Rick Scott
Rick Scott is an American politician and businessman, currently serving as a Republican senator from Florida after being elected in 2018 and reelected in 2024. He previously held the position of governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019, following a narrow victory in the 2010 gubernatorial election. Born on December 1, 1952, in Bloomington, Illinois, Scott served in the U.S. Navy before pursuing a business career, which included founding Columbia/HCA, a major healthcare company that faced federal scrutiny for overbilling Medicare.
In his political career, Scott has championed conservative values, advocating for pro-life legislation, gun rights, and against the Affordable Care Act. Notably, he adapted some of his positions in response to events, such as supporting legislation to raise the minimum age for firearm purchases following a tragic school shooting. Additionally, he has engaged in significant disaster management, leading evacuations during Hurricane Irma. As a senator, Scott has been involved in various controversial initiatives, earning both support and criticism across the political spectrum. He is married to Ann Scott, with whom he has two children.
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Rick Scott.
Republican Rick Scott was elected governor of Florida in November 2010. After serving as governor from 2011 to 2019, Scott was elected as a Republican senator from Florida in 2018. He was reelected for a second term in the US Senate in November 2024. A former venture capitalist and business executive in the healthcare industry, Scott is also a veteran of the US Navy.
Richard Lynn Scott was born on December 1, 1952, in Bloomington, Illinois. Raised in Kansas City, Missouri, he joined the United States Navy after graduating from high school in 1970. Scott served in the US Navy as a radar technician for more than two years. After leaving the Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri. After college, Scott earned his law degree from Southern Methodist University.
After working for a time as a lawyer, Scott invested his life savings into founding the Columbia Hospital Corporation in 1987. Over the next decade, the company purchased hundreds of regional hospitals and merged with HCA Inc. Columbia/HCA grew into a multimillion-dollar healthcare entity that improved the affordability and availability of medical care throughout the southern United States. However, the company was the subject of a federal investigation in 1997 on charges that they fraudulently overbilled Medicare. As a result of the charges, Scott resigned as chief executive officer of the company and paid a $10 million settlement. Nonetheless, the company was lauded for its success in Time magazine and BusinessWeek that same year. After leaving HCA Inc., Scott continued to work as an executive in the healthcare sector, helping found Solantic and Pharmaca.
In 2009, Scott founded Conservatives for Patients' Rights (CPR), an advocacy group that worked to promote free-market health care options and criticized federally administered medical programs.
On April 12, 2010, Scott officially announced his candidacy in the 2010 Florida governor's race. In addition to his business credentials, he touted his conservative political philosophy during his campaign. Scott ran as a pro-life candidate who was against same-sex marriage and an advocate of gun ownership rights. In addition, he said he would reject any legislation granting amnesty to illegal immigrants living in the United States. Scott also voiced his support of expanded nuclear power and was highly critical of the healthcare legislation signed into law by US President Barack Obama in 2010.
Scott faced Democratic Party challenger Alex Sink in the general election. The voting was very close. Scott won the election by a slim margin, earning just over 1 percent more of the popular vote than his opponent. He was sworn into office on January 4, 2011. In 2014, Scott ran for reelection and defeated Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, assuming the role of governor of Florida for four more years.
As governor, Scott remained true to his stance on important issues, although his opinions on some issues changed throughout his terms. Scott experienced both successes and setbacks. Scott remained firmly pro-life and pro-death penalty, and he supported a controversial drug testing policy for welfare recipients in Florida. He continued to question the science behind climate change. Scott was highly in favor of gun rights; however, he altered his stance after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, supporting legislation that raised the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21. Scott continued to be a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act, though he rolled back his criticisms as he came to the end of his term as governor and began his Senate election campaign. Scott led a massive evacuation of Florida during Hurricane Irma and became a supporter of the DREAMers and critic of then President Donald Trump’s controversial policy of separating immigrant children from their parents.
In 2018, Scott defeated Democratic Bill Nelson to become a Republican Senator from the state of Florida, though he finished out his final term as governor. He served as the Chair of the National Republican Senate Committee until 2023 and has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for some initiatives. These initiatives included his controversial 11-Point Plan to Rescue America (2021), which included making all Americans pay income tax, closing the US Department of Education, and punishing universities for using affirmative action policies. Scott ran for reelection in 2024, facing off against Democratic challenger Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. He was reelected for a second term in November 2024. Scott also announced that he intended to run to be leader of the Senate Republicans for the next term.
Scott and his wife, Ann, have two children.
Bibliography
"Florida’s Rick Scott Enters Race to Be Next Senate GOP Leader." Roll Call, 22 May 2024, rollcall.com/2024/05/22/floridas-rick-scott-enters-race-to-be-next-senate-gop-leader/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
Rohrer, Gray. “Eight Years of Gov. Rick Scott – Jobs, Growth, Water Pollution and Political Battles.” Orlando Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2018, www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-rick-scott-florida-legacy-20181207-story.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
U.S. Senator Rick Scott, 2023, www.rickscott.senate.gov/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.