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Rick Scott: Veteran, Senator From Florida

Rick Scott Congress

Rick Scott is a Republican who has won a seat in US Senate from the state of Florida. He has served as governor of Florida since 2010, and will be ending his term as governor this January when he joins the Senate.

About Rick Scott

Scott was born in 1952 in Bloomington, Illinois and grew up in North Kansas City, Missouri. He now lives in Naples, Florida with his wife, Ann. They have two children, and six grandchildren.

Military and Education Background

He attended one year of community college before he enlisted in the US Navy in 1970. He went on to serve for 29 months, on the USS Glover (FF-1098,) as a radar technician.

He then attended college using the GI Bill and received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He then went one to receive his law degree from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law. He was then licensed by the Texas Bar to practice law in 1978.

Entrepreneur

Scott started in business by buying and reviving a failing doughnut shop called, Flavor Maid Do-Nut. He was able to do so by adding workplace delivery instead of just relying on foot traffic. He later went on to buy and revive an additional donut shop.

In 1987, he founded Columbia Hospital Corporation. This company later merged with another corporation to form Columbia/HCA, which eventually became the largest private for-profit healthcare company in the United States. He resigned from Columbia/HCA in 1997.

Scott then went on to launch Richard L. Scott Investments in 1997. It has stakes in health care, manufacturing and technology companies. In 2001, he and Karen Bowling, a former television anchor, co founded Solantic. Solantic opened an urgent care center in 2002, providing urgent care, immunizations, physicals, drug screening, and care for injured workers.

Political Outlook

Rick Scott can bring his experience as a businessman, and governor to the Senate. The issues important to him according to his website are:

  • education
  • freedom and democracy in latin America
  • healthcare
  • immigration
  • infrastructure and transportation
  • Israel
  • jobs
  • tax cuts and long-term economic growth
  • military and veterans
  • public safety
  • disaster preparedness
  • the environment
  • making Washington work

As a veteran himself, Scott will work to make Florida the most military and veteran friendly state in the nation. As governor, he has supported tax breaks, tax cuts, and efforts that help the military and their families.

He has awarded more than 14,500 veterans with the Governor’s Veterans Service Medal. He will fight in Washington to make sure that Florida remains a national leader for military and defense and that the military, and their families are given the support they need, even after service.

Rick Scott won against Democrat Bill Nelson in the Florida Senate race.

 

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About the author

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Julie Provost is a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.