A relaxed Gov. Rick Scott fielded questions about his busy first week on the job at his first press conference with the Capitol press corps since moving into the mansion last weekend.

Here are some highlights of his roughly 20-minute presser:

State planes:
Scott put the two state planes on the auction bloc and is traveling on his own plane on his own dime.
“It’s my plane. I pay for it myself. The same way I’ve always done it. It’s my money.”
He’s not making his flight logs public: “I’ve never done it. I don’t believe in it.”
What about South Carolina’s governor who disappeared and left even his own administration wondering where he was? “I don’t think you have to worry about that too much.”

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.Gov. Rick Scott met with the Capitol press corps for the first time since his swearing-in on Tuesday and before the governor even reached the podium Scott’s spokesman laid out some new rules.

Brian Burgess told reporters that the days of chasing the governor out of his large conference room into the antechamber that leads to his private sanctum are over.

Reporters will remain seated until Scott leaves the room, Burgess instructed.

On the campaign trail and after his election, Scott remarked several times that he was shocked at the chaotic Q-and-A exchange between elected officials and the media.

(When he was confronted by the Capitol press corps for the first time after filing his papers to run this spring, Scott did not know what a press “gaggle” was.)

That’s all over.

The well-heeled Scott, who places a high priority on politeness, wants a more polished atmosphere in his interactions with the press.

“My goal is I want to have a positive working relationship. You have a job to do, report what’s going on.
I just want to make it organized,” he told reporters during a scheduled 15-minute press conference that ran a bit long.

The typically obstinate press corps dutifully followed Burgess’ instructions and remained politely seated while Scott made his exit.

Burgess gave the media “an A++” for being so obedient

Katherine Kelly, the Palm Beach County Democratic Party’s state committeewoman for decades until her retirement in 2008, died Thursday at 86.

Mrs. Kelly was a Wellesley graduate who worked in her family’s radio-electronics component business before she and her late husband became involved in politics during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. A delegate to five Democratic National Conventions, Mrs. Kelly was involved with women’s, abortion-rights and gay-rights causes.

“Katherine was deeply loved and widely respected by everyone who knew her,” said U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar. “Today, our nation has lost someone who represented all that is good in the world.”

An obituary sent to Democratic activists by her friend Peyton McArthur follows the jump…

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“Outsider” Gov. Rick Scott hired several of his campaign staffers, one of his primary opponent’s campaign honchos and hung on to a few of his predecessor’s worker bees to serve in the executive office inner sanctum.

One surprise: Spencer Geissinger, a former advance man for both Presidents Bush and led Scott’s campaign advance team with military-like precision, is now Scott’s external affairs director, earning $148,000 annually, according to documents provided by Scott’s office. Geissinger owns Strategic Events Group, a Washington, D.C.-based events planning business.

Campaign aide Dean Petrone is the governor’s personal assistant at a salary of $50,000 per year.

Scott, a multimillionaire who spent at least $70 million of his own money on his campaign, is forgoing the $138,000-a-year governor’s salary and will be paid just one cent.

Here’s the executive office line-up and salaries so far:
- Special policy advisor: Mary Ann “Mac” Carter, Scott’s long-time policy advisor, $150,000.
- Chief of staff: Mike Prendergast, $150,000.
- General counsel: Erik Figlio, who served in the same role under Gov. Charlie Crist, $130,000.
- Office of Policy and Budget director: Jerry McDaniel, who also served in the same role under Crist, $150,000.
- Legislative affairs director: Jon Costello, who served as a policy advisor on Scott’s campaign, $110,000.
- Special counsel: Hayden Dempsey, $140,000.
- Deputy chief of staff: Jenn Peter Ungru, a Republican Party operative, $100,000.
- Deputy chief of staff: Carrie O’Rourke, who was Scott’s GOP primary opponent Bill McCollum‘s campaign finance director, $100,000.
- Executive deputy chief of staff: Fritz Brogan, who served on Scott’s transition team, $80,000.
- Director of executive staff: Diane Moulton, keeping the same job she had for Crist, $95,000.
- Director of open government: Carolyn Timmann, who was Crist’s executive deputy chief of staff, $90,000.

