Teamsters file ethics complaint against Pink Slip Rick

Florida Gov. Rick Scott was slapped with an ethics complaint today for trying to pay back his financial backers with lucrative private prison contracts. The Teamsters filed the charge today with the Florida Commission on Ethics.

Scott, recently voted the Worst Governor Ever, received cash for his inauguration gala from two of the country's largest private prison companies,
Geo Group (GEO) and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).

Here's Teamsters International Vice President Ken Wood:

The governor clearly has a conflict of interest with both CCA and GEO bidding to secure contracts for prison management. The complaint cites that Governor Scott should have already put the Secretary of the Department of Correction on notice that GEO and CCA should not be permitted to bid on state contracts to run prisons.

Using either GEO or CCA to manage prisons doesn’t make sense either financially or ethically for the state. We are urging the ethics commission to take action in this matter and find that the governor violated his responsibilities to the people of the state of Florida.

The complaint itself notes that privatizing prisons costs taxpayers more money than leaving them in public hands:

The Corrections Corporation of America (“CCA”) managed the Hernando County Detention Center for 22 years until the Sheriff’s Office took over the running of the prison in August of 2010. During its tenure, CCA failed to perform certain routine maintenance on the building that was required by its contract with Hernando County.1 Due to maintenance issues, the County withheld its final payment of $1.8 million dollars to CCA.

Since the County has resumed operation of the Detention Center, jail officials say they are saving taxpayers over a million dollars this year.

To read more about the travesty of Florida prison privatizaton, click here.