Rick Scott travels to UK with 85-member entourage

Gov. Rick Scott's 85-member entourage in the United Kingdom this week includes business leaders, tourism executives, and even a couple of lobbyists and mayors. The manifest, provided by Enterprise Florida, includes Ashton Hayward of Pensacola, along with outgoing Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who's on his third Scott trade mission.

Lobbyists who accompanied Scott across the pond include Marc Dunbar (parimutuels), Robert Hawken of FCCI Insurance Group, Fred Karlinsky (insurance and health care) and John Sebreeof the Florida Association of Realtors. Tom Van Berkel, chairman of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, is in England, as is Don Weidner, dean of the Florida State University College of Law. Mike and Nancy Crews of Custom Manufacturing and Engineering of Pinellas Park are trade mission exhibitors in London. 

Also on the trip: George Zoley, chairman and CEO of The GEO Group, Inc., the private prison operator based in Boca Raton. Thirteen employees of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach are in the UK as well.

First Lady Ann Scott accompanied her husband. Others from the governor's office on the trip include press aide Jackie Schutz, Scott travel aide Brad Piepenbrink and Ann Scott's aide Sarah Hansford. 

Enterprise Florida spokesman Stuart Doyle said business community representatives decided on their own whether to go along, and are paying their own way. Doyle said a visit to Lloyd's of London is on the business of agenda, which is why some insurance representatives are attending, including state insurance commissioner Kevin McCarty. 

CORRECTION: An earlier post incorrectly reported that Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown traveled with the governor. Brown remained in Jacksonville.

--STEVE BOUSQUET

GOP Miami-Dade school members complain about Obama campaign event at public school

First Lady Michelle Obama will stop in Miami Tuesday to recruit residents to vote and volunteer to reelect her husband, President Barack Obama.

But the spot for the political event -- Barbara Goleman Senior High in Miami Lakes -- has some GOP members of the School Board seeing red.

Miami-Dade School Board Member Renier Diaz de la Portilla has called for the event to be cancelled and Board Member Carlos Curbelo has asked the board attorney to reconsider his opinion that the event meets legal muster. While School Board seats are non-partisan, Diaz de la Portilla is running for state House as a Republican and Curbelo has worked as a Republican strategist.

“Allowing the First Lady of the United States to use one of our schools explicitly to benefit the President's reelection campaign is inappropriate and sends the wrong message to our students, employees, and to taxpayers – even if the President's campaign is willing to pay for all costs resulting from the event,” Curbelo wrote in the letter to the school board attorney, Walter Harvey.

Curbelo told the Herald Monday: “ There’s a difference between official visits to schools by elected officials and the interest of having events that are for the sole purpose for advancing a political campaign.”

Said Diaz de la Portilla in a statement: "The use of public schools whose only focus should be to educate our children for political gain is downright wrong. Don’t these liberals have boundaries? Our schools are places for learning, not places for politicking."

Under the School Board policy, all groups, including political, religious and nonprofits, can apply to lease facilities from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, said School Board attorney, Walter Harvey. The district doesn't spend any money on the event for the outside group and employees cannot attend the event if they are on the clock.

“They’re essentially renting the facility,” Harvey said. His opinion was essentially if someone applies to use district facilities, the district can’t deny and discriminate against the request just because it comes from a political campaign. All renters must meet certain criteria, like providing a certificate of insurance and prepaying the leasing fee.

According to the White House’s advisory, the First Lady will meet with grassroots supporters to encourage them to "register to vote and volunteer for the campaign, and thank volunteers for their hard work to help re-elect President Obama in November.”

A similar event will be held in Orlando on Tuesday afternoon.

- Laura Isensee

 

Scott discusses aerospace jobs with British prime minister

Gov. Rick Scott chatted with British Prime Minister David Cameron Monday about the importance of the aerospace sector, according to a press release from his office.

Scott is in London for an international air show, on his sixth trade mission. The discussion centered on the importance of the aerospace industry in the United Kingdom and in Florida, the release states.

"The UK and Florida have significant trade and investment links as the world's seventh and 20th largest economies, respectively. The UK is Florida's largest foreign direct investor employing over 39,100 Floridians, and Florida is the largest long-haul destination for UK nationals with 1.3 million UK tourists visiting Florida every year," Scott said in the release.

Twitter: Britt_alana

Obama, Nelson at odds over Bush-era tax cuts

President Obama right now is outlining his proposal to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for families making less than $250,000. That would mean families and individuals who make more would see their rate increase.

"The American people are with me on this," Obama said of his plan, which is a one-year extension and a bid for the middle-class vote.

But he'll run into immediate opposition from Republicans and some Democrats, including Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who is seeking re-election.

"Sen. Nelson supports permanently extending the Bush-era tax cuts that are due to expire at the end of this year for everybody making less than $1 million a year," spokesman Dan McLaughlin said.

Obama said 97 percent of small business owners would fall under his cap, trying to rebut Republican charges he would hurt job creators. Obama has long called for the $250,000 threshold.

--ALEX LEARY