One of Gov. Rick Scott’s closest advisors wanted to keep the newly-elected governor out of meetings about the state budget, a recently released batch of e-mails from Scott’s transition team revealed.

Mary Anne Carter – one of Scott’s two key players in his transition – tried to keep Scott out of preliminary meeting with the Office of Policy and Budget staff in an attempt to insulate him.

Donna Arduin, a long-time budget director for several governors including Jeb Bush, served as Scott’s budget advisor during his campaign and transition. She was trying to set up a meeting with Scott and the budget staff to give the newly elected governor and his aides an inside look at how the budget is crafted.

But writing to Arduin on Dec. 15, Carter (who calls Scott “RLS” in her messages) asked, “Are we not better off going through it without RLS and then determine what decisions need to be made? If there are going to be areas where policy and politics collide, I think it’s best to know ahead of time and not have him involved in initial conversations.”

Arduin didn’t back down.

“You will see how budget meetings go by observing tomorrow,” Arduin wrote. “The meetings are the governor meeting with his opb staff and making decisions.”

The politically-savvy Arduin then sent Susie Wiles, Scott’s campaign manager who later became his legislative liaison, a more pointed note: “Keep the governor out of his budget decisions because we don’t want him involved in political decisions….really??!!!”

“This process is beyond amazing to me,” Wiles, who has since left Scott’s administration, responded. “I am praying hard for Rick.”

More than half a year into his administration, Gov. Rick Scott hosted his first coffee-and-doughnuts session with Capitol reporters and, in a reversal of his previous policy, will start making the rounds of the state’s newspaper editorial boards.

Scott, who never ran for public office before last year, refused to meet with the editorial writers during his campaign for governor.

Scott’s new strategy comes after a recent shake-up in his inner office in which Tallahassee political veteran Steve MacNamara replaced Mary Anne Carter, a relative unknown in Florida, as Scott’s chief of staff.

Since MacNamara came on board late last month, Scott appeared at an annual meeting of newspaper executives and had an off-the-record chat with The Miami Herald ed board.

In another signal of détente with the media, Scott hosted a coffee-and-doughnuts session with Capitol reporters this morning, his first since taking office in January.

MacNamara explained the new approach.

“His mother and my mother do the same thing every morning,” MacNamara said. “Go outside and get the newspaper.”

Tea party icon Scott spends a slice of nearly every morning appearing on predominantly conservative radio talk shows, speaking to his base.

But MacNamara said the governor has realized he’s got to spread his message around.

“He’s either going to be defined by newspapers or he’s going to define himself,” MacNamara said.

His first sit-down with an editorial board will be with The Tallahassee Democrat, the governor’s new hometown paper, MacNamara said.

Brian Hughes, Rick Scott’s deputy communications director, is the latest gubernatorial staffer to make a career change – heading to the Florida Republican Party as its spokesman.

Hughes will take over from Trey Stapleton, who worked on Scott’s campaign. Stapleton is heading to Washington, D.C., and Hughes will become the new RPOF spokesman within the next two weeks, as the party gears up to serve as host for next summer’s Republican National Convention, in Tampa.

Hughes teamed with Scott communications director Brian Burgess to form what around the Capitol became known as the “two Brians,” a pair of aggressive defenders and promoters of the governor’s agenda. But with Scott marking his six-months in office on July 4, the governor’s office has lately undergone some door-swinging.

Scott chief-of-staff Mike Prendergast exited to the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs and top adviser Mary Anne Carter headed to her Tennessee home and a still-to-be-made-public 2012 political campaign. New chief-of-staff Steve MacNamara hasn’t said it, but clearly among his duties will be trying to improve Scott’s barnacle-scraping poll numbers.

A shuffle at the highest reaches of state government began Friday, with Gov. Rick Scott naming a veteran legislative insider as his chief-of-staff and Senate President Mike Haridopolos also choosing a well-known Capitol name to manage his office.

As expected, Scott chose Steve MacNamara to succeed retired Army Col. Mike Prendergast as his chief-of-staff, plucking MacNamara from Haridopolos’ office, where he served in a similar capacity. Prendergast, who had been working for the first time in state government, earlier this week was named executive director of Florida’s Veterans’ Affairs Department.

MacNamara, though, brings to the governor’s office a wealth of Capitol experience. With polls showing the governor’s popularity at a stunningly low levels and the state’s economy still sluggish, MacNamara will likely be tasked with initiating policies that help Scott elevate his political game — and support from Floridians.

“My goal is to make Florida the number one state in the country for job creation and I believe Steve MacNamara is the best choice to direct my team in that endeavor,” Scott said.  “His experience and political skill will be an asset to all Floridians as we continue to position Florida as an economic leader.”

MacNamara is a former chief-of-staff to then-House Speaker John Thrasher, and served as an agency head under former Republican Gov. Bob Martinez. He also earlier served as a Senate staffer on redistricting — the once-a-deacade process lawmakers began again this month — and is a tenured professor at Florida State University.

