Scott Votes No on Nearly Everything — Then Pushes His Own Bills Forward

Florida Sen. Rick Scott voted against a cloture motion on March 10 that passed 89-9, placing him in a fringe bloc of nine senators who opposed a measure backed by the overwhelming majority of both parties.

The vote — on a motion to invoke cloture on Senate Amendment 4308 to H.R. 6644, a bill with no short title on file — cleared the 3/5 threshold with ease. Scott was one of only nine dissenters, joined by Republicans Ted Budd of North Carolina, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut, among others.

The lopsided result highlights a pattern in Scott's recent voting record. According to delegation roll call data reviewed by the Sentinel, Scott voted Nay on four of the last five Senate floor votes, including motions to proceed and discharge. Florida's other senator, Ashley Moody, voted Yea on the March 10 cloture motion.

Scott's office did not respond to a request for comment by deadline. According to initial reports,

The obstruction posture stands in apparent contrast to Scott's own legislative ambitions, which are quietly advancing through committee.

His bill to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness — S. 446 — was ordered to be reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, a significant procedural step that improves its chances of reaching the full Senate floor. The bill would block Big Cypress, a 729,000-acre preserve straddling Collier and Miami-Dade counties, from ever being incorporated into the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Environmental advocates have long pushed for federal wilderness protections at Big Cypress, arguing the designation would restrict off-road vehicle use and new drilling — concerns also raised by the preserve's recreational users and some energy interests. According to initial reports, For Treasure Coast residents who use Big Cypress for airboating, hunting, and camping, the bill's fate has direct recreational implications.

Scott also introduced S. 4026 on March 9, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to create what he calls "American Dream Accounts." The measure was referred to the Senate Finance Committee. Details of the account structure — contribution limits, eligible uses, tax treatment — were not immediately available from the bill's referral record, and the full text warrants scrutiny for how it would affect working- and middle-class families in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties. According to initial reports,

Taken together, the picture that emerges is of a senator willing to obstruct broadly while steering select priorities of his own through the legislative machinery — a strategy that raises legitimate questions about what, precisely, Scott considers worth doing in Washington.

Treasure Coast voters sent Scott back to the Senate in November 2024 for a second term. According to initial reports, They deserve a clearer accounting of what he is blocking and why.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.