Rick Scott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rick Scott
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Chair of the Senate Aging Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Bob Casey Jr. |
| Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Leader | Mitch McConnell |
| Preceded by | Todd Young |
| Succeeded by | Steve Daines |
| United States Senator from Florida |
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| Assumed office January 8, 2019 Serving with Ashley Moody
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| Preceded by | Bill Nelson |
| 45th Governor of Florida | |
| In office January 4, 2011 – January 7, 2019 |
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| Lieutenant | Jennifer Carroll Carlos Lopez-Cantera |
| Preceded by | Charlie Crist |
| Succeeded by | Ron DeSantis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Richard Lynn Myers
December 1, 1952 Bloomington, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Ann Holland
(m. 1972) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education |
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| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | c. 1971–1974 |
| Rank | Petty officer third class |
| Unit | USS Glover (FF-1098) |
Richard Lynn Scott (born December 1, 1952) is an American politician and businessman. He is currently a United States senator for Florida, a role he has held since 2019. Before becoming a senator, he served two terms as the 45th governor of Florida from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Scott studied at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and Southern Methodist University. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he co-founded Columbia Hospital Corporation in 1987. This company grew to become one of the largest healthcare companies in the country. During his time as chief executive, the company faced issues with billing federal programs. The company later paid a large fine of $1.7 billion to settle these issues. After leaving the company, Scott became involved in other businesses.
In 2010, Scott successfully ran for governor of Florida. He won by a small margin. He was reelected in 2014, again by a close vote. After serving two terms, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2018. He won the election against the sitting senator, Bill Nelson, after a close recount. Scott took office as a U.S. Senator in January 2019. He was reelected in 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rick Scott was born Richard Lynn Myers in Bloomington, Illinois, on December 1, 1952. His parents divorced when he was very young.
In 1954, his mother married Orba George Scott Jr., a truck driver. Orba adopted Rick, and Rick took his stepfather's last name. Rick grew up in North Kansas City, Missouri, as the second of five children. His family faced financial challenges.
Scott graduated from North Kansas City High School in 1970. He joined the United States Navy in 1970 and served for 29 months. He worked as a radarman on the ship USS Glover (FF-1098).
After his Navy service, Scott used the G.I. Bill to attend college. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. He then worked his way through Southern Methodist University to earn a law degree. He became a licensed lawyer in Texas in 1978.
Business Career
Scott started his first business while in college and law school. He bought and improved a struggling doughnut shop. He later bought another one. After law school, he worked as a lawyer in Dallas, Texas.
Columbia Hospital Corporation
In 1988, Scott and a financier named Richard Rainwater started Columbia Hospital Corporation. They bought two hospitals in El Paso, Texas. They later acquired more hospitals. By the end of 1989, their company owned four hospitals.
In the early 1990s, Columbia bought more hospitals, especially in Florida. In 1993, Columbia merged with Galen Healthcare, which owned about 90 hospitals. This made Columbia a much larger company.
Columbia/HCA
In 1994, Columbia Hospital Corporation merged with Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). This created the largest for-profit healthcare company in the United States. Scott became the CEO of this new company, Columbia/HCA. In less than ten years, he had helped build a huge healthcare company with many hospitals and other medical businesses.
Company Investigation and Settlement
In 1997, federal investigators looked into Columbia/HCA. They served search warrants at company locations. Four months later, Scott resigned as chairman and CEO. He received a settlement and still owned many shares in the company.
The company later admitted to several issues, including overcharging the government and making illegal deals. In 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA agreed to pay over $1.7 billion in fines. This was a very large settlement for a healthcare company at the time.
Other Business Ventures
After leaving Columbia/HCA, Scott started Richard L. Scott Investments. This company invests in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology businesses.
He also co-founded Alijor.com, a website that helped hospitals and doctors share information about their services. This company was later sold. Scott also invested in other companies, including a plastics manufacturer and a company that makes heavy-duty chains. He also had an interest in family fun centers.
America's Health Network (AHN)
In 1997, Scott became the majority owner of America's Health Network (AHN). This was the first 24-hour cable channel focused on healthcare. By 1999, the network was available in many American homes.
AHN later merged with Fit TV and was renamed The Health Network. It was eventually sold to the Discovery Health Channel.
Solantic
In 2001, Scott co-founded Solantic, an urgent care center company based in Jacksonville, Florida. Solantic opened its first center in 2002. These centers offer urgent care, immunizations, and physicals. They provide an alternative to emergency rooms for people who need quick medical attention.
By 2009, Solantic had 24 centers, all in Florida. Scott had plans to make Solantic a national brand of medical clinics.
Pharmaca
In 2003, Scott invested in Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacies. These drugstores in the Western United States sell vitamins, herbal medicines, and prescriptions.
Other Work
In the 1990s, Scott was a co-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team with George W. Bush.
