Miami, FL –  CBS Miami’s Jim Defede  is reporting that Rick Scott awarded major contracts for debris removal in the Florida Keys to firms that charged exorbitantly more than other firms with pre-negotiated contracts.

 

Under the governor’s emergency contracts, taxpayers are paying anywhere from  three to ten times more  to remove debris in the Florida Keys.

 

This revelation comes after Governor Scott repeatedly emphasized the importance of fair contracts and said, “ I’m always going to stand on the side of taxpayers and consumers, not on the side of somebody who wants to make extra money after a disaster.”

 

This is just the latest breaking scandal in the wake of the Governor’s mishandling of the state’s emergency disaster response to Hurricane Irma.

 

“Rick Scott issued secret emergency contracts at exorbitant rates that are costing taxpayers three to ten times more than they should be paying. Rick Scott leveraged Hurricane Irma to deliver these contracts to private businesses that that are raking in obscene profits off a natural disaster. This is corruption plain and simple, and Florida taxpayers shouldn’t be fronting the cost of Rick Scott’s corruption. These actions demand an immediate investigation into the governor’s office and his department of transportation.” said Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Johanna Cervone.

 

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