Happytown: Rick Scott visits Beefy King

The governor bounded forward with a smile on and told us it was Andy's idea to slum it with sandwiches, and that he did, in fact, enjoy his tater tots and beefycheesething very much, thanks for asking. After a quick acknowledgement of his educational generosity ("We're handing out something like $20 million today," he said nonchalantly), Scott jumped unprompted into the sequestration station. "I can't imagine why the president and Congress are getting paid," he said, repeating his anti-Fed press release from earlier in the week. "We've had to balance our budget for the last two years," he added. ("We need to live within our means" followed.)

Which got us to wondering, which we did aloud, what exactly is the state going to do if the cuts go through? Will it screw up budget negotiations in this legislative session? Is Florida in a superstorm of trouble?

In short, yes, according to Scott. He warned of cuts to the state's military bases and National Guard population, and then took a wild sidestep into the issue of "wildfire season" being just around the corner. The state, said Scott, would have to figure out how to cover those losses.

Might we suggest some beef and cheese? Because basically that's what Gardiner did a few seconds later. Hooray, Florida!

> Email Billy Manes