During a Q & A with reporters, after making a jobs announcement in Lake Mary, Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott addressed the concern about long lines at some Florida voting precincts in the 2012 general election. President Barack Obama referenced the issue in his State of the Union address, Tuesday night.

• Click here for the video of Gov. Scott talking about 2012 voting delays.

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ABOVE:  Gov. Rick Scott, with Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope (left) and Michelle Robinson, Verizon vice president for state government affairs, during the announcement that Verizon will open a finance center in Lake Mary, eventually bringing 750 jobs to the area, at a press conference, Wednesday.

(Video and photos by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Continue reading Video, Photos: Gov. Scott talks about 2012 voting delays »

Gov. Rick Scott delivered remarks at the Tiger Bay Club of Orlando luncheon, Friday, promoting his ‪”Florida Families First” state budget‬. Scott was introduced by former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings and was joined onstage by  Lady Lake resident Betty Kay Clements, of the Family Care Council, and Orange County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Barbara M. Jenkins, who spoke in support of his 2013 budget.

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ABOVE: Gov. Scott delivers remarks during his visit to the Tiger Bay Club luncheon, in Orlando, Friday.

(Photos and video by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

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Gov. Rick Scott delivered remarks promoting his proposal to eliminate the Florida sales tax on equipment used in manufacturing, during a visit to Hernon Manufacturing, a worldwide industrial adhesives production company based in Sanford, Friday. Scott toured the factory and met with elected officials, company executives and employees.

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ABOVE: Gov. Scott delivers remarks in Sanford, Friday afternoon.

(Video and photos by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

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Gov. Rick Scott outlined his proposal for a $2,500 annual salary increase for Florida’s public school teachers in the soon-to-be-released state budget, during a press conference at Ocoee Middle School, Wednesday. Scott was joined by Orange County schools superintendent Barbara Jenkins and Ocoee principal Sharyn Gabriel, along with a group of teachers for the announcement.

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ABOVE: Gov. Rick Scott at Ocoee Middle School, Wednesday.

(Photos and video by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

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Gov. Rick Scott was joined by First Lady Ann Scott during visits to several Orange County schools, Thursday, as a part of his statewide Education Listening Tour. Scott first visited Fern Creek Elementary in Orlando, where he met teachers for a roundtable discussion and then read to first and second-graders. Later in the day, Scott made a similar visit to Ocoee Middle School.

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ABOVE: Gov. Rick Scott, Florida First Lady Ann Scott and Fern Creek Elementary School principal Patrick Galatowitsch greet a bashful 3-year-old Jamesha Collins, with her older sister Tamara Collins, 8, Thursday.

(Photos by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Continue reading Photos, Video: Gov. Scott brings “listening tour” to Orlando »

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney brought his four-state campaign bus tour to St. Augustine, Monday, rallying with cheering supporters at Flagler College. Introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Rick Scott, Romney delivered remarks and greeted supporters before heading to Miami for a similar event later in the day.

Click here to see more Orlando Sentinel photos from Mitt Romney’s St. Augustine event, Monday.

ABOVE: Mitt Romney greets a young fan during rally at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Monday.

(Photos by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

President Barack Obama gets his turn to appeal to a convention of Hispanic elected officials who gave his Republican challenger Mitt Romney a warm but not enthusiastic reception Thursday at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Obama speaks after 1 p.m., following two Florida Republican heavy-hitters to the stage. At noon, a series of speakers including Florida Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will make their cases.

The president comes in with two public opinion polls that indicate he likely will get a warmer reception. This morning the national Hispanic research group Latino Decisions released a poll showing Obama has comfortable leads among Hispanic voters in all major swing states, including Florida. The poll showed Obama head 53-37 among Hispanics in Florida, and with runaway leads in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Virginia.

On Thursday Quinnipiac University released its poll showing Obama has a 10 point lead over Romney among Hispanic voters. That poll showed Obama up 47-37 among Hispanics.

Obama comes to Orlando after two moves last week that were well-received among Hispanic voters. His nominee Mari Carmen Aponte, a former Orlando Puerto Rican activist, got confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador. And Obama issued an executive order allowing for visas for some young immigrants who came to America illegally as children.

Rubio may be expected to go after that in ways that Romney was unable to on Thursday. The freshman senator from Miami is among those Romney is considering for a running mate. Rubio, who just released his autobiography, has never been shy about presenting the family and conservative values he says he learned growing up Cuban-American in Miami, and is usually a much more passionate speaker than Romney.

Scott’s challenge may be tougher. When he ran for governor in 2010 he advocated an Arizona-style state immigration policy that was strongly disliked by many Hispanic voters, and pushed for tougher confirmation of workers. He since has softened both his policies and tone, saying he is evolving on the issue, recognizing that immigrants, both legal and illegal, are deeply ingrained in Florida’s economy. However, his recent voter purge effort drew sharp criticism from many Hispanic leaders because it largely targets Hispanics.

With talk of Florida’s public universities tuition hikes as the hot topic on the table, Gov. Rick Scott dropped in on the State University System of Florida Board of Governors meeting, at the University of Central Florida, Tuesday. Scott delivered remarks at the BOG luncheon on the first of the 3-day meeting in Orlando.

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ABOVE: Governor Rick Scott addresses the Board of Governors meeting luncheon, Tuesday.

(Photos by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

For the fourth time in as many weeks, Gov. Rick Scott was back in Orlando, Thursday, this time for a tour of Rosemont Elementary School to recognize the school’s turnaround achievements in reading and testing scores. Scott met students and staff, participated in a science experiment and served snow cones. But the highlight of the tour may have been when he showed off his “governor” boots (he reportedly owns 10 pair) to a group of fourth-graders while visiting their classroom. Scott later traveled to Madeira Beach to tour another school, Thursday afternoon.

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ABOVE: Gov. Scott shows off his custom-made “governor” boots, embossed with the seal of Florida, during his tour of Rosemont Elementary, Thursday.

(Photos by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

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Gov. Rick Scott, in town for a ceremonial signing of his state budget, had a full slate of events in central Florida, Wednesday, doing interviews at several local media outlets, including a meeting with the editorial board of the Orlando Sentinel. After answering questions at the newspaper, Scott headed to the bill-signing at Tangelo Park Elementary where he toured the school, met students and taught a group of fifth-graders a lesson on how a bill becomes law. Scott was joined by House Speaker Dean Cannon and Rep. Scott Plankon for the budget signing, before moving on to Tampa for a similar event at another elementary school.

Click here for more photos of Gov. Rick Scott in Orlando, Wednesday.

Click here for video of Gov. Rick Scott talking to reporters after the budget-signing, in Orlando, Wednesday.

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ABOVE: Gov. Rick Scott teaches a lesson during the bill-signing ceremony for the state budget, at Tangelo Park Elementary school, in Orlando, Wednesday.

(Photos and Video by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Continue reading Photos, Video: Gov. Scott’s very busy day in central Florida »