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News Thursday, Jun 28 2018

Rick Scott Ducks Responsibility (Of Course) For Eastpoint Fire

Jun 28, 2018

“Rick Scott is once again ducking responsibility for a disaster caused by his own negligence and incompetence. The wealthy cronies and donors he appointed to Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission failed to protect the town of Eastpoint — but Rick Scott is refusing to take responsibility. Instead, he rushed to the scene of the fire to take a photo-op. Yet again, Floridians are seeing that Rick Scott only ever looks out for himself and his wealthy donors,” said American Bridge spokesperson Joshua Karp.

Tampa Bay Times: Playing with fire: Rick Scott, a raging inferno, and a $50,000-a-head fund-raiser

By Steve Bousquet | June 28, 2018

  • “Thirty-six homes and 800 acres are reduced to charred rubble. Residents of a close-knit, hardscrabble community are left without food and shelter. As they assess their lives in 95-degree heat, all they have are questions.”
  • “It’s the result of a raging wildfire Sunday that decimated part of Eastpoint, a fishing village near the Apalachicola River south of Tallahassee renowned for its oysters.”
  • “It was a prescribed burn, the burning of hazardous underbrush, by a vendor hired by the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that went badly wrong and cost people their homes, pets and worldly possessions.”
  • “Who’s accountable?”
  • “One place to start is with the seven political appointees on the wildlife commission who hired the vendor. Every one of them is a close friend of Gov. Rick Scott.”
  • “The Tampa Bay Times has reported that Scott’s selections for these coveted appointments had no wildlife experience.”
  • “In his two campaigns for governor, Scott received more than $25,000 from five board appointees including $13,000 in two checks from Commissioner Robert Spottswood.”
  • “‘Accidents happen, but they should own up to it,’ Arlene Thompson of Eastpoint told the Tallahassee Democrat. ‘They’re not going to get away with this.'”

Read the full story here


Published: Jun 28, 2018

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