Scott Removes Batterson from Expressway Authority

By News Service of Florida

Gov. Rick Scott signed an executive order Friday to formally remove one of his appointees from the Central Florida Expressway Authority. The order came two days after the appointee, Richard "Scott" Batterson, was found guilty by a jury of bribery by a public servant and unlawful compensation for official behavior. Both are second-degree felony charges that carry sentences up to 15 years. Scott suspended Batterson from the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority in April after an indictment was handed down that claimed Batterson offered to steer a $5 million-a-year contract to an engineering consultant but only if certain people were hired. Scott appointed Batterson, a civil engineer, to the authority board in 2011. The newly created Central Florida Expressway Authority assumed control of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority in June, with the Orlando-Orange governing board held over as members of the Central Florida Expressway Authority. Batterson's sentencing is set for Oct. 17.