The House of Representatives filed a lawsuit late Friday accusing the Florida Lottery of illegally signing a long-term contract for ticket sales, escalating a feud between House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Gov. Rick Scott a little more than a week before the legislative session begins.
Corcoran's decision to file the lawsuit represents a head-on confrontation with an agency overseen by Scott. In response, the governor's office slammed Corcoran, an attorney, as “a trial lawyer” —- an epithet in Republican politics.
The House's lawsuit contends that the Lottery's contract with IGT Global Solutions Corp. is illegal because it spends more money than the Legislature has set aside for ticket machines in the current budget.
It asks a Leon County circuit court to find that Lottery Secretary Tom Delacenserie didn't have the authority to sign the deal, and that he should “take all steps necessary to avoid that contract.”
The House says state law requires an agency to receive permission from the Legislature before signing a contract that would spend more money in an area of the budget —- even in future years —- than lawmakers have already allocated for that area.
“The Lottery, and any other agency for that matter, does not have the right to obligate the taxpayers of Florida by even a penny beyond what the people's elected Representatives say they can,” Corcoran, R-Land O' Lakes, said in a statement issued by his office Friday.…