St. Johns County's Joe Joyner on Scott's short list for lieutenant governor?

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Gov. Rick Scott is eying the northeast Florida area again as he searches for a lieutenant governor. St. Johns County school superintendent Dr. Joseph Joyner is on the short list of candidates for the position.

Joyner has led the St. Johns County school district for a little over a decade, and his tenure has been quite successful with the district ranking at the top of school districts in Florida for multiple years running.

That impressive resume has apparently caught the eye of Scott who's trying to replace his second in command after former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigned earlier this year.

Dr. Joyner said he spoke with the governor's Chief of Staff last week about this and said he was surprised.

"I was very much surprised to hear it, but very much honored that I would be considered," said Joyner. "I'm very, very happy in my job. I have full-time job now as superintendent of schools that I enjoy very much."

Carroll, who served in office in Jacksonville before being tapped as Scott's running mate, resigned after the Allied Veterans scandal where federal investigators raided Internet cafes all over the area. Carroll was not the target of any criminal investigation, but her link to the group led to her resignation.

As Scott now ratchets up his campaign for re-election, he looks for a new running mate. The governor is looking at highly visible candidates from all over the state.

"The governor's going to make a good decision for the state of Florida," said Joyner. "Anything further from me at this point would just be speculation."


About the Authors:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.