Rick Scott’s top lobbyist, who shepherded the governor’s policies through a frequently wary Legislature the past two years, is rejoining his old Tallahassee lobbying firm.

Jon Costello, who announced his departure from Scott’s office last month, is returning to Rutledge, Ecenia and Purnell, the firm said Tuesday. Scott has said he plans also to appoint Costello to the position of board member on the Northwest Florida Water Management District.

“We are extremely excited that Jon is returning to the firm to lead the governmental affairs practice,” said Gary Rutledge, the firm’s president.  “As an early policy advisor to candidate Rick Scott, and later the Governor’s top lobbyist through two successful legislative sessions, Jon has proven himself to be one of the most informed and effective advocates in Florida.”

The lobbying firm counts among its clients HCA Healthcare, a corporate descendant of the Columbia/HCA hospital chain Scott helped found and lead and which remains a pivot point in the governor’s resume. The firm paid $1.7 billion to the federal government three years after Scott left to resolve allegations of Medicare and Medicaid fraud, while not admitting any wrongdoing.

The Rutledge firm also represents dog tracks, Kraft Foods, Florida electric cooperatives and cable television interests.

Gov. Rick Scott kept his distance Tuesday from allegations that his former hospital chain is being investigated by federal officials over billing for unnecessary medical treatments, mostly at its Florida hospitals.

Scott’s role as chief executive of Columbia/HCA  Corp., haunted his race for governor, with the Republican repeatedly forced to defend his leadership that ended in 1997, three years before the chain paid $1.7 billion to settled federal claims of overbilling Medicare and Medicaid.

Scott was never charged and has said he left the company before it engaged in the practices that led to the federal penalties.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami is looking into an internal HCA review prompted by whistleblower charges that doctors at its Florida hospitals had performed unnecessary cardiocatheter work on patients at hospitals in Fort Pierce, Miami and in the Tampa Bay-area between 2002 and 2010.

The U.S. Justice Department is looking into practices at 10 hospitals, mostly in Florida, according to HCA.

“I’m sure that the federal agencies are going to look into anything like that,” Scott said Tuesday. “But you know I haven’t been involved in that company in 15 years.”

HCA owns 160 hospitals — including JFK Medical Center in Atlantis and Palms West Medical Center near Wellington — and 110 surgery centers.

Gov. Rick Scott offered little Tuesday when asked whether he would consider ending his family’s financial stake in Solantic, the urgent care company he founded and which provides drug-testing services.

Scott’s role in the firm was spotlighted when he signed an executive order ordering drug-testing for new state hires and random screening of current employees.

“As I’ve told you, I’m not involved in that company,” Scott said, refusing to directly answer whether he would consider prohibiting the state from contracting with the firm.

Scott, who reported a net worth of $218 million when he filed papers to run for governor last summer, had pledged to put his financial holdings into a blind trust, when elected. Instead, in January, Scott transfered his Solantic stock to his wife, Ann.

Scott built most of his wealth from growing Columbia/HCA health care into one of the nation’s biggest hospital chains. Three years after he left Columbia/HCA, the company paid $1.7 billion to end a federal investigation into accusations of Medicare fraud — the largest settlement of its kind in the nation’s history.

Gov. Rick Scott, who made his controversial millions of dollars in the private health care industry, Wednesday created a commission to examine government-run hospitals in Florida.

The executive order Scott signed creates the Commission on Review of Taxpayer Funded Hospital Districts.

 Before his swearing-in as governor, Scott’s health care transition team issued a report which included a stinging assessment of publicy funded districts, complaining that the hospitals they support largely muscle-out private facilities and may no longer be needed in Florida.

Palm Beach County’s health care district, created 20 years ago, was generally backed by Scott’s advisers at the time. The district’s taxpayer dollars are deployed countywide, not concentrated in one hospital.

“I am confident this new Commission will protect Florida taxpayers,” Scott said.  “At the same time, the commission’s guidance will help provide Floridians a high-quality health care system.”

Scott helped build Columbia/HCA, one of the nations’ biggest health care companies, until his ouster by its board. Three years after his departure, the company paid $1.7 billion to settle federal accusations of Medicare fraud.

 In announcing the commission’s formation, Scott said its goals will include reviewing how doctors are paid at the public hospitals, whether they serve as broad a population as they should, and whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth.  The 10-member commission has until next January to complete its findings.

 There are more than 60 hospital or health care districts in Florida.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink’s campaign released a Clinton-esque video of her GOP opponent Rick Scott’s deposition in a 1995 lawsuit, one of several against his former hospital chain Columbia/HCA.

In the two-minute clip of the two-hour video of the deposition, Scott repeatedly answers the interrogator’s questions with questions, including this response when asked about a deal he allegedly struck with an El Paso doctor.

“I don’t know what the def — your definition or anybody’s definition of an ‘agreement’ is, or an ‘offer’ is, or ‘promise’ is,” Scott answered.

The video first surfaced in a report by The St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald.

Scott’s campaign folks contend the health care executive was trying to stave off money-grubbing lawyers.

John Schilling acknowledges that he has no evidence that Florida gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott knew about the massive Medicare fraud at Columbia/HCA. But he doesn’t believe Scott when the former CEO blames underlings for the fraud that led to a  $1.7 billion fine.

“I can’t say what he knew or didn’t know, but he should have known what was making up the majority of the revenues of the company,” Schilling said today.

Schilling is a CPA who worked at Columbia/HCA, including a stint as an FBI informant. A registered Republican until Scott won the primary, Schilling said he switched his political affiliation to independent. He’s in Doral today for the first debate between Scott and Democrat Alex Sink.

“He was a hands-on CEO,” said Schilling, who lives in Naples. “He was probably aware of a lot of the activity.”