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Rick Scott’s U.S. Senate bus tour pulled inland to Orlando on Tuesday after hitting snags in red tide-affected Southwest Florida.
But protesters were there to meet him anyway.
The announcement of an Orlando stop came after Scott’s Senate campaign canceled a planned event in Collier County, hours after being confronted in Venice by protesters angry about the red tide outbreak on the state’s Gulf Coast.
On Monday, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that protesters jammed the sidewalk outside a restaurant that Scott visited. Scott was forced to use the back door and left after just 10 minutes.
On Tuesday in Orlando outside Rigo Tile on North Goldenrod Road, Scott was confronted by about 15 people protesting his environmental policies, including Amanda Lent of Maitland holding a sign reading, “Say no to Red Tide Rick.”
Scott, taking questions alongside Puerto Rico Lt. Gov. Luis G. Rivera Marín, said of the protesters, “You have the right to exercise your voice [and] I respect everybody’s right to what they think. … But we’re doing everything we can right now.”
The toxic algae bloom that has been killing marine life along the Gulf coast for weeks is “horrible,” he said.
“I think all of us would like the red tide to be gone,” Scott said. “It’s naturally occurring, it’s part of the Gulf, it’s been around, there have been records of it since the 1840s.
We’ve done a lot – but it’s not gone.”
Scott said the state has funded research, helping Gulf counties with cleanup.
“We need really good easterly winds right now,” Scott said.
Scott and Rivera Marin also were asked about President Trump’s tweets last week questioning the official death toll of 2,975 on Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, which led Scott to disagree with the president in a tweet of his own.
“All of us could do a better job of getting services faster to Puerto Rico,” Scott said. ‘We know it’s more difficult because it’s an island. But you can preposition things better. Clearly, the island was struggling with a utilities system that was already struggling.”
Scott added, “The big opportunity for Puerto Rico now is they’re going to get a lot of federal resources, which they deserve. How do you do it where you build a good economy? Because ultimately, families want to work. … As a U.S. senator, I’ll do everything I can to help them build their economy.”
Rivera Marin said of Trump’s tweet, “To put it in perspective, this is the worst natural disaster the nation has ever faced. Certainly, our condition as an island gave some challenges that were very difficult to overcome. But the federal government was there, together with state governments and we are moving forward.”
The event, which drew Central Florida GOP figures including state Rep. Bob Cortes and state Rep. Bobby Olszewski, was the last stop of Scott’s 10-day “Make Washington Work” bus tour, which has faced criticism over Scott’s use of his private plane in between stops.
In an email Monday night following the shortened Venice event, Politico reported, “Collier County GOP Chair Ron Kezeske said the stop at Naples Lumber was not happening due to ‘unforeseen circumstances.’ ”
Scott spokesman Chris Hartline said the governor “travels across the state every day and has campaigned in all 67 counties – his schedule is updated regularly and the event you are referring to was not finalized, publicized, or noticed.”
Scott also canceled an event in Santa Rosa Beach due to protests over a bill he signed earlier this year that could restrict beachfront access in front of private homes.
Scott faces Sen. Bill Nelson in the Nov. 6 election. Nelson has had campaign snags of his own, including being a no-show at an event in The Villages on Sept. 8.
The campaign said Nelson’s plane was delayed.