Sources in Tallahassee have alerted me this afternoon that there is controversy inside Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election campaign that may begin to garner national attention.
Healthcare tycoon Miguel B. “Mike†Fernandez has resigned as Gov. Rick Scott’s finance co-chairman, a post he has only held for a two months. During the a time period, Fernandez had raised $35 million for Scott’s campaign.
On Friday, The Miami Herald has reported that Fernandez had expressed concern in an email about campaign staffers who were joking around in exaggerated Mexican accents while on the way to a Mexican restaurant in Coral Gables.
Melissa Sellers, Scott’s campaign manager, has been busy doing damage control, saying that Fernandez was not in the van and those staffers who were don’t remember any such comment being made.
Fernandez wouldn’t comment to the Miami Herald about the email. He said his real issues concerned the campaign’s direction and not the governor. He will continue to actively support Republicans and Scott.
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Today the Florida Republican Party has fired up its communications team and sent out an email pointing out how many times it believes Democrats have insulted the Hispanic community:
STATEMENT FROM RPOF CHAIRMAN LENNY CURRY: “Today I call on all Florida Democrats to condemn the myriad of actual insults that have been continually hurled at the Florida Hispanic community by members of their own party. These comments are insulting and intolerable and they should be harshly condemned.â€
The Florida Democratic Party Refused To Condemn Alex Sink’s Disgusting Comments On Immigrants. “Republican congressional candidate David Jolly said Democrat Alex Sink’s recent statement on immigrants was “disgusting” and should prevent her from serving … During a candidate debate on Tuesday, Sink was asked a question about immigration reform and said: ‘Because we have a lot of employers over on the beaches that rely upon workers and especially in this high-growth environment, where are you going to get people to work to clean our hotel rooms or do our landscaping? And we don’t need to put those employers in the position of hiring undocumented and illegal workers.’†(Curtis Krueger, “David Jolly Calls Alex Sink’s Immigration Comments ‘Disgusting’,†Tampa Bay Times, 2/27/14)
Crist Said “I Don’t See A Lot Of Politicians From Florida Having The Courage To Stand Up To That Small Cuban Community.†“The issue came up when Maher asked Crist about the Cuban vote, saying ‘…stand up to that small Cuban community.’†(Mary Ellen Klas, “Charlie Crist Flip-Flops On U.S. Embargo Against Cuba,†Miami Herald, 2/8/14)
The Florida Democratic Party Refused To Stand With The People Of Venezuela And Condemn The Maduro Regime. “Florida Gov. Rick Scott sent President Barack Obama a letter Friday again asking his administration to consider sanctions against the Venezuelan government. Scott said he first brought the issue up Monday during a National Governors Association meeting in Washington D.C. In his letter, the governor added that Obama should visit Venezuelan families in Miami when he visits town March 7.†(Patricia Mazzei, “Florida Gov. Rick Scott To President Obama: Visit Venezuelans In Miami,†Miami Herald, 2/28/14)