February’s Florida Cabinet is scheduled tomorrow to be held in Tampa during the State Fair.
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam thought what could be a heated discussion over how Gov. Rick Scott has handled the transition of the several state agency heads—FLDE Gerald Bailey’s ouster in particular—might not be best held in place with pig judging, fried ice cream and Ferris wheels.
According to the Miami Herald, Putnam asked Gov. Rick Scott to shift the venue back to Tallahassee. Scott said no. His staff gave no reason.
Meanwhile, the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, the Associated Press, Tampa lawyer Matthew Weidner and a coalition of sunshine advocates have filed a lawsuit alleging that Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet violated the state’s open meeting laws when the governor unilaterally decided to “force the resignation” of former Florida Department of Law Enforcement Chief Gerald Bailey and they consented.
Here is the lawsuit: sunshine-lawsuit
