Press Release: The Rick Scott Stimulus Plan: Padding His Pocket With Obama Stimulus Dollars

Tallahassee, FL – Today, McCollum for Governor Campaign Matt Williams issued the following statement regarding reports that Rick Scott is a major shareholder of company receiving support through President Obama and the Democrats’ stimulus plan:

“Rick Scott’s fraud continues. As if profiting from illegal immigrants, elective abortions and fraud from taxpayers wasn’t bad enough, we now know he is personally profiting as a major shareholder of a company receiving dollars from President Obama’s stimulus – the same stimulus he says he opposes.”

“Rick Scott’s latest incidence of hypocrisy proves he can’t be trusted on any issue. It also confirms a pattern: if Rick Scott says he opposes something, chances are he’s profited from it.”

“Rick Scott earned $4 million from Xfone, a company listing Scott as a “significant stakeholder,” after they received funds from President Obama’s stimulus. Once again, that means he is profiting from taxpayers and contributing to the more than $13 trillion National Debt Americans are stuck with because of policies like this. For him to claim he opposes President Obama’s stimulus while personally profiting from it takes his hypocrisy to a whole new level.”

“Unlike Rick Scott, who’s position is all over the map, Attorney General McCollum was clear in his opposition to President Obama’s massive stimulus.”

“After allowing his company to defraud millions from taxpayers at Columbia/HCA and now pocketing profits from President Obama’s stimulus through Xfone, once thing is clear: Floridians cannot afford to let this man manage their money.”

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Scott company touts stimulus cash

By Ben Smith
Politico
June 24, 2010

A telecommunications company owned in part by Florida gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott — an outspoken foe of the federal stimulus — has boasted of winning more than $60 million in stimulus grants and Department of Agriculture loans to develop high-speed internet infrastructure.

In a March 2010 press release, XFONE, Inc. President and CEO Guy Nissenson wrote to investors, “As most of you know, Xfone has been focused on growing its Fiber-To-The-Premise (FTTP) business over the past two years, given the sizable opportunity to bring broadband to secondary and rural markets in the U.S. This strategy took a huge leap forward recently with the notification that our wholly-owned subsidiary PRIDE Network had been awarded $63.6 million in stimulus grants and long-term loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).” A company monitoring report filed with the SEC in 2009 describes Nissenson, a founding partner, as one of two “controlling shareholders” and Scott as one of two “other major shareholders.” [As of October 2008, Scott owned 10 percent of the company.]

Scott has been consistently vocal in his opposition to the stimulus act. At a June 2 campaign stop, he said he “would fight all the stimulus money” and that Florida “should not have accepted that money, because we’re all going to have to pay for it and our kids are going to have to pay for it.”

A Scott adviser did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UPDATE: Emails Florida Republican consultant Rick Wilson, who backs Scott’s primary opponent, Bill McCollum: “Rick Scott clearly did the Platinum level Matthew Lesko ‘how to get free taxpayer money’ seminar. Florida Republican primary voters hate the stimulus with a rabid passion, and this is gonna leave a welt.”

To view the story online, please visit Politico at http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0610/Scott_company_touts_stimulus_cash.html/ For more information, campaign news, and updates, visit www.BillMcCollum.com.

# # #