OPA-LOCKA — With education reform lightning rod Michelle Rhee at his side, Gov. Rick Scott toured a charter school today and said he’ll press for merit pay for teachers and more opportunities for parents to choose which schools their kids attend.

Rhee, featured in the recent documentary Waiting For Superman, was praised by many reform advocates but blasted by teachers unions during her three years as chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public school system. She resigned in October when her main political supporter, Mayor Adrian Fenty, lost his reelection bid.

Rhee started an advocacy group called Students First and will serve as an unpaid adviser to the new governor on education policy. She and Scott visited the Florida International Academy middle school and Florida International Elementary Schools. The schools are about 98 percent black, with nearly all the students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches. The middle school has improved from a grade of F in 2001-02 to an A grade the last two years.

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Though they are both relative newcomers to Capitol Hill, U.S. Reps. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, and Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, have been key positions in the 112th Congress that convened Wednesday.

Rooney, beginning his second term, will be one of about 20 deputy whips for the GOP. Deutch, who won a special election in April and his first full term in November, will be an assistant Democratic whip.

Whips in both parties are responsible for making head counts and rounding up votes on key pieces of legislation.

Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., ranks third in the House leadership. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., is chief deputy whip and directly oversees Rooney and other other deputy whips. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, is chief deputy whip for Democrats.

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed St. Joe Co. executive Billy Buzzett as secretary of the Department of Community Affairs, the agency that oversees growth management.

Buzzett is a lawyer, developer and engineer who helped smooth the way for St. Joe’s massive expansion in the Panhandle.

Buzzett served on Scott’s transition team, which recommended doing away with the agency, something Scott has said he would consider.

Buzzett’s role would be to “better align Department of Community Affairs functions with other functions across state government,” Scott said in a press release.

Scott also reinstated former Secretary of State Kurt Browning, who quit after Gov. Charlie Crist jumped the GOP and became an independent.

And Scott said former Washington DC public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, who served on his transition team, would remain as his education advisor. He and Rhee will visit a charter school in Opalocka Thursday morning.

State officials’ high-flying days are over.

Gov. Rick Scott is selling the state’s two airplanes, saying the $2.4 million a year to operate the aircraft is a waste.

Scott’s offering the 10-year-old Beech King Air 350 and 2003 Cessna Citation Bravo on the Aircraft Shopper Online website. Bids will open at 2 p.m. on Feb. 9.

“The privilege of using a state-owned aircraft is an unnecessary burden to taxpayers, especially when lower-cost travel options exist,” Scott said in a press release. “As elected officials it is our responsibility to utilize the most affordable options for official business, and I do not believe state-owned airplanes are the best option.”

State lawmakers, Florida Supreme Court judges, Cabinet officials and, of course, the governor, have used the plane to travel around the state and, in some cases, run into trouble for cruising back and forth between Tallahassee and their hometowns or elsewhere on the taxpayer dime.

Former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and former Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Frank Peterman both got into trouble for allegedly misusing the plane.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tried to sell one of her state’s planes on eBay, but she wound up selling it through a jet broker.

Gov. Rick Scott‘s characterization of taxes, regulation and litigation as the “axis of unemployment” during his inaugural speech yesterday is destined to become a familiar mantra for fellow Republicans as they embrace his pro-business agenda.

It didn’t take long for Rep. Matt Hudson to latch onto the catchphrase to pitch his latest bill resurrecting legislation vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist last year.

Hudson, a fellow Republican who hails from Scott’s Naples hometown, filed the bill (HB 119) that would “reduce, streamline and clarify regulations” for providers overseen by the Agency for Health Care Administration, according to a press release issued by Hudson’s office.

“HB 119 will be essential in fighting the axis of unemployment and ensuring that the tax dollars of Florida’s citizens are not being wasted,” Hudson said in the statement.

Newly elected Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, today became the first Republican to join the Congressional Black Caucus in 14 years. The Washington Post reports that West and other 42 caucus members took part in a ceremony this morning.

West is one of two black Republicans in the House. The other, Rep. Tim Scott of South Carolina, declined to join the Black Caucus. Conservative West acknowledged he’s likely to find himself at odds with the liberal group of lawmakers.

