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Republican senator urges Gov. Scott to call Legislature back

 
Published Aug. 21, 2015

Sen. Rob Bradley of Fleming Island became the first leading Republican to urge Gov. Rick Scott to order a dysfunctional Legislature back into session.

As senators disbanded at noon Friday, Bradley, a lawyer and member of the Senate Reapportionment Committee, said: "I'm an eternal optimist. The deadline has not passed. The governor has a special place in our constitutional system and I, for one, would welcome his leadership in this matter to bring this in for a landing and to preserve our delicate balance of separation of powers."

UPDATE: Scott's press office said Friday that the governor will not call lawmakers back to work.

The only public event on Scott's schedule Friday was the announcement of the state's latest unemployment numbers at a business in his home town of Naples. Meanwhile, at the Capitol, recriminations poured forth from both parties.

"We've failed," said Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota.

"It's the arrogance of power -- 17 years of domination by the Republican Party," said House Democratic leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach. "They failed miserably."