{"id":1432,"date":"2026-05-22T22:04:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T22:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1432"},"modified":"2026-05-22T22:04:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T22:04:40","slug":"rick-scott-critiques-floridas-jobs-numbers-uf-hiring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1432","title":{"rendered":"Rick Scott critiques Florida\u2019s jobs numbers, UF hiring"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TALLAHASSEE \u2014 Rick Scott left the governor\u2019s mansion in 2019 for the U.S. Senate and seven years later, he\u2019s not happy with the state\u2019s economic numbers, nor the recent decisions at its flagship university.<\/p>\n

Read more Uncle Lou seeks release after ICE delayed transfer from Orange County Jail<\/a><\/p>\n

Scott has slammed the state\u2019s economic and jobs numbers, an issue he was focused on during his time in the governor\u2019s mansion from 2011-2019, as Florida tried to recover from the Great Recession.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida\u2019s unemployment rate is ABOVE the national average and it\u2019s only GROWING,\u201d Scott posted on X last month when the March jobless rate was at 4.6%. \u201cThe latest state jobs numbers show we lost over 43k jobs all in critical industries. Florida had one of the worst performing job markets over the past year. Our state needs to stay focused on adding private sector jobs and driving down cost of living \u2014 just like President Trump is trying to do across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday, the report for April job numbers was released showing Florida\u2019s unemployment rate increased to 4.8%.<\/p>\n

And this week Scott went on to criticize several decisions at the University of Florida, which is in the middle of a search for a permanent president, in a letter to State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues.<\/p>\n

UF\u2019s Board of Trustees last week named Dr. Stuart Bell, former president of the University of Alabama, as the sole finalist to take the helm at the Gainesville school. Dr. Donald Landry has been serving in the role on an interim basis since September, but would reportedly be owed $2 million if he isn\u2019t chosen to be the permanent president.<\/p>\n

Scott was aghast at the piece of the contract and called for an investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is my understanding that the UF board did not vote on (Landry\u2019s contract), nor did the (Board of Governors),\u201d Scott wrote.<\/p>\n

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He also stated it appeared the board delegated its authority to draw up the contract to Chairman Mori Hosseini.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand how that process is in the best interests of the university, its students and taxpayers. It begs the question as to why UF even bothers to have a governing board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more NASCAR\u2019s Kyle Busch was short of breath, coughing up blood day before his death, 911 call reveals<\/a><\/p>\n

That was far from the only critique Scott leveled at UF. He said he wasn\u2019t supporting Bell or Landry but took aim at the secretive process that resulted in a single final candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one really knows anything about either of these people, or any other potential candidate, because there was no public search or vetting process,\u201d Scott wrote.<\/p>\n

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Lawmakers in 2022 passed a bill allowing university and college boards to keep the identities of candidates for leadership positions hidden from the public until a slate of finalists was chosen. But the measure doesn\u2019t prevent search committees from submitting a single name as a finalist, essentially moving the entire search process behind closed doors.<\/p>\n

Bell has also received criticism from social conservatives for his support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Alabama. The same concerns sunk the candidacy of Santa Ono, the former University of Michigan president, for the UF top job, but Gov. Ron DeSantis has voiced his support for Bell.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Bell did much to elevate the University of Alabama when he was the president in Tuscaloosa and I have no doubt that he will help UF reach new heights during his tenure in Gainesville,\u201d DeSantis posted on X on Monday. \u201cHe is a great selection and has my full support!\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, DeSantis isn\u2019t backing away from his support for Bell.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor DeSantis believes Dr. Bell is an excellent choice and has given him his full support. That will not change just because Sen. Rick Scott disagrees,\u201d DeSantis spokeswoman Molly Best wrote in an email.<\/p>\n

But Scott also took aim at UF\u2019s contract with Attorney General James Uthmeier, paying him $100,000 to teach at the schools law college for two hours per week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was told this arrangement was done by UF so the Attorney General would hire more UF Law grads,\u201d Scott wrote. \u201cI don\u2019t know the Attorney General, but that is frankly bizarre and if true, it demonstrates a pattern of malfeasance in UF\u2019s hiring and contracting processes. Does that mean all Florida law schools need to retain the Attorney General?\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Magic coaching search: Jeff Van Gundy interviewed as candidates emerge<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Florida Sen. Rick Scott is not happy with the state\u2019s economic numbers, nor the recent decisions at its flagship university. Scott focused on the economy during his time as governor from 2011-2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nRick Scott critiques Florida\u2019s jobs numbers, UF hiring - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1432\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rick Scott critiques Florida\u2019s jobs numbers, UF hiring - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Florida Sen. 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