“You bring a different perspective, but I think we’re all working toward the same end, which is what is best for our country and within the African-American community,” he told The Washington Post.

West is the first black Republican to represent Florida in Congress since Rep. Josiah T. Walls served during Reconstruction.

About 3,000 swells crowded into the Tallahassee Civic Center to finalize Gov. Rick Scott’s coronation as the state’s 45th governor.

Scott, who ran as a Tallahassee “outsider,” mingled with festooned supporters who coughed up $95 for a ticket to the ball or donated up to $25,000 to his inauguration fund (adding up to nearly $3 million) and got a chance to pose with the self-made multimillionaire.

But some disgruntled donors abandoned that opportunity after waiting more than an hour to have their picture with the governor or waiting in long lines for cocktails in their taffeta gowns and tuxedos.

His voice hoarse from a week of partying before his official swearing in, Scott croaked his thanks to the crowd before dancing with his wife Ann, dressed in a strapless shimmering gold gown to “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?”

“This is an exciting time for change in our state. We are clearly going to be the model for America.”

He thanked “the generous contributions of private donors” and the $200,000 raised for the Wounded Warriors project for veterans.

“To me, it’s really nice we raised the money,” he said.

Scott wound up by declaring the fete “is a celebration for a whole new leadership team to change Tallahassee.”

Newly elected Republican Marco Rubio will be sworn in as a U.S. Senator today while Republican Allen West will take the oath as a new member of the House of Representatives serving Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Click here to read our John Lantigua’s account of how both are getting acclimated.

Since defeating Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in November, West has already appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press and a variety of other national shows.

West was on CNN’s John King, USA on Monday talking about repeal of the health care law and tying a raise in the national debt ceiling to spending caps (click here for the video and here for the transcript). The rookie congressman will appear on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Rubio, a national media celeb himself, filled several key staff positions for his Senate office this week. Read about them after the jump…

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Gov. Rick Scott inaugural speech centered almost entirely on creating jobs.

And for at least one Maryland company, he’s true to his word.

Scott’s inaugural team contracted with Hargrove Inc., a Lanham, Md.-based event planning business, to handle the outdoor set-up for his swearing-in ceremony.

Maryland’s unemployment rate is a paltry 7 percent compared to Florida’s 12 percent, the fourth-highest in the nation.

Meanwhile, Scott has put a temporary halt on all regulation-making that he says is keeping the Sunshine State’s businesses from flourishing.

Gov. Rick Scott, who just one year ago was a virtual unknown to Floridians, choked up after being sworn in to office on his family’s Bible.

His voice hoarse from a week-long inaugural gala that will end with tonight’s black-tie ball, Scott’s 14-minute speech focused almost exclusively on job creation.

Scott, who’s already signed four executive orders including one freezing regulation-creation, tripped up when describing how he plans to review all state agencies and get rid of unnecessary rules.

“We’ll get rid of the agencies…,” Scott said, catching himself. “That’ll be in the paper. That wasn’t part of the script.”

Here are a few highlights from Scott’s first speech as the state’s 45th governor.

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Shortly after being sworn in as Florida’s 45th governor, Gov. Rick Scott signed four executive orders freezing regulations and cracking down on illegal immigration.

Scott also put a stop to any state contracts in excess of $1 million without his approval and established a policy on ethics and open government.

The first order puts a halt to all executive agency rules currently being created, establishes the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform to review all rules and forbids state agencies from creating any rule without Scott’s permission.

The order is in keeping with Scott’s campaign pledge to do away with many of the state’s regulations that he believes are hampering businesses.

A second order requires all state agencies to use the federal E-verify system to make sure potential employees are legal immigrants.

The third reestablishes the governor’s Office of Open Government, creates up Scott’s ethics policy and instructs Scott’s special counsel to consider recommendations made by a statewide grand jury beefing up the state’s ethics laws for public officials.

The last order reaffirms the governor’s office commitment to diversification in employment.

Accompanied by his wife and daughter, Rick Scott was sworn in as the state’s 45th governor under gray skies on the steps of the Old Capitol shortly before noon.

Scott was sworn in at 11:56 a.m. by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady followed by a 19-gun salute and a flyover by F-15s from the 125th Fighter Wing of the National Guard.

