Republican Senate candidate Keith Gross is going after incumbent U.S. Senator Rick Scott in the primary, calling him “Slick Rick” and highlighting his “shaky history” with law enforcement.
The Republican challenger responded to endorsements Sen. Scott recently received from law enforcement. Gross said the recent sheriff endorsements “ironic when you consider all of the things Rick Scott has done to pull the rug out from under law enforcement.”
“The minute this election is over, Rick Scott will turn his back on law enforcement, yet again,” Gross said. “Remember, Slick Rick doesn’t care about you, he cares about his investment portfolio.”
Gross noted that as Governor, Rick Scott slashed the retirement fund for state employees including law enforcement, which Gross says created an income tax on workers belonging to the Florida Retirement System. Rick Scott was also attacked for cutting the the State Attorney’s budget, and Gross said those cuts left prosecutors overworked and underfunded as crime continued. Scott also vetoed numerous funding opportunities for law enforcement training facilities and equipment upgrades (HB 4321, HB 3577, HB 3923).
“This is, of course, on-brand for Slick Rick considering his later move to try and cut Social Security and Medicare,” Gross added.
Keith Gross also took aim at Rick Scott’s time in the Senate, where he noted Florida’s Senator voted against legislation that would appropriate over $9 billion to investigate, detect and prosecute crimes against the United States (HR 3055), and also voted to limit law enforcement access to key data about suspected terrorists. Gross said this makes it significantly harder for law enforcement to investigate potential terrorists and potential crime plots, potentially putting national security at risk.
“Rick Scott has a proven track record of making law enforcement jobs harder, preventing them from penalizing criminals and solving violent crimes,” said Gross. “I’ve spent time in the same offices he defunded. As a former Assistant State Attorney, I witnessed firsthand the disastrous budget cuts and how they have hurt the local communities and tied the hands of those prosecuting criminals.”
Keith Gross is a conservative businessman and attorney from Panama City. He is challenging Senator Rick Scott int he Republican primary, advocating for personal liberty and for freedom the Florida way.
“In response to the endorsements, Slick Rick is calling for more laws, giving the government more power,” Gross said. “It’s typical of any ineffective politician to seek more government as the solution. However, we already have the laws, they just need to be enforced.”
