NEWS.
GOVERNOR RICK SPOT HAS
SUSPENDED BROWARD ELECTION
SUPERVISOR BRENDA SNIPES. THIS
FOLLOWS A SERIES OF VOTING
CONTROVERSIES IN THE 2018
MIDTERMS. EARLIER THIS MONTH
SNIPES SAID SHE WOULD RESIGN
AND LEAVE OFFICE ON 4 JANUARY.
JIM DEFEDE JOINS US WITH
MORE WHAT CAN YOU TELL US
ABOUT HOW THE GOVERNOR MADE THE
DECISION.
NOW SHE IS BEING KICKED OUT
THE DOOR AS PART OF THE
EXECUTIVE ORDER SHE IS NOT
ALLOWED TO SET FOOT BACK IN THE
ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT WITHOUT
ARMED ESCORTS.
THE REPLACEMENT HAS BEEN CHOSEN
AND THE REPLACEMENT IS PETER
ANTONACCI . HE IS SOMEONE WHO
HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS RICK
SCOTT'S FIXTURE -- FIXER, RICK
SCOTT HENCHMEN AND HE IS
SOMEONE THAT RICK SCOTT USES TO
PLUG INTO DIFFERENT AGENCIES
WHEN HE WANTS TO GAIN CONTROL
OF THOSE AGENCIES.
WHAT SORT OF POWER WOULD HE
HAVE AN BROWARD COUNTY WHEN WE
HAVE THE ELECTIONS IN 2020 AND
WHAT POWER COULD HE HAVE?
THE APPOINTMENT IS FOR
NOVEMBER 2020 ELECTION MEANING
HE WILL SUPERVISE THE BROWARD
ELECTION SYSTEM THROUGH THE
2020 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. I
CANNOT UNDERESTIMATE YOU HOW
IMPORTANT THIS POSITION IS. AS
A SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS HE
WILL NOW DETERMINE HOW MANY
DAYS OF EARLY VOTING THEY HAVE.
THERE ARE A MINIMUM NUMBER OF
DAYS THE STATE REQUIRES THE
COUNTY TO HAVE THAT BROWARD
COUNTY, DADE COUNTY AND OTHER
LARGER COUNTIES TEND TO DO
TWICE AS MANY DAYS.
INSTEAD OF ONE WEEK WHICH IS
THE MINIMUM, DADE COUNTY AND
BROWARD COUNTY HAVE ALWAYS AND
14 DAYS.
HE COULD CUT THAT BACK AND
COULD ALSO CUT BACK ON THE
NUMBER OF HOURS FOR EARLY
VOTING AND CAN DETERMINE WHERE
THE VOTING SITES GO.
ALL OF THE DECISIONS CAN HAVE A
MAJOR IMPACT ON TURNOUT AND HOW
DEMOCRATS COUNT.
THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE FOR
ANY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TO
WIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA YOU
HAVE TO RUN A BIG NUMBER IN
DADE, BROWARD AND PALM BEACH.
BROWARD IS THE LARGEST
DEMOCRATIC COUNTY IN THE STATE
OF FLORIDA AND IF YOU ARE ABLE
TO AND I'M NOT SAYING HE'S
GOING TO BUT HE HAS THE POWER
THROUGH HIS POSITION TO LIMIT
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE VOTING ONE
WAY OR ANOTHER AND CUT DOWN ON
THE TURNOUT THAT COULD SWING
THE ELECTION.
YET HE WILL BE HERE IN 2020
SO WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?
IT'S A MATTER OF HIM HAVING
TOTAL CONTROL OVER THE ELECTION
PROCESS.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT HE HAS BEEN
BROUGHT IN TO DO ANYTHING
NEFARIOUS OR WRONG.
THERE ARE A NUMBER PEOPLE WHO
BELIEVE HE IS AN HONEST AND
HONORABLE MAN WHO WILL GO IN
AND DO A GOOD JOB IN TERMS OF
CLEANING UP THE OFFICE AND NO
ONE WOULD MAKE AN ARGUMENT THAT
BRENDA SNIPES DID NOT DESERVE TO
BE REMOVED BUT THE QUESTION
COMES WHAT TYPE OF PERSON DO
YOU PUT IN THAT PLACE.
LAST TIME WE HAD SOMETHING LIKE
THIS JEB BUSH BROUGHT IN
SOMEBODY FROM THE BROWARD
COMMUNITY, A DEMOCRAT AND PUT
HER INTO OFFICE AND THAT WAS
BRENDA SNIPES.
THERE WERE OTHER NAMES THAT
WERE BEING FLOATED IN OTHER
WORDS IF RICK SCOTT HAD NOT MADE
THE APPOINTMENT, THEY PROBABLY
WOULD HAVE PICKED SOMEONE FROM
THE COMMUNITY BY SELECTING
PETER ANTONACCI WHO IS NOT A
DEMOCRAT AND A CLOSE ALLY OF
RICK SCOTT, WHAT HE HAS DONE IS
HE HAS INJECTED POLITICS INTO
THIS AND BY MAKING THE
ANNOUNCEMENT FRIDAY NIGHT IT
AGAIN RAISES THE IDEA THAT
THERE SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT
SHADY GOING ON.
IT'S WITHIN THE GOVERNOR'S POWER
AND THERE'S NOTHING ANYONE CAN
DO ABOUT IT.
WE WILL HAVE MUCH MORE ON