Following Rick Scott’s shameful response to the elections complaint he filed this morning, retired Police Lt. Jeff Marano, President of the Broward County Police Benevolence Association, made the following statement:

“I was so deeply disappointed in Rick Scott misleading law enforcement into appearing at his campaign events while on-duty that I filed an elections complaint against him this morning. Since then, new evidence has emerged and things have gotten much worse for Rick Scott. 

“Rick Scott’s campaign has blamed the law enforcement officers, saying the campaign told the officers the events were political. But that is just not true. A top law enforcement official in Hillsborough, Police Colonel Jim Previtera, has now come forward to say he was told a recent Scott event was official, not political. It is beyond shameful that Rick Scott would throw the brave men and women of Florida’s law enforcement under the bus to further his political campaign. 

“Rick Scott claims to stand with law enforcement, but by using officers as political props he has betrayed the public trust once again.”  

Background:

Tweets by Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times: 

Top Hillsborough sheriff’s official, Col. Jim Previtera, insists he was not told @ScottforFlorida Tampa event was campaign-related.

— Steve Bousquet (@stevebousquet) July 10, 2014

Sheriff’s Col. Previtera said he was told Scott event was official, to tout drop in crime, not to promote his re-election.

— Steve Bousquet (@stevebousquet) July 10, 2014