Associated Press
The Florida Supreme Court is turning away a case challenging a law that allows Gov. Rick Scott to use a blind trust instead of providing a detailed accounting of his finances.
The high court on Monday ruled that it would not consider an appeal of a lawsuit filed by a former aide to the late Democratic Gov. Reubin Askew. The one-page order was approved unanimously.
Jim Apthorp contended that letting politicians use a blind trust violates a 1976 constitutional amendment pushed by Askew that requires full financial disclosure. Apthorp has said the lawsuit wasn’t aimed at Scott, but the Republican governor was the only public official who has used one.
Florida legislators in 2013 passed the law that authorized blind trusts.
Because of the lawsuit, Scott last year briefly dissolved the trust and released detailed information about his holdings right before qualifying for re-election.
Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