Succeeding MacNamara in Haridopolos’ office is Craig Meyer, another longtime Capitol staffer who, most recently, was director of the Senate’s budget committee as it worked to offset a nearly $3.8 billion budget shortfall.

Scott’s office lost two key players this week, with adviser Mary Anne Carter also announcing she was leaving the administration by the end of June.  It’s uncertain whether Carter’s position will be filled, but other changes could be coming within the executive office and Senate president’s shop.

With approval ratings scraping bottom and his name a virtual laugh line for Democrats, Gov. Rick Scott is retooling his leadership team, with a pair of top aides departing and a veteran government insider expected to join the administration.

Scott Chief-of-Staff Mike Prendergast, a retired Army colonel, was officially moved Wednesday to executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, taking with him his $150,000 salary and becoming one of the governor’s best-paid agency heads.

The move came a day after Mary Anne Carter, a top Scott adviser, announced she will leave at the end of the month. Carter guided Scott’s campaign last summer, helping the former health care executive win his first run for elected office — powered by spending $73 million of his own cash.

Meanwhile, Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ chief-of-staff, Steve MacNamara, is considered a likely successor to Prendergast. MacNamara served in a similar role in the House, led a state agency and is a tenured professor at Florida State University.

“Steve is a master of the business of politics and policy,” said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, in line to become Senate president next year. “He would be a real asset to this governor.”

While high-profile staff changes are not unusual, Scott’s recent predecessors, former Govs. Charlie Crist and Jeb Bush, managed to get through at least the first year without an overhaul.

Scott, who will reach his six-month mark in office July 4, may feel some urgency to re-pivot because of recent polls.

Full story, here:   http://bit.ly/mCfRoz

A day after his chief-of-staff was nudged toward another state post, Gov. Rick Scott’s top adviser Tuesday also turned in her resignation.

Mary Anne Carter, whose tie to Scott dates to heading his Citizens For Patients Rights, which fought President Obama’s health care overhaul in 2009, said she will leave the administration June 30.

“I appreciate you asking me to serve a while longer in your administration,” Carter wrote in her resignation letter. “I have had a wonderful time and while tempting, I believe it is in my best interest to stay with my original timeline of leaving at the end of this month. I have family obligations that demand my attention and I want to return to my business practice as another election cycle begins.”

Carter is president of MAC Research, Inc., campaign consultants who have been active in national campaigns. Last year, she helped direct Scott’s longshot campaign for governor, which he won helped by $73 million of spending from his own bank account, and stayed on through the transition and the first-time officeholder’s initial, not-quite six-months in office.

Scott on Wednesday will oversee a special meeting of the Florida Cabinet, at which chief-of-staff Mike Prendergast is expected to be named executive director of the state’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Replacements for Prendergast and Carter have not been named, but the governor could be looking to retool his operation amid voter approval ratings that have plummeted since he took office. Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ chief-of-staff, Steve MacNamara, a state government veteran, appears to be the leading contender to succeed Prendergast.

For his part, Scott called Carter a “tremendous asset” during his early months in office.

“Her tenacity, drive and expertise in policy matters were instrumental in helping us achieve a very successful legislative session. I wish her the best and I’m confident she will continue to do great things,” Scott said Tuesday.

With Prendergast’s looming departure, Scott seems to be at least six-months ahead of schedule for gubernatorial staff reshaping.

Scott’s predecessor, former Gov. Charlie Crist, had chief-of-staff George Lemieux on board for the first year of his term as executive. Before Crist, former Gov. Jeb Bush’s first chief-of-staff, Sally Bradshaw, lasted two years in the high-pressure job before leaving.

Gov.-elect Rick Scott has hired a military lifer, a Jeb Bush ally, and his long-time policy adviser to serve as his chief lieutenants when he takes over on Jan. 4.

Scott today named Mike Prendergast as his chief of staff. Prendergast is a U.S. Army colonel who lost a bid for Congress last month.

Scott tapped his close friend Mary Anne (“Mac”) Carter as his “senior policy adviser,” a powerful post in which she will oversee the Office of Policy and Budget.

Hayden Dempsey, a Tallahassee lobbyist and lawyer with Greenberg Traurig, will take over as Scott’s special counsel and oversee legislative affairs. Dempsey once served as Gov. Jeb Bush’s legislative affairs director and deputy general counsel.

Jon Costello, who works for lobbyist Gary Rutledge and worked on Scott’s campaign, will head up legislative affairs. Rutledge is a Scott ally whose lobbying clients include South Florida racetracks.

Brian Burgess, who’s served as Scott’s campaign communications chief, will hold on to the post once Scott
becomes governor. Burgess also helped with Scott’s previous political venture, Conservatives for Patients’ Rights, a group aimed at preventing President Obama’s health care law from being passed.

Read the team’s biographies from Scott’s press release after the jump.
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