Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Democratic Party today released the following statement on the end of the 2013 legislative session.

STATEMENT FROM FL DEMS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SCOTT ARCENEAUX:

“The 2013 legislative session was a loss for Florida’s middle class. It will best be remembered for Governor Rick Scott and House Speaker Will Weatherford’s complete failure to expand affordable healthcare to 1.2 million Floridians. Weatherford placed such a premium on catering to the Tea Party that he rejected federal funding and the creation of over 120,000 permanent jobs that Medicaid’s expansion would have brought to our state. Scott, who reversed his position on expanding Medicaid just before session, proved that when he said he ‘cannot, in good conscience, deny the uninsured access to care,’ it was nothing more than an electioneering gimmick. Health care costs for every Floridan will now go up as a result. 

“The Governor refused to lead on this issue and sat silently by as Will Weatherford and House Republicans put politics before a morally and economically sensible policy. The GOP-led House instead spent their time on divisive social issues and doling out hundreds of millions in corporate tax giveaways. With thousands of lives on the line, this refusal to act in the best interests of the people of Florida is unconscionable.”