Political Career
Conservatives for Patients' Rights
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In 2009, Scott started Conservatives for Patients' Rights (CPR). This group aimed to promote healthcare laws based on free-market ideas. He contributed a lot of money to support the group's advertising campaigns.
Governor of Florida
Elections
2010 Election
On April 9, 2010, Rick Scott announced he would run for governor of Florida. He spent a lot of his own money on his campaign.
During the primary election, his opponent, Bill McCollum, brought up Scott's past role at Columbia/HCA. Scott won the primary election by a small margin.
In the main election, Scott faced Alex Sink. Scott campaigned as part of the Tea Party movement. He spent about $78 million of his own money on the campaign. He won the election by about 68,000 votes. He became the 45th governor of Florida on January 4, 2011.
2014 Election
In 2011, Scott announced he would run for reelection in 2014. He raised a lot of money for his campaign.
He spent millions on TV ads against former governor Charlie Crist, who was the likely Democratic candidate. These ads made the race very close. Scott also invested more of his own money into the campaign.
Scott and Crist had a debate where Scott delayed taking the stage because Crist had a small fan under his podium. This incident was called "fangate" by the media. On November 4, 2014, Scott won the election against Crist by 64,000 votes.
Time as Governor
During Hurricane Irma, Scott led Florida through a very large evacuation. He signed laws that changed how Florida managed growth and environmental protection. He also supported tax cuts and focused on creating jobs.
Scott's approval rating as governor started low but grew steadily. After Hurricane Irma, his approval reached 61 percent.
Death Penalty Laws
In 2013, Scott signed a law to change the process for the death penalty in Florida. Parts of this law were later found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States. The Florida Legislature passed a new law, but it was also struck down by the Florida Supreme Court.
During Scott's time as governor, Florida carried out more executions (28) than under any other governor in the state's history.
Donald Trump
In the 2016 Republican primary elections, Scott supported Donald Trump. Scott also led a group that supported Trump in the 2016 election. He praised Trump as tough on terrorism.
Drug Testing for Welfare
In 2011, Scott signed a bill requiring people seeking welfare benefits to take drug tests. This law was later found unconstitutional by a federal court.
Economy
Scott promised to create 700,000 jobs in Florida during his 2010 campaign. He was later credited with keeping this promise.
Florida's job growth was faster than the rest of the country during his time as governor. However, wages were lower than average, and poverty rates were higher than average.
Education
Scott supported expanding school choice in Florida. He signed laws that allowed students to attend private schools or different public schools if they were bullied.
In 2012, he proposed reducing tuition for students who studied engineering and science. In 2016, he signed a bill allowing parents to choose any public school in the state for their children. In 2017, he signed a bill that expanded charter schools.
He also signed a bill allowing any Florida resident to challenge school teaching materials.
Environment
Scott has stated, "I'm not a scientist" when asked about climate change. This phrase became a common talking point for some politicians.
In 2015, there were accusations that Scott's administration told environmental officials to avoid using terms like "climate change" or "global warming." Scott denied these claims.
Scott also reduced funding for Florida's water management districts. These cuts caused controversy during a water contamination crisis in 2018.
Gun Laws
Scott has a strong record of supporting gun rights. In 2011, he signed a law that made it illegal for doctors to ask patients about gun ownership unless it was important for their medical care. Parts of this law were later found unconstitutional.
In 2017, he signed a law that expanded Florida's stand-your-ground law.
After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, Scott supported raising the age to buy firearms to 21. He also supported banning "bump stocks." He signed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act into law. This law included many of the measures he supported. The National Rifle Association (NRA) filed a lawsuit against this law.
In 2022, Scott voted against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a bill that aimed to reform gun laws.
Healthcare
Scott has been critical of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). He has also changed his position on expanding Medicaid in Florida. He initially opposed it, then supported it, and then opposed it again.
Scott voted against the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which allows Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.
Hurricane Irma Response
Scott's handling of Hurricane Irma helped his political standing. He ordered a large evacuation and coordinated disaster relief efforts.
However, an investigation found that after Hurricane Irma, Scott's administration issued emergency contracts for clean-up that cost more than existing contracts. These contracts went to companies that had contributed to Republican campaigns.
Immigration
In 2010, Scott had a tough stance on immigration. He wanted police to check people's immigration status. By 2014, he had softened his views.
In 2014, he signed a bill that allowed undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children (known as DREAMers) to pay in-state tuition at Florida colleges. By 2018, he supported giving DREAMers a path to citizenship.
In 2018, Scott spoke out against the Trump administration family separation policy, which separated children from their parents at the border. He wrote a letter saying he did not agree with this practice.
Voting Rights
As governor, Scott often tried to implement voter ID laws. Courts often ruled against his efforts in voting rights cases. He signed laws that made it harder to register new voters and limited early voting.
In 2012, Scott tried to remove non-citizens from voter lists, but a court stopped him. It was found that some legitimate voters were on the list. After criticism, he expanded early voting hours.
