Governor Scott Ignites Battle Over Pill Mill Legislation

BRADENTON -- Governor Scott made waves this week when he proposed scrapping the state's prescription drug monitoring program, which was approved in 2009, while implementation has been delayed by a bid dispute currently before a judge in an administrative hearing.

The program was passed without allocated funding and is administrated by a non-profit created in the legislation. It relies on federal and private funding, which left many supporters unclear on why Scott would seek to dismantle it.

Scott and his staff repeatedly referred to the program as unnecessary, ineffective and overly obtrusive. Florida has one of the worst illegal prescription drug trafficking and addiction problems in the country and because of its lax regulations is seen as a hub for illegal trafficking to other states, many such as West Virginia and Kentucky have appealed to the state to enact stricter reforms to prevent the drugs from reaching their states.    

State Senate President Mike Haridopolos has come out in defense of the PDMP, saying that it is a necessary and valuable program that must be kept. State Attorney Pam Bondi also responded to Scott's comments by asserting that the tracking system is an essential tool for her office to combat the problem.