Scott releases nursing home records
Gov. Rick Scott’s office on Monday evening released more than 41,000 pages of records relating to the deaths of 12 people in a sweltering Hollywood nursing home after Hurricane Irma.
Gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham, a Democrat, had requested the documents more than three months ago under the state’s open records law. Last week, Graham publicly complained about the delay.
Many of the initial records in the packet provided by Scott’s office, however, appear to be news clips, press releases, timelines or regulatory documents already made public.
Eight people died Sept. 13, 2017, after the air conditioning system lost power and temperatures soared at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. Four more died later from exposure to the heat, the medical examiner ruled.
In September, Graham requested extensive records concerning the deaths at the nursing home — including all communications surrounding Scott’s private phone number and all communications in the governor’s office, the Agency for Healthcare Administration, and Department of Children and Families.
Scott gave his personal cell phone number before the hurricane to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, telling them to call if they experienced problems. Executives from the Rehabilitation Center called numerous times and left messages that were returned by health agency officials or aides to the governor who said they were working on resolving the problem. After Graham’s recent complaint about the delay, Scott’s office responded with a cost estimate for the records: $1,200. On Monday, she arrived at the Capitol and wrote a personal check for that amount.
“This is not about me. It’s about the people of Florida deserving to have the information about the nursing home tragedy,” Graham said.
Brian Burgess, a former communications director for Scott who now works as a political consultant, called Graham’s request a “shameless stunt to exploit the deaths of the elderly for political gain.”
Graham, a former congresswoman, is one of four Democrats seeking her party’s nomination for the office Scott now holds. Term limits prevent Scott from seeking re-election.
He’s widely expected to run for U.S. Senate this year, and he’s shown he recognizes how explosive the nursing home deaths could be in an election campaign.
Scott has prided himself on a business-friendly environment without too many regulations since he became governor in 2011. Shortly after the nursing home deaths, he announced extensive regulatory actions against the Hollywood Hills nursing home and increasing requirements on the nursing home industry in general.
Graham said the families of the people who died at the nursing home have a right to know everything about what happened to their loved ones.
And, she said, the people of Florida need to have more information so they can assess what took place and whether government needs to do more to prevent another such tragedy.