Rick Scott will skip CNN town hall, workshop student safety instead
Rick Scott speaks to the media outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

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Gov. Rick Scott will not attend a CNN-hosted town hall discussion with students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, their family members and the surrounding community.

The reason? Scott’s staff said the governor will be busy in Tallahassee addressing the issue of student safety.

“With only three weeks left of our annual legislative session, Governor Rick Scott will be in Tallahassee meeting with state leaders to work on ways to keep Florida students safe, including school safety improvements and keeping guns away from individuals struggling with mental illness,” McKinley Lewis, Scott’s Deputy Communications Director, said in a statement provided to Florida Politics.

CNN announced the town hall in the wake of the tragic Parkland massacre to help “facilitate a discussion” between elected officials and those affected by the incident.

The event, “Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action,” will be moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper, who took to Twitter over the weekend to personally alert officials, like Scott, who were invited to the discussion.

U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Republican, along with Democratic Florida U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, have accepted the invitation. President Donald Trump will not attend the town hall. It’s scheduled to air live on Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Scott’s planned absence from the event has drawn criticism, including from Tallahassee Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.

In declining the request, Scott seemed to point to a sense of urgency in the state’s lawmaking process. Later on Monday, he followed through by announcing a series of planned workshops for law enforcement leaders, school administrators, teachers, mental health experts, and state agency heads to discuss school safety improvements and keeping guns away from individuals struggling with mental illness.

Those workshops will take place throughout Tuesday. Scott will hold a roundtable to discuss findings at the end of the day.

Scott, who said he’s spent the past week in the area surrounding Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, said, “A tragedy like what occurred in Broward County must never happen again and swift action is needed now. I am bringing local and state leaders together to find solutions on how to prevent violence in our schools and keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill individuals. This is an urgent matter that we must address quickly.”

The meetings are closed to the public, but will be live-streamed on the Florida Channel. Viewers will be able to provide public input via a website.

Workshops will take place from 10 a.m. to noon and 2-4 p.m at the Florida Department of Education to focus on “school safety improvements and updating school security protocols and emergency plans.”

At the Florida Department of Children and Families, workshops will take place from 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. to focus on “ways to expand mental health services for Floridians, especially students, and improve coordination between state, local and private behavioral health partners.”

Potential safety improvements and an emphasis on keeping guns away from the mentally ill will be the focal points of workshops held from 10 a.m. to noon and 2-4 p.m. at the Florida Sheriffs Association.

Scott’s roundtable is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Capitol.

Danny McAuliffe

Danny is a contributor at floridapolitics.com. He is a graduate of Fordham Law School and Florida State University, where he served as the editor of the FSView & Florida Flambeau. Reach him at [email protected].


One comment

  • Reid Friedson, PhD

    February 19, 2018 at 5:08 pm

    I taught at Stoneman Douglas. I warned Indian River State College (IRSC) about guns in a student’s trunk. Student also claimed she was having an affair with an IRSC professor.

    I warned the IRSC Trustees about unfair labor practices and retaliation against adjunct professors who teach 75% of their classes and ask about health care with a full time teaching load. No response or mitigation.

    I warned IRSC about personnel calling an adjunct a “pushy Jew.” IRSC and Florida DOE refuse to respond.

    I warned Florida Department of Education and IRSC Trustees of negligence and malpractice against whistleblowers in Florida education. IRSC’s malpractice defense and union busting law firms refuse to respond.

    The Trustees of Indian River State College and officials at the Florida Department of Education including the Commissioner of Education must now resign. Florida Department of Education needs to be investigated by Justice.

    I warned Justice on July 4, 2016 of corrupt racketeering by NRA backed Trump Ring including Rick Scott and Associates. Justice investigated.

    Sign and share People of Florida’s July 4, 2016 corrupt racketeering petition against RICO Scott and Associates. Thank you Rosenstein and Mueller. Bust the Trump Ring:

    https://lnkd.in/bQ-E8Zh

Comments are closed.


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