New Florida Gov. Rick Scott may not have all of his staff in place, but his PR people are hard at work. After being sworn in at noon today, his office issued the following, under the headline "Governor Rick Scott Fulfills First Campaign Promises to Hold Government Accountable."

Tallahassee, Fla.-Immediately after being sworn-in as Florida's 45^th governor, Gov. Rick Scott fulfilled campaign promises by signing executive orders to freeze job-killing regulations and require state agencies to verify legal immigration status. He also established a tough new ethics policy and affirmed his commitment to diversity in employment.

Executive Order No. 11-01 freezes all new regulations and establishes the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform, which will review all rules prior to promulgation as well as agency practices and contracts.

• Immediately suspends rulemaking for all agencies under the direction of the Governor.
• Establishes the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform to review all rules (including those suspended by the Order) prior to promulgation and to review agency practices and contracts.
• Imposes 90-day suspension on execution of any contracts with a value in excess of $1 million, without prior approval from the Office.
• Prohibits agencies from promulgating rules unless they obtain prior approval from the Office.

Executive Order No. 11-02 requires state agencies to use the E-Verify system verify employment eligibility of state employees and contractors.

• All state agencies under the direction of the Governor must use E-Verify system to check employment eligibility of their current and prospective employees.
• Requires state agencies under the direction of the Governor to include in all state contracts a requirement that contractors utilize the E-Verify system to verify the employment eligibility of: |
  • all persons employed during the contract term by the contractor to perform employment duties within Florida; and
  • all persons (including subcontractors) assigned by the contractor to perform work pursuant to the contract with the state agency.

Executive Order No. 11-03 establishes the Governor's policy on ethics and open government.

• Orders the adoption and implementation of a revised, stronger, code of ethics in the Governor's office, and directs agencies under the direction of the Governor to revise their codes of ethics accordingly.
• Recognizes work of 19th Statewide Grand Jury and directs Governor's Special Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer to review their Report and recommend a plan for implementation of all or certain, as advisable, of the Grand Jury Recommendations.
• Reaffirms commitment to Office of Open Government and calls for establishment of new Web site providing access to accountability information.

Executive Order No. 11-04 reaffirms the Governor's commitment to diversity in government.

• Reaffirms prohibition on discrimination in employment based on race, gender, creed, color, or national origin, and affirms commitment to hiring, retaining and promoting the highest quality candidates regardless of the above.
• Reaffirms policy of non-discrimination in state contracting without regard for race, gender, creed, color, or national origin.

To view a copy of each Executive Order and the Code of Ethics, please visit these links:

• Executive Order No. 11-01
• Executive Order No. 11-02
• Executive Order No. 11-03
• Executive Order No. 11-04

Code of Ethics