Gov. Rick Scott transition team knew of e-mail deletions in March, records show

[seafan]

Source: St. Petersburg Times

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott said he learned within the past two weeks that state transition e-mail accounts could not be recovered from a private computer server, potentially erasing records that state law requires be kept.

But documents show that Rackspace, the Texas company that provided the e-mail service, notified Scott's transition team as early as March 14 that records no longer existed from 44 of 47 e-mail accounts, including Scott's.

.....

Wiles' e-mails provide additional details about the hectic and disorganized two-month window between Scott's election and his inauguration. Among the new insights: A schedule that shows Scott had a private dinner with former President George W. Bush shortly after the November election and e-mails from former Gov. Jeb Bush questioning a decision to dismiss three African-American employees working in the Governor's Office.

.....

State law carries a maximum $500 fine for violations of public records law and more serious penalties, including impeachment, for any official who "knowingly violates" the statutes.

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/article1188445.ece

---

"...including impeachment..."



Discovered in transition e-mails, advice from Jeb Bush to Gov. Rick Scott, August 24, 2011


Jeb Bush's "Ideas for Rick Scott" (PDF)



Jeb Bush, the micromanager, is hard at work, steering Florida into the moneyed clutches of Big Business, Big Developers, The Privateers, Big Bold For-Profit Education "Reform", Big Cronyism.


Despite the Bushes propping up this charlatan with his marching orders, we actually now have an opening to impeach this criminal from the Governor's mansion. And Rick Scott's claim that he "didn't know" what was going on as these official emails were deleted in violation of state law, is falling flat.


"Let's get to work".

[Loge23]

1. Sooner rather than later

I have long felt that Scott would eventually bury himself - it's all he can do to avoid it. After all, the guy is a criminal through and through and his normal behavior would be enough to sink him.
It would be wonderful if this crack in the door became an opening big enough for justice to fit through.
We would then have to work on the House.

[spartan61]

3. Please let it be so.

[Harmony Blue]

6. It would be a dream come true

The smiling Floridian Teabaggers faces would quickly turn into frownie faces if pRick Scott was impeached.

[ShockediSay]

8. How does the legislature stack up on probabilities of impeachment proceedings?n/t?

[edhopper]

9. All Red

no chance in hell.
He won't pay any price for this.
Repubs get away free now, ask Obama.

[bjobotts]

17. Jeb Bush acts like he's running a country club and non-members are not citizens

[bjobotts]

18. The evidence could not be more blatant that Bush/Cheney belong in prison and now

[bjobotts]

19. Now the GOP knows they can be as criminal as they want and nothing will happen to them.

[bjobotts]

20. It's OUR DoJ not the president's.Keep looking forward, pay no attention to knives aimed at your back

[russspeakeasy]

5. ..damn, I hope you are right....

:smoke:

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. There are cities and police departments that are routinely deleting e-mails.

All against state law and there's no where to go to hold them accountable.

[SoapBox]

4. ...scum & dirtbags

FL...either recall or vote this scum out.

Your choice.

[wilt the stilt]

7. Let 3 African americans go

Gee, I wonder why?

[micraphone]

10. "private computer server"

State emails kept on this?? How does that work?

[seafan]

11. Scott's "private dinner" with GWB was at the home of megadeveloper and Jeb Bush pal Gary Morse.

The emails provide details of Scott's first few days after winning the election last November, including that he attended a private dinner with former President George W. Bush, Jeb Bush's brother, at the home of well-known central Florida developer Gary Morse on Nov. 12. ---Link

Yeah, THAT Gary Morse. (Probably the father and not the son, Mark Gary Morse. I'll explain below.)



The one who built the fiercely conservative retiree enclave, The Villages, Florida. The one who Governor Jeb Bush greased the skids for in 2003, to circumvent state building regulations to accelerate the completion of the brand new hospital in The Villages.

.....

The Villages (developer, Gary Morse) benefited from a controversial bill Bush signed into law three years ago (2003) that gave the development's hospital the ability to sidestep state regulations in order to triple its size. Last year, the governor helped The Villages secure a U.S. Customs office at tiny Leesburg Regional Airport, which makes it easier for the developer to fly potential international customers directly into Lake County.

.....

The Gary Morse that is a huge backer of Jeb Bush.


You know, it's funny. Jeb Bush said raising money during a legislative session was "inappropriate". But, apparently not, if it flowed into HIS pet "foundations".


March 25, 2006

TALLAHASSEE -- Four months ago, Gov. Jeb Bush turned down an invitation to attend a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris' struggling U.S. Senate campaign, telling people it would not be appropriate to raise money while the Legislature was in special session debating changes to Medicaid and rules for slot machines.
It wasn't the first time Bush has objected to fundraising during legislative sessions. Three years ago, the Republican governor chastised GOP lawmakers for raising money while crafting new medical-malpractice laws.

But in the three weeks since the Legislature convened for its 2006 session, the Foundation for Florida's Future -- an organization created by Bush and some of his closest allies to promote his educational policies -- has collected more than $600,000.
In an e-mail, Bush defended the fundraising. He pointed out that he has not solicited money for it since the legislative session opened -- though he did send potential contributors a letter asking them to give "$2,000, $3,000 or more" about a month before the session began.

.....

The vast majority of the money collected since the session began March 7 came in three donations: $500,000 from Cast-Crete Corp., a Tampa-area company that makes pre-cast concrete materials used in construction; $50,000 from The Villages, the sprawling Central Florida retirement development headed by GOP fund-raiser H. Gary Morse; and $50,000 from The Geo Group, a Boca Raton-based company that runs private prisons.

