The Fine Print

Who's bluffing now? State sues Seminole Tribe over blackjack tables

Sometimes it can be hard for journalists, political observers, and yes, even his Republican allies to understand how Gov. Rick Scott ticks.

Scott almost never lets his guard down - especially when dealing with the press. He can seem like a robot when he delivers the same message and talking points over and over again.

Scott is a former lawyer who dealt with mergers and acquisitions before he helped set up what would be the nation's largest hospital chain before its steep fall amid federal investigations into fraud.

Looking at his history in the private sector and even in the public arena now for nearly five years it's clear that Scott views himself as a dealmaker. (Which is why he may ultimately endorse Donald Trump for president, but that's for another day.)

And that's how you have to view what's going on with the protracted negotiations with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The Associated Press was the first to report that the state of Florida late Friday filed a federal lawsuit asking a judge to immediately shut down the blackjack tables operated at the tribe's casinos across the state.

The wording is stark and simple in the lawsuit. The part of the compact between the tribe and the state that covered blackjack tables expired this summer. The tribe had a 90 day grace period that ended Friday to remove the tables and they didn't. Therefore the state argues that the tribe is now operating in violation of state and federal law. They want a judge to place an injunction on the tribe.

 Here's a copy of the lawsuit: Download Complaint_10_30_2015

As one Florida gambling expert noted - now it's about to get real.

From a tactical move it makes sense for Florida to sue the tribe - especially since earlier in the week the Seminoles made their own preemptive strike by filing their own lawsuit that contends that the state violated the compact. A tribe spokesman made it clear the Seminoles would keep their blackjack tables at the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa and Hollywood until their lawsuit got resolved.

Still it's a bit of swerve for the Scott administration and for a governor whose own political committee in 2013 got a $500,000 check from the tribe. When point blank asked about suing the tribe this past Tuesday Scott got a tad testy and promised only that he "do the right thing for our state."

Remember back in 2014 Scott was negotiating a new deal with the Seminoles that would have created a big splash. The overarching goal was simple: Get a better deal than his opponent Charlie Crist did. And the final numbers would have been bigger. A $2 billion pay day for the state and the tribe would have gotten craps, roulette and a new casino location in return.

But Scott didn't get that deal because an effort to push it through the Legislature imploded. Scott's team - which included then Chief of Staff Adam Hollingsworth - brought it to legislative leaders late in the 2014 session.

They floated the idea of holding a special session in May to ratify it. Initially the gambling lobbyists were caught flat-footed and didn't realize how close Scott and the tribe were to reaching a new compact. Those representing the Las Vegas casinos and the dog and horse tracks furiously rallied against it. Legislative leaders quickly realized they would have a hard time getting enough votes to pass it.

After that the deal was put on ice while Scott marched toward re-election and the deadline for the tribe loomed closer.

Legislators in charge of gambling issues began talking themselves with the tribe earlier this year - and then Scott reengaged. He personally reached out to legislators such as Sen. Rob Bradley and talked about working in concert to get a deal.

One key point to remember: Scott may be considered agnostic when it comes to gambling.

He didn't get elected or re-elected based on making promises to the anti-gambling crowd, the Vegas casino crowd or the pari-mutuels. At point he got backing from the Vegas casinos but as first reported by Florida Politics - the Las Vegas Sands and Sheldon Adelson have given up for now trying to get a casino in the Sunshine State.

For Scott the main problem is that the Legislature, however, is rife with competing gambling factions.

Those involved have said the issue isn't just getting a deal with the tribe - it's getting a deal that can win enough votes in the House or Senate. There's also the significant rift that has developed between Scott and GOP legislators - especially those in the Senate - in the last year.

Tribal leaders said there had been "significant progress" in recent talks but conceded earlier this week that they had to go to court to protect their interests.

So in other words they wanted to keep their leverage to say to the state we can maybe achieve our goals without having to give up too much.

Scott, however, decided to call their bluff. He brought in an outside law firm and put together a lawsuit that goes after the tribe. It shows that the state of Florida is serious too. Both sides now have something to lose. This isn't the first time that Scott has tried this brinkmanship (high speed rail, Medicaid funding) and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

But for Scott - the dealmaker - gets a chance to show off his skills again, and maybe, win a big jackpot and turn around his recent string of bad luck with the Florida Legislature.

"Devious plans" -- how Jeb Bush's words continue to haunt him

It came while Jeb Bush was in the middle of a hard-fought campaign.

It was the kind of comment that created a torrent of coverage that threatened to upend the supposed Bush juggernaut.

