This morning Michael Bender with the Miami Herald/St. Pete Times reports that Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink's office has awarded at least 11 insurance agents convicted of various felonies their license to sell insurance in Florida, a story that has been percolating on conservative blogs ever since Rick Scott brought it up at last Friday's Univision debate.
On Monday the Scott campaign challenged Sink to detail how many convicted criminals received licenses during her term as CFO and to release all files pertaining to convicts who obtained licenses on her watch.
Jeff Atwater, now running for CFO, took a shot at Sink yesterday when asked about the report, saying:
The chief financial officer is obligated to look out for the financial security of Florida's families," Atwater said in a statement. "Instead, the record shows the CFO has routinely granted licensure to applicants who have been convicted of felonies and therefore may pose a threat to consumers.
"The CFO has clear authority to deny licensure to any applicant with a criminal history. As CFO, I will exercise that authority.
"We must protect citizens from financial crimes. Denying licensure to convicted felons is a good place to start," said Atwater.
This article appears in Oct 14-20, 2010.