It looks like Gov. Rick Scott learned something from the national embarrassment he suffered after he tried to bully FAMU President James H. Ammons out the door in December.
The governor tiptoed when reporters asked him to respond to Tallahassee Democrat columnist Gerald Ensley's Tea Party-style opinion piece that claiming Ammons is still in charge because of "black people protecting black people."
Scott, a proud Tea Party supporter, decided against joining Ensley's rant about black people despite the offensive racial comments he has made in the past.
"As you know, we’ve got a, we’ve got a Board of Trustees, that’s you know, their responsibility with, you the justice is, I believe justice is gonna prevail which is the right thing," Scott said in response. "Uh, and you know, I suggested that, uh, President Ammons step aside during the investigation but the board is gonna make a decision."
The governor raised tensions that evening by talking down to the students. He told them he could relate them because he grew up in a poor family that lived in public housing.
"We’re not all poor!" shouted Ciara Taylor, a FAMU student.
The next day, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools sent Scott a letter warning that his interference could cost the university its accreditation. Scott also received criticism from the editorial boards of the Orlando Sentinel and Miami Herald.
