Gov. Rick Scott Faces New Complaint After Release Of Private Emails

WLRN Public Media | By Gina Jordan

Published December 8, 2014 at 4:41 PM EST

Gov. Rick Scott waves to supporters during a campaign stop last month in Lakeland.

Gov. Rick Scott could face sanctions over his use of a private email account now that a judge in Tallahassee has given the okay for an additional complaint against Scott relating to public records.

Attorney Steven Andrews is engrossed in a dispute over property near the Governor’s Mansion. He filed a complaint against Scott a year ago. Andrews says the administration repeatedly failed to turn over documents in the case and used private email accounts to circumvent the law.

Now, Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Francis says Andrews can amend his lawsuit to say Scott purposely broke the law by conducting state business via private email.

The ruling follows last month’s release of nearly 200 pages of emails that Scott’s lawyer said didn’t exist. The documents show the governor used a private account to discuss government business like the state budget and possible vetoes.

Scott previously said his private email was not used for matters involving the state.