Country music star Lee Greenwood highlighted the day’s patriotic theme with his performance of “God Bless the USA” and “Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Flies.”

Former Govs. Jeb Bush, Claude Kirk and Bob Martinez – all Republicans – joined Scott and Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll for the swearing-in ceremonies. Former Democratic Govs. Bob Graham, Buddy MacKay and Reubin Askew did not attend.

Outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist, an independent, sat in the front row next to Scott’s mother Esther, and handed the seal of the state to Scott. Carole Crist was not present.

Some of the state’s most prominent lobbyists – big donors to Scott’s inaugural campaign – scored the best seats in the house after coughing up nearly $4 million for the week-long festivities culminating with a black-tie gala tonight. Among them: Brian Ballard, Mike Hightower, Billy Rubin, Bob Coker and Barney Bishop.

Leading up to Scott’s swearing-in, the Florida National Guard Army band played a medley of military tunes including the confederate anthem “Dixie,” considered by some to be offensive and banned from many school activities in Southern states.

Chuck Colson, who turned his stint behind bars for his role in the Watergate conspiracy into a prison reform movement, headlined an across-the-board faith breakfast to kick off Gov.-elect Rick Scott’s swearing in at noon.

Colson, a minister, was among the religious leaders, including a priest, a rabbi, and an Imam from Jacksonville, who gave their blessing and guidance to Scott and Lt. Gov.-elect Jennifer Carroll and their families.

Colson called today’s political atmosphere “ugly” and said it is “worse than Watergate.”

He praised Scott’s commitment to reforming the state prison system and he offered the Biblical parable of Solomon’s prayer to God when given one wish as a guide to governance for Scott, who’s never held office before.

“Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong,” Colson recounted.

Scott, hoarse from a week of photo ops and parties celebrating the inauguration, said that he, too, hoped to be like Solomon.

“He didn’t take riches…He took kindness…He wanted a discerning heart, to make the right decisions,” Scott said. “Being governor’s not being the king but…I hope that I do that for the next four years.”

Gov.-elect Rick Scott has appointed Jacksonville businessman and lawyer Herschel Vinyard as secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection the day before Scott will be sworn in as governor.

Vinyard is currently director of business operations at BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards, the world’s second largest defense contractor according to a press release issued by Scott’s transition team.

Vinyard, who also served on the Jacksonville Port Authority and the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, received his undergraduate and law degrees from Louisiana State University.

The regulatory agency, last headed by marine biologist Mike Sole, is one of several departments Scott has targeted for reform. The governor-elect has made streamlining permitting and reducing regulations and red tape for businesses a priority.

Former Secretary of State spokeswoman Jennifer Krell Davis has gone to work as press secretary for Attorney General-elect Pam Bondi, Bondi’s team announced today.

Davis previously worked at the Florida Chamber of Commerce and received her law degree from the University of Florida.

First lady-to-be Ann Scott received tearful accolades from her friends, daughters and husband this afternoon at a luncheon honoring the petite Naples homemaker.

The Scott’s daughter Allison Guimard broke down in tears while trying to deliver prepared remarks praising her mother during the hour-long event at the downtown Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science.

“I could always count on a sweet little note in my lunchbox telling me how much she loves me,” Guimard said in between sobs, recollecting how the new first lady served as her daughter’s class mother and stayed home with her when she was sick.

“My mom was an amzing mom…but was also our comrade in arms, our confidante and our friend who’ll be the same thing…,” Guimard said, unable to continue, standing side-by-side with her mother with their arms wrapped around each other. “This is so embarrassing.”

Even the governor-elect, who will be sworn in tomorrow, got choked up before introducing his wife of 28 years.

Candidates often get accolades, Scott said, “but your wife never does,” he said, turning to embrace Mrs. Scott.

Ann Scott’s friends described her as well-organized, efficient, charming and fun.

After more tearful praise from her friends, Ann Scott, wearing a gray and pink lace suit, cracked up the crowd with a hastily retracted invite to the governor’s mansion.

“Our home is your home so stop by any time,” she said before catching herself. “Okay, I didn’t’ really mean that.”