In 2016, Scott refused to extend voter registration deadlines after Hurricane Matthew, but courts eventually extended them. He signed a law that rejected mail ballots if signatures did not match, but a court struck this down.
Scott also changed rules for restoring voting rights for former felons. This made it much harder for them to vote again. A court later ruled that his process was unfair and unconstitutional.
U.S. Senate
Elections
2018 Election
On April 9, 2018, Scott announced he would run against the sitting Democratic U.S. Senator, Bill Nelson.
Scott won the Republican primary. During the general election, Scott's past business issues were brought up. Scott responded with ads that were later found to contain false claims about Nelson. Scott also called Nelson a "socialist," which was found to be false.
The election results were very close, leading to a recount. After the recount, Scott was declared the winner by just over 10,000 votes. Nelson then conceded the race. This was the most expensive Senate race in the country in 2018.
2024 Election
Scott ran for a second term in the Senate in 2024. He won against his Democratic opponent, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.
Time as Senator
Scott officially became a U.S. Senator on January 8, 2019.
Trump Administration
In 2019, Scott supported President Trump's decision to declare a national emergency to build a border wall.
In April 2019, Scott spoke about the situation in Venezuela. He said the government there was committing "genocide," but fact-checkers and experts disagreed with this claim.
After Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away in 2020, Scott supported voting on her replacement before the presidential election.
After the 2020 election, Scott voted to object to the election results from Pennsylvania.
Biden Administration
In 2020, Scott became the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
In 2021, Scott voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a large spending bill. He then asked Florida and other states to reject federal aid from the plan.
In 2021, Scott voted against creating an independent group to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
In 2022, Scott voted against a large spending bill that included military aid for Ukraine. However, he later joined other senators in asking President Biden to send more support to Ukraine.
Scott supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. He said the Supreme Court had defended "human dignity."
In August 2022, Scott wrote an open letter telling people not to apply for new jobs at the IRS. He said Republicans would "defund" those jobs if they gained control of Congress.
In November 2022, Scott challenged Mitch McConnell for the position of Senate Minority Leader. He argued that the Republican Party needed a change. Scott received 10 votes, while McConnell won with 37 votes.
In March 2023, Scott voted against repealing a law that allowed military force in Iraq. He also voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
Scott has sponsored or supported several bills. These include the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent. He also supported the PROTECT Kids Act, which would cut federal funding to schools that allow students to change their preferred pronouns without parents' knowledge.
Plan to Rescue America
In February 2022, Scott released his 11-Point Plan to Rescue America. This plan included ideas like requiring all Americans to pay some income tax and making all federal laws expire after five years. This plan was controversial.
Democrats, including President Biden, strongly criticized the plan. Other Republicans had mixed reactions. Some supported it, while others, like Mitch McConnell, criticized parts of it.
In June 2022, Scott released a revised version of the plan. He changed the income tax proposal and added a 12th point about tax cuts.
Senate Majority Leader Election
After the 2024 U.S. elections, Republicans gained control of the Senate. Scott was one of three candidates to become the next Senate Majority Leader. The election was held in November 2024. Scott was eliminated in the first round of voting.
Committee Assignments
Scott serves on several important committees in the Senate:
- Committee on Armed Services
- Subcommittee on Airland
- Subcommittee on Personnel (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Seapower
- Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight
- Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
- Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management
- Committee on the Budget
- Special Committee on Aging
Net Worth and Investments
Rick Scott's wealth has been estimated at different times. In 2010, it was about $219 million. By 2017, it was estimated at $232 million. In 2020, he was considered the wealthiest member of Congress, with a net worth of over $200 million.
Blind Trust
When he became governor, Scott said he put his investments into a "blind trust." This is supposed to prevent conflicts of interest, meaning he wouldn't know what his investments were. However, reports in 2018 suggested that he might still have known about his holdings. The trust was managed by a former assistant.
In 2019, Scott announced he would no longer keep his investments in a trust.
Personal Life
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On April 20, 1972, Rick Scott married his high school sweetheart, Frances Annette Holland. They were both 19 years old. They have two daughters and six grandsons. They live in Naples, Florida, and are founding members of Naples Community Church.
In December 2023, Scott was a victim of "swatting." This is when someone makes a false report to emergency services to send a large police response to another person's home.
Images for kids
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Scott in 2007
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Governor Scott speaking at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida
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Scott's gubernatorial portrait during his first term
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Scott's gubernatorial portrait during his second term
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Scott, Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, and other state officials
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Scott with the United States Coast Guard in Miami
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Scott speaking at Veterans Award Ceremony
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Scott, President Donald Trump, and Senator Marco Rubio aboard Air Force One in 2019.
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Scott and Sheriff Chad Chronister surveying damage in Hillsborough County, Florida after Hurricane Milton
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Scott greeting General James H. Dickinson at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, March 2023
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Scott's wife, Ann Holland
See also
In Spanish: Rick Scott para niños
