Newly sworn in Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) apparently has a lot of enemies in Tallahassee — or at least that’s the impression one might get from his unprecedented security detail at his inauguration earlier this week.
According to Steve Bousquet of the St. Petersburg Times, Scott was tailed by a group of men in suits with earpieces, had a six-car motorcade with a local police escort, and a two-helicopter surveillance team circling overhead.
Bousquet reported Tuesday:
As he moved between events, Scott rode in an SUV at the front of a six-vehicle motorcade along Tallahassee’s narrow streets, escorted by Florida Highway Patrol cars, stopping rush hour traffic at one point. Scott even rode the motorcade from a children’s museum to the civic center — about three blocks — on a bright, sunny afternoon.
High above Scott, two helicopters patrolled the skies over the small capital both days. One was from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the other from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. FDLE spokeswoman Heather Smith said the air support was for “general awareness. They are monitoring the events, facilities and traffic.”
On the ground, he had an “advance team” of security guards who were trained in presidential security, which Scott’s logistics director Lanny Wiles says explains the scope of their precautions: “A lot of them did presidential advance, and that’s really hard to do. It’s hard for them to ratchet down. The demands are so much bigger at the White House.”
Scott, a billionaire who shocked the Florida GOP party establishment by beating state Attorney General Bill McCollum in last year’s primary before going on to victory over state CFO Alex Sink, hasn’t hesitated to spend money on his political career. He spent more than $70 million on his successful gubernatorial campaign.
Bousquet adds in his report: “Former Gov. Jeb Bush never had such security, even though his father, a former president, was at both of his inaugurals.”
