Peek inside Gov. Scott's administration
From the St. Petersburg Times
TALLAHASSEE — Palace intrigue surrounds Rick Scott as he prepares to take control of the governor's office.
A virtual unknown when he announced his campaign in April, Scott has established few relationships in the state's political circles since winning the election.
"I will always have more in common with you than with any politician," the governor-elect said in a private speech to the state's business leaders Thursday.
Scott is soliciting cash for his inauguration from special interests and "Tallahassee insiders" he eschewed on the campaign trail, offering them VIP treatment in return for $25,000 contributions. He also wants them to pay for a "jobs tour" being planned for December.
But Scott was 3,000 miles away when the Legislature was sworn in last week and has taken few questions from Florida media since his victory speech. Few lobbyists know him, prompting jokes about where they can find his campaign bumper stickers.
"He's going to keep Tallahassee on its toes," said Enu Mainigi, a Washington lawyer heading Scott's transition team.
Despite the tight lid, a picture is starting to emerge of what Scott's administration might look like.
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To turn his campaign promises into state policy, Scott has assembled an 86-member transition team with more appointments to come.
He has hired a New York-based search firm, the Gerson Group, to help find agency heads and directors with private-sector experience.
Scott packed his budget transition team with conservative economists and recruited loyalists from his former hospital chain to help streamline the state's health care spending.
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