Putnam disagrees with Atwater: redo hiring Swearingen hire is too disruptive

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Wednesday that he does not believe the solution to the botched dismissal of former Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey is to start over and redo a vote on the new commissioner.

Our collective concern has been focused on the way Gerry Baileys dismissal was handled, not on the way Rick Swearingens hiring was handled, Putnam told the Herald/Times, a day after Chief Financial OfficerJeff Atwaterhand-delivered a letterto Gov.Rick Scottasking to reopen the search for a new commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Im not sure that this proposed cure matches the disease that were concerned with.

Putnam and his fellow Cabinet members, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Atwater, have been stung by their decision to let Scott and his staff mislead them into thinking that Bailey voluntarily resigned from the post on Dec. 16. Scott initially claimed it was voluntary and then, when pressed last week, admitted he forced Bailey out.

The Cabinet unanimously voted to replace Bailey last week with Scott's hand-picked choice, Rick Swearingen, a former FDLE agent who served on the governor's security detail often during much of the governor's first term.

Putnam said he is concerned about the disruption of a vote to backtrack on Swearingens unanimous election by the Cabinet last week. My primary focus is that we have strong leadership and stability at FDLE, he said. The proposal late Tuesday by Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater to backtrack the vote that elected Rick Swearingen with a candidate being pushed by Atwater is. Theyre a long way from that in terms of stability given everything thats going on.

We should be very cognizant about how we are managing and how we are empowering the leadership of that agency, and their work on a day to day basis, based on concerns, frustrations, anger about the way the previous leader was treated.

Now, Putnam said, he wants to see the governor and the three independently-elected members of the Cabinet exercise more authority, deliberation and transparency in discussing all decisions before the board.

He said Scotts response to Atwater,which indicated that the governor wants to clean house of three other agency heads appointed by the Cabinet, is an opening for a new discussion.

Scott responded to Atwater late Tuesday that he wants the Cabinet to consider discussing the removal ofKevin McCarty from his job as Florida Insurance Commissioner;Marshall Stranburgfrom his post as executive director of theDepartment of RevenueandDrew J. Breakspearfrom his job as Commissionerof theOffice of Financial Regulation.

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Putnam disagrees with Atwater: redo hiring Swearingen hire is too disruptive