.....

So, it probably was H. Gary Morse, and not his son Mark Gary Morse, who hosted this dinner on November 12, 2010 for Rick Scott and George W. Bush, however. During that time period, son Mark had a few, shall we say, *problems* in Montana.

At the time, H. Gary Morse's son, Mark Gary Morse, daughter-in-law M’Lissa and granddaughter Kelsea, along with five others, were in hot water over illegal game hunting in Montana.


Officials: Villages Executive Violated Hunting Laws
Mark Morse Faces Possibility Of Fines, Prison Time

November 4, 2010

THE VILLAGES, Fla. -- Wildlife officials in Montana are accusing the chief operating officer of The Villages with several violations of hunting laws.

Mark Gary Morse faces the possibility of more than 20 years in prison and fines of more than $200,000, according to a spokesman for Montana Fish and Wildlife.

His wife, daughter and three friends are also implicated.

Wildlife officials said the investigation covers behavior over the past four years on a ranch Morse owns in Montana.

They said the group was hunting mule deer, elk and wild turkeys without licenses and without following the rules when it comes to limits on how many animals can be killed.

Bob Gibson with Montana Fish and Wildlife said, "These folks were, with no licenses, killing multiple animals. (They're) charged with just killing them, taking the head and leaving the meat rot in the field."

.....

Billings Gazette

May 17, 2011

Kelsea Morse, 27, appeared in Yellowstone County Justice Court and pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges. Judge Pedro Hernandez imposed six-month deferred jail sentences on both charges and ordered Morse to pay $2,095 in fines, court costs and restitution. Hernandez rejected a request from prosecutors to suspend the woman’s Montana hunting privileges for two years after Morse’s defense attorney argued that the license violations did not require the loss of her hunting privileges.

Morse is one of eight people, including her father and mother, who were charged last year in what prosecutors describe in court records as an extensive list of alleged big game violations over a three-year period by employees, family members and business partners of a wealthy Florida developer.

The developer, Mark Gary Morse, is awaiting trial in Big Horn and Yellowstone counties on felony poaching charges. Gary Morse’ wife, M’Lissa Morse, is awaiting trial on misdemeanor hunting violations in Big Horn County.

.....

Gary Morse is the president and chief operating officer of The Villages, an exclusive retirement community near Orlando. His business associates, James Ike Rainey and Lenard Lee Powell, have also been charged in the poaching case.

.....

Mark Morse of The Villages charged with felony wildlife violations in Montana

November 10, 2010

.....

(Mark Gary) Morse, the president and chief operating officer of the massive community 60 miles northwest of Orlando, is accused of killing too many animals and killing them without proper licenses.

"When somebody comes and violates those rules by killing multiple animals and hunting out of season, they are in fact stealing from the people of Montana," said state Fish Wildlife & Parks spokesman Robert Gibson.

Morse could be sentenced to 21.5 years in prison and be fined as much as $203,000 if convicted.

The 50-year-old landowner belongs to a wealthy and politically influential Florida family. His father, H. Gary Morse, is a major contributor to the Republican Party and the developer of The Villages, which has roughly 80,000 residents in Lake and two adjacent counties.

.....

Nice family.



But, apparently, nothing is too good for Rick Scott, when it comes to issuing the Bush marching orders for what happens next in Tallahassee and the rest of the country.


Has everyone had enough yet?


This question keeps me up at night.

[spartan61]

15. I live in The Villages and it is really a

cesspool of repukes. The Daily Sun is nothing but a repuke rag and the only ones ever invited to speak or come for book signings are palin, gwb, beck, cheney, mccain, (you get the idea.) Not long ago rick scott came to The Villages to sign a bill in the Town Square. 20 members of The Democratic Club were asked to leave because they were told it was a "private" affair. How the hell can signing a Florida bill be private? Is he only the gov for the repukes? BTW, the Democratic Club wasn't doing anything to bring attention to themselves except they all wore blue shirts. Such small minds, the repukes, not the Dems.

[AnnieK401]

16. I'm still getting over the fact that Scott was even elected.

After moving to FL. in 2006, I was in shock the day after the 2010 election last Nov. I never thought a rational, sane, informed electorate could possibly elect the former CEO of a company fined such a large amount for Medicare fraud as the Governor of their state. But then again, this is Florida. Every single decision Scott has made has been bad, although he has gotten talked down off the ledge on some of them. I won't go on here, I'm sure everyone is familiar with his record. This latest incident is not a surprise to me. But, at least now we have the tiniest glimmer of hope that we might not have to wait until 2014 to get him out of office. Although, with a Republican controlled FL. legislature, please don't hold your breath anyone. I know there are many on this site that plan on staying home because they are deeply disappointed in Obama. Many Dem.'s in FL felt the same way in 2010. I guess they didn't think it could be that bad - please think again.

[cstanleytech]

12. Is impeachment even

likely to succeed or more likely to fail due to his party protecting him?

[benld74]

13. Course they did,,,, damn the laws I'll do as I like,,,,

[scentopine]

14. There seems to be an epidemic of deliberately destroyed public records these days, that's

because politicians want to run government like a corrupt Wall Street business. We need wikileaks now more than ever.

[PuffedMica]

21. Rackspace notified Scott's transition team as early as March 14 that records no longer existed

But documents show that Rackspace, the Texas company that provided the e-mail service, notified Scott's transition team as early as March 14 that records no longer existed from 44 of 47 e-mail accounts, including Scott's.

And Rick Scott's reply to Rackspce was, "What took so freeking long? I payed to have those files erased in January. You fools could have wrecked my Governorship!"