Ryan Nicol
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has released a new ad accusing his Republican opponent, Rick Scott, of “stuffing his own pockets” during his time as Governor.
Nelson, who is defending his Senate seat against a challenge from Scott, also accused the former health care CEO of “ripping of Medicare” in order to build his fortune.
The 30-second spot is titled “Got Rich.” The ad’s release comes the same day The New York Times published a report on Scott’s finances during his time as Governor. The article says Scott set up a blind trust while leading the state that was “blind in name only,” and allowed Scott to discover information about his financial holdings.
“Question: How did Rick Scott get rich?,” the ad’s narrator begins.
“Answer: Ripping off Medicare. As a CEO, Scott ran a health care company that was fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud. Then, Scott got $300 million as he was forced out the door.
“As Governor, Scott got even richer, making $550 million on one transaction hidden from the voters. Everywhere he’s gone, Rick Scott has stuffed his own pockets. Rick Scott, you just can’t trust him.”
Of course, Nelson makes mention of Scott’s departure from Columbia/HCA shortly before the company was issued that massive fine.
As for that $550 million transaction? The Miami Herald reported in July on the 2017 sale of Continental Structural Plastics (CSP), a plastic manufacturing company Scott owned a 2/3 stake in.
According to the paper, Scott met with several bidders of that company in 2013 during a trip to Japan. And Scott’s son-in-law and financial adviser both served as board members for CSP.
It’s unclear whether Scott knew of the machinations of a potential sale, despite purportedly establishing that “blind trust.”
A request for comment from the Scott campaign was not returned.