But it didn't happen this year. Try 13 years ago.

When running for re-election as governor, Bush was caught on tape during a meeting in his Capitol office in Tallahassee boasting about how he had "devious plans" if a proposed constitutional amendment dealing with class size pushed by rival (and then State Sen.) Kendrick Meek was ultimately adopted by voters.

Bush had used the proposal _ which called for reducing class sizes in all levels of Florida schools _ as a way to attack Democrat Bill McBride. While McBride advocated for passage of the amendment Bush warned it would trigger massive tax hikes. Bush proclaimed that if it passed it would "blot out the sun."

So during a meeting with people from Pensacola _ including a sitting state legislator _ Bush was apparently unaware that a reporter was in the room with him and the tape recorder was rolling when talk turned to the pending amendment.

"I've got a couple of devious plans if this thing passes," said Bush with a sarcastic tone.

That same tape also shows that Bush joked about the sexual orientation of the women involved in the tragic disappearance of foster child Rilya Wilson and that he talked about trying to raise teacher salaries in a way that would bypass teacher unions.

Bush would later contend he didn't know he was being taped, but the remarks placed his campaign on the defense and was a major gaffe with just weeks to go before voters headed to the polls.

And in a way, it was his campaign that had inadvertently allowed the damaging incident to occur.

That's because the Gannett reporter who taped the remarks during the meeting was not allowed to be rotated in on a campaign bus with Bush earlier that same year.

Todd Harris, a communications and political strategist who would later go to work for Marco Rubio and other prominent GOP candidates, made a calculated decision as to who would spend time with Bush and who couldn't. Those decisions weren't based so much on actual coverage, but whether or not the media outlet audience was someone the campaign was targeting. Despite the request from reporter Alisa LaPolt to be included on the bus, Harris turned her down and used a bit of profanity to express how he didn't care about Gannett's coverage about Bush.

So in other words, if LaPolt had been on the bus with other reporters then a few weeks later it's reasonable to conclude Bush would have recognized her when she came into his office.

The relevance of this Bush history is to recount how the Republican's history of making seemingly off-the-cuff remarks is not new.

And among Tallahassee reporters it was one of the main drawbacks that some had cited about a campaign for presidency. Many reporters who covered him closely had wondered whether Bush - who at times has a prickly personality - would be able to sustain himself through a gauntlet of national media coverage where every word is followed closely and then amplified in a world of social media.

Bush's comments of seemingly awkward comments dated all the way back to his 1994 bid for governor when he said he would probably do nothing for black voters if he were elected. He was caught on camera saying "kick their asses out" when Meek and another legislator held a sit-in protest in the governor's suite of offices over Bush's efforts to eliminate affirmative action in college admissions and state spending. (Bush's staff would later contend he was referring to reporters, not Meek and then State Rep. Tony Hill.)

So far on the campaign trail this year, Bush had made a long line of comments that have drawn scrutiny, including "stuff happens" and the "free stuff" comment regarding how Democrats appeal to black voters.

For Bush these comments have overwhelmed the narrative that the campaign has tried to put together from day one. (That Bush is a consistent conservative reformer with an actual track record that shows his dedication to getting things accomplished.) The mostly unscripted moments for Bush have also come on top of a vetting by news organizations that many of the other candidates have not yet gone through.

While Bush is a wonky person who loves to delve into details and can often go head to head with reporters, he can also be impatient and terse when confronted with questions.

Another great moment from the 2002 campaign: During a stop at the Ham Jam festival in northeast Florida, Bush's campaign apparently didn't have the governor's visit to the barbecue/country music event completely mapped out.

In a scene almost out of Spinal Tap, Bush and his entourage are wandering around behind the stage set up at the festival trying to figure out where he is supposed to go.

Walking through the thin haze of smoke that hangs over the site, they go around to one side, double back and then back to the same place they were previously. Finally an exasperated Bush _ waving his hands at the press contingent following him _ snaps at a staffer "Where are we going? I'm not going to talk to them again. I've already talked to them."

Of course in the end Bush prevailed in that election due to his organization, his cash advantage and the fumbled campaign of his opponent. He may prevail again in the long-drawn out GOP primary for president. It could be that some of his quips could help him counter the "low energy" cracks made by Donald Trump.

But his last state campaign was waged during a different media era. It was also an environment where there was not around-the-clock dissection of every move. Bush has to remain engaged on the campaign trail as the primaries draw closer. And that means there could be another unscripted moment that could cause even more headaches for him.