Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will not investigate reports about citizens being removed from Gov. Rick Scott’s budget signing event in The Villages last month, she said in a letter to House Democrats who had called for a probe.
“While I do not take lightly the questions you have raised, Florida law does not empower me to investigate your concerns,” wrote Bondi, who like Scott is a Republican.
Rep. Mark Pafford, a West Palm Beach Democrat who has spearheaded the charge against Scott, said he is still worried that “the pattern of privacy has been the norm” since Scott took office.
“While I appreciate Attorney General Pam Bondi’s acknowledgment letter, I remain concerned that constitutional rights protecting Florida’s citizens have purposely been ignored by the Governor’s Office. … I believe Floridians want answers to what transpired in The Villages and accountability,” he said.
Members of the audience carrying anti-Scott signs at the event, held May 26, were removed from the crowd at the behest of the governor’s staff, according to reporters at the scene.
After saying he didn’t know anything about the incident, Scott admitted a staffer made a mistake and accepted responsibility.
