An ethics complaint was filed against Governor Rick Scott on Tuesday.
The complaint follows recent news Scott invested in an oil company in 2011 that has ties to a controversial drilling operation in Collier County.
The Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald reported this past weekend that Governor Rick Scott listed a$135,000 investment in an oil services company called Schlumberger in a blind trust he created in 2011.
It turns out this company helped the Texas-based Dan A. Hughes Company get permits approved by Florida officials for oil exploration in Collier County.
John Lundin used to live in Naples and ran for office in Collier County. He now lives in Broward County. Lundeen filed an ethics complaint against Scott because he said the governor shouldn’t have any money invested in companies that are regulated by state agencies.
“As the executive he regulates the department of environmental protection,” Lundin said. “So, anything that the department of environmental protection regulates—technically he cannot make profit or own a business that deals with that department.”
However, Scott’s campaign said the governor no longer has ties to Schlumberger. In a statement, a campaign spokesman said Schlumberger is no longer a financial asset because “the Governor fully disclosed all the assets in his blind trust for purposes of qualifying as a candidate.” Schlumberger is not listed anywhere on that disclosure.
Dan A. Hughes recently got in trouble with state regulators for using an unauthorized drilling method near Lake Trafford. However, Collier County officials say the state has not done enough and isn’t being transparent in its dealings with the oil company.
