A House Democrat, Rep. Mark Pafford (D-West Palm Beach) has written a letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scott concerning the conduct at the state budget signing ceremony last week.
Scott signed the budget in the Villages, among his tea-party supporters, but there are news reports that people carrying anti-Scott signs were removed by Sheriff’s deputies from the ceremony on instructions from the Governor’s Office, although Scott’s office has denied being involved.
“Following the state budget signing ceremony on Thursday, May 26, I have been asked numerous times if the event crossed any lines relating to the Florida Constitution, the Sunshine Law or other Florida statutes”, Rep. Pafford wrote in his letter to Scott.
Pafford asked the governor office to respond to several questions, including who had authority to direct security and crowd control for the budget signing ceremony and who made the decision to remove attendees, whether the event was promoted as a public or private one and whether participants were removed at the request of the governor’s office.
