Florida Governor Rick Scott joined us this morning to promote business and tourism in his home state, and to specifically discuss how the Florida Gulf Coast is continuing to rebound both environmentally and fiscally after the BP oil spill.
But Joe and Mika began Scott’s interview by talking about the February 26th killing of 17-year-old Florida teen Trayvon Martin and the accused shooter George Zimmerman.
“There’s not enough information. No one has enough information,” Scott said when asked about the case. But Scott discussed meeting with Trayvon Martin’s family and expressed his regrets. “You can’t imagine losing your 17-year-old son,” he told Joe and Mika.
More from Morning Joe on Trayvon Martin:
Jonathan Capehart on why Trayvon Martin’s death affected him personally
Scarborough and Morning Joe panel on shooting of Trayvon Martin
State Attorney Angela Corey, who was picked by Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the investigation, has said in interviews she and her staff are going to Sanford, Fla. to begin investigation with a “blank slate.”
Corey has also said Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law could potentially complicate matters.
Msnbc.com quotes Corey: “The stand-your-ground law is one portion of justifiable use of deadly force,” prosecutor Angela Corey told ABC News. “And what that means is that the state must go forward and be able to prove it’s case beyond a reasonable doubt … So it makes the case in general more difficult than a normal criminal case.”
Scott also expressed confidence the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Corey’s ability to handle the investigation.
“She’s great; she’s aggressive. She’s anxious to do this.” During the discussion, Scott reiterated his view that all of the facts need to be collected. “We do have to wait. We’ve got to get the information out before people make decisions about things,” he said. “And we’ve got to have due process for the individual that people are suggesting – that is George Zimmerman – did something wrong.” Mike Barnicle questioned Gov. Scott on the case and asked Scott for his opinions on “Stand Your Ground.” “I do have to disagree with you on one element, governor. We do know what happened here to a certain extent. We do know that a 17-year-old boy was killed. What we don’t know obviously, as you alluded to, is what…caused George Zimmerman to chase him down the street. But all of that, I would imagine, is going to come under the umbrella of this Stand Your Ground law. And there’s been increasing criticism of that law. Where are you on that law?” Scott responded in saying: “We’ll review that law and any other laws that impact public safety. Because in our state, I’m sure like every other state, you want people to feel comfortable. We’re at a 40-year-low in our crime rate. You want people to feel comfortable to walk in their neighborhoods, go out and shop, do business. So you don’t want anything like this to happen.” Watch video of the discussion
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