Rick Scott

Rick Scott
Official portrait, 2019
United States Senator
from Florida
Assumed office
January 8, 2019
Serving with Marco Rubio
Preceded byBill Nelson
Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
In office
January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
LeaderMitch McConnell
Preceded byTodd Young
Succeeded bySteve Daines
45th Governor of Florida
In office
January 4, 2011 – January 7, 2019[a]
LieutenantJennifer Carroll (2011–2013)
None (2013–2014)
Carlos Lopez-Cantera (2014–2019)
Preceded byCharlie Crist
Succeeded byRon DeSantis
Personal details
Born
Richard Lynn Myers

(1952-12-01) December 1, 1952 (age 71)
Bloomington, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
(m. 1972)
Children2
Residence(s)Naples, Florida, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Missouri–Kansas City (BS)
Southern Methodist University (JD)
Signature
WebsiteSenate website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1971–1974[2]
RankPetty officer third class[3]
UnitUSS Glover (FF-1098)

Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers; born December 1, 1952) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who has been the junior United States senator from Florida since 2019.[4][5] A member of the Republican Party, he was the 45th governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019.

Scott is a graduate of the University of Missouri–Kansas City and the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University. In 1987, after serving in the United States Navy and becoming a law firm partner, he co-founded Columbia Hospital Corporation. Columbia later merged with another corporation to form Columbia/HCA, which eventually became the nation's largest for-profit health care company.[6] Scott was pressured to resign as chief executive of Columbia/HCA in 1997. During his tenure as chief executive, the company defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs. The Department of Justice won 14 felony convictions against the company, which was fined $1.7 billion in what was at the time the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history.[7][8] Following his departure from Columbia/HCA, Scott became a venture capitalist and pursued other business interests. In 2009, he founded Conservatives for Patients' Rights.

Scott ran for governor of Florida in 2010. He defeated Bill McCollum in a vigorously contested Republican primary election, and then narrowly defeated Democratic nominee Alex Sink in the general election.[9] Scott was reelected in 2014, defeating former governor Charlie Crist. He was barred by term limits from running for reelection in 2018, and instead ran for the United States Senate.

Scott won the 2018 US Senate election, defeating Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. The initial election results were so close that they triggered a mandatory recount. The recount showed that Scott had won by 10,033 votes; Nelson then conceded the race. Scott took office following the expiration of his term as governor of Florida on January 8, 2019. He is running for reelection in 2024.

  1. ^ "DeSantis already governor when ceremony begins". Tampa Bay Times. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "Summary of Information on Rick Scott". Thepoliticalguide.com. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  3. ^ "Oh, if only Florida had a governor who liked businesspeople". Blogs.orlandosentinel.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  4. ^ "Rick Scott sworn in as Florida's newest U.S. senator". WJXT. January 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Greenwood, Max (December 4, 2018). "Rick Scott delays Senate swearing-in ceremony". The Hill. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  6. ^ "Hospital Corporation of America: Learning from Past Mistakes?" (PDF). Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, University of New Mexico. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  7. ^ Sherman, Amy (March 3, 2014). "Rick Scott 'oversaw the largest Medicare fraud' in U.S. history, Florida Democratic Party says". Politifact. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  8. ^ Glorioso, Alexandra; Caputo, Marc (August 30, 2018). "Democrats: Medicare fraud is 'fungus' Scott will never get rid of". Politico. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  9. ^ Smith, Ben (April 13, 2010). "Health Care Figure Running for Florida Governor". Politico. Retrieved February 24, 2016.


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