Rick Scott, Florida Governor, Confused By Tampa Bay Region Name: 'Is That What It Calls Itself?'

Florida Gov. Rick Scott appeared confused about the Tampa Bay region, the state's second largest metropolitan area, in an informal meeting with reporters Tuesday. The governor was told that the St. Petersburg Times would be changing its name to the Tampa Bay Times.

"Does the region call itself the Tampa Bay region? Is that what it calls itself? The region does?" he said to a few reporters in the governor's office, according to the paper's Buzz blog.

Scott, originally from Illinois, moved to Naples, Florida in 2003. He barely met a seven-year residency requirement when he ran for governor in 2010.

The Tampa Bay region is familiar to many because of its sports teams: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Southwest Airlines, the largest airline flying into Tampa International Airport, lists the destination as Tampa Bay.

Scott's office said his comment "was simply small talk," adding that the governor had thrown out the first pitch at a Rays game and spent time with Buccaneers players. The St. Petersburg Times reporter present, Steve Bosquet, said Tampa Bay "didn't roll off [Scott's] tongue."

Comments

[Matty S Mate]

11:37 PM on 11/25/2011

Why does one spend $69 million of his own money to get a job which pays $133,000 a year just to be a governor of a state he doesn't even know nor care about? It stinks.

[bobbybuccellato]

01:56 PM on 11/08/2011

Okay so we have a governor and he's polling at 37 percent(his highest yet).
Who barely met the seven year residency requirement, and who spent 62 million dollars to run against someone who raised 11 million (Only beat her by 50 thousand votes).
And still acts like he was elected with a mandate even though 51 percent voted against him.
Thats 51 percent in a swing state, and in a republican year..
Who really only ran for this office as a way to repeal obamaCare and you know kill Harry Potter.
And we're shocked that he said this? Ofcourse he doesn't know anything about Tampa Bay!

[RoofinReality]

12:14 PM on 11/07/2011

Why are all of you surprised about this?
After all, didn't he cancel the $2 Billion in federal spending for a St. Petersburg to Orlando high train project?

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/gov.-rick-scott-cancels-tampa-orlando-high-speed-train-
Oops, so much for that theory.

Maybe he should've lived in the state longer than just over 7 years to get better familiar with the state and running for office.

[jdf00007]

09:37 AM on 11/06/2011

He was a crook, is a crook and always will be a crook.

[chefacree]

09:27 AM on 11/06/2011

Any working man or women has to be a fool to vote republican. A vote for them is to repeal the 20th century.

[AmericaMustAct]

08:36 AM on 11/06/2011

Humm.

[Madbunny]

01:58 AM on 11/06/2011

I see the confusion. Near LA we have a city that calls itself "City of Industry". Technically it would be 'City of Industry City', which kind of sounds redundant.

http://g.co/maps/y862x

(it's actually just named 'industry' but it's called, and everybody calls it by the full name 'city of... ')

[JoeMentia]

10:52 PM on 11/05/2011

BatBoy was too busy posing for the cover of the Weekly World News to pay much attention in Geography class.

[Gregster]

10:10 PM on 11/05/2011

Barely met the residency requirements? I guess that would make him Carpet Bagger AND a Tea Bagger

[blarneydude]

09:24 PM on 11/05/2011

Boy, you'd think the guy would be a football fan. The Tampa We Can't Be A Region Buccaneers won a Super Bowl, for crying out loud.

And what's with this My Hammy s#%t.

[Kevin Rehar]

09:12 PM on 11/05/2011

Oh, for the love of.... Did these people even go to school?

[stefan dangelo]

07:19 AM on 11/06/2011

he's a republican ... they don't support education .....

[Kevin Rehar]

11:30 PM on 11/06/2011

Yeah, you're right, I wasn't thinking. Guess I had a Republican moment

[ucmyke]

08:26 PM on 11/05/2011

I would like to see Florida institute a recall process similar to the one in Wisconsin. Collect enough signatures and make the fool(s) run again. It gives the voters the right to change their minds, especially after they see how poorly the people they elected are performing. If a recall of Scott were held today, he'd be out on his ear in a hurry. I say let's all push for a recall option. I also think voters ought to be given the option to reverse legislation passed by State lawmakers that does not suit the voters themselves. While some laws ought to be in place to protect equal rights for all citizens, even when it isn't popular, others ought to pass the "sniff test" and be something voters intended. Like cutting school funding all the while cutting corporate rates, just not right.

[cdecisneros]

08:14 AM on 11/06/2011

No Recall. Jeb? got rid of it. We can only impeach and house and senate are 70% R so that is impossible. Only hope is next election and hope people do not fall for what will be a twice as expensive Governor campaign.

[bryanzth]

07:01 PM on 11/05/2011

Any governor who by this time in his/her term has not memorized ALL of the place names in his/her state is going to be TOAST. Arrogant guy that he is, he probably doesn't think that he needs the Tampa Bay Region. Tsk tsk. BZ.

[LMPE]

06:26 PM on 11/05/2011

How low can this crook drop? I've never set foot in FL, and I've known for years what that region is called.

[KenInd]

06:12 PM on 11/05/2011

Maine has a wannabee Scott in its bagger governor, Paul (aka 'Pepe LePew') Le Page......he just proposed Maine ban same day voter registration, copying Scott.....but Scott's attempt has been blocked. Le Pew also wants welfare recipients to be drug tested, another Scott 'idea' halted by the courts.

So dumb they copy each other's stupidity.

[bakerylady]

07:25 AM on 11/06/2011

Ahhhh... the intelligence of the GOP is just mind boggling! How the heck did they ever get elected?