how that would be handled," Putnam said. "It has revealed poor treatment of a good man."

Asked whether he believed Scott's version of the truth or Bailey's, Putnam paused and said: "Jerry Bailey's a fine man. He served our state very well. The way he was treated at the end of his distinguished career was shabby."

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Cabinet members step up attacks on Gov. Rick Scott over FDLE firing