Bill Nelson, Rick Scott renew clash amid Hurricane Michael recovery

A Category 4 storm hitting Florida’s coast in October couldn’t put an end to election-year politics.

It didn’t take long for the gloves to come back off in the race for U.S. Senate, even with debris still piled high in Panhandle communities devastated when Hurricane Michael struck on Oct. 10.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott, 65, announced he was handing his campaign off to his wife first lady Ann Scott so he could focus on storm response. While he isn’t hitting the trail, his campaign is in full gear.

Scott launched an ad accusing his Democratic opponent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, 76, of “playing dirty politics” while the governor was “leading hurricane recovery” and “even housing state troopers in his own home.”

The ad used images of Scott housing state troopers in the governor’s mansion and unloading bottled water from a helicopter.

Nelson, a three-term incumbent, fired back on Twitter.

“Rick Scott is misusing his official office for political purposes by using the ongoing storm recovery as the backdrop for his new campaign ad,” he wrote. “That’s not ‘leadership.’ That’s a new low by a career politician.”

Don’t expect a break in the ads until after Election Day on Nov. 6. The contest is one of the most closely watched and expensive races in the country, and polls show Nelson and Scott neck and neck. The outcome of the race could determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill. Republicans hold a narrow 51-seat majority in the Senate.

A left-leaning veterans group called VoteVets launched an attack ad mocking Scott’s signature Navy hat, which he wears whenever disaster threatens Florida.

The spot accuses Scott’s hospital company of defrauding the military’s health care program TriCare, while Scott amassed a fortune. The for-profit hospital system Columbia/HCA paid $1.7 billion in fines to resolve accusations of Medicare, Medicaid and TriCare fraud that occurred during Scott’s tenure as CEO. He resigned in 1997, just months after the federal government’s investigation became public.

Scott’s campaign says Nelson is attacking the governor for doing his job.

“Governor Scott is in the Panhandle helping communities recover and rebuild from a massive hurricane,” campaign spokeswoman Lauren Schenone said. “I’m not sure Bill Nelson knows what the word ‘hiding’ means.”

Scott has put nearly $39 million of his fortune into the race, and his campaign had spent $52 million through Sept. 30, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Nelson’s campaign had spent $17 million.

Scott has sought to brand Nelson a do-nothing, career politician, while Nelson has tried to portray Scott as someone who can’t be trusted.

Nelson was first elected to Congress in 1978, and he has was elected to the Senate in 2000. Scott is a two-term governor. Term limits prevent him from running for a third term, so he’s challenging Nelson.

The candidates have clashed over President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Nelson voted against his confirmation, saying Kavanaugh did not have the “temperament” to be on the court. Scott supported Kavanaugh.

Nelson has blamed Scott for weakening environmental regulations and worsening the red tide and blue green algae blooms plaguing the state’s waters. Scott says Nelson didn’t do enough in Congress to improve the Herbert Hoover Dike holding back the waters of Lake Okeechobee.

On guns, Nelson supports banning military-style weapons, such as the AR-15 rifle used in the Parkland school shooting that killed 17. Scott has said he does not favor banning particular types of weapons.

Scott signed legislation shortly after the shooting that raised the minimum age to buy rifles and shotguns from 18 to 21, extended the previous three-day waiting period for handgun purchases to include long guns, banned bump stocks that allow firearms to operate like automatic weapons and provided for enhanced school security.

It was Florida’s first gun-control measure in 20 years.

On the economy, Nelson said he’d vote to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour or perhaps as much as $15 an hour. Scott has touted the economic recovery that occurred during his tenure as governor.

The candidates differed sharply on the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

Nelson said it’s brought insurance to 2 million Floridians who wouldn’t otherwise have coverage and made sure people can get health coverage even if they have pre-existing conditions. He criticized Scott for favoring repeal.

Scott said it’s brought higher prices and made it harder for people to keep their doctors.

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