A Tampa Bay man has filed an ethics complaint against Gov. Rick Scott for his reported dealings with walk-in clinic chain Solantic Corp.
Clearwater resident and activist David Plyer made the complaint on the grounds that the governor’s drug testing policies, making Medicaid patients switch to private HMO’s, and downsizing public health clinics would benefit Solantic, a Florida-based urgent care chain. His complaint was prompted by news reported by the St. Petersburg Times.
The governor reportedly held a $62 million trust that he turned over to his wife, Ann, before taking office.
“I’ve been transparent,” Scott said Monday.
This is not the first ethics complaint Plyer has filed against public officials. He filed a complaint against former House Speaker Ray Sansom for his funneling of millions into Northwest Florida State College in January 2009, where he then accepted an $110,000 salaried position at the school. Again, in November 2009, he blew the whistle on former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottcamp for his use of the state airplanes, which Scott sold in February.
It is unclear whether Plyer’s complaint has any legal merit and on May 13 the State Ethics Commission will meet to decide whether Ann Scott’s holding of the Solantic investment is an ethics violation on her husband’s part.
“I’ve said that the state will not have a contract with that company. I’ve told everybody, ‘Hold me accountable,'” said Scott.
Scott co-founded Solantic in 2001, which now has 32 clinics throughout the state. Karen Bowling, CEO of the company said that her company has received $110,657 in 2010 and $20,061 in 2011 from the state for employment-related physicals and workers compensation from the departments of Transportation, Environmental Protection and Education.