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Who is Rick Scott? The Florida governor founded a multi-billion-dollar health care company

The U.S. Navy veteran ran for governor of Florida in 2010, spending millions of his own money. He was re-elected in 2014.
Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a shooting at the school killed 17 people on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Florida.

Who is Rick Scott? A veteran of the U.S. Navy. The current governor of Florida. A founder of a multi-billion-dollar health care corporation.

Scott is looking to unseat three-term U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in Tuesday's midterm election.

More: Florida Senate race: Rick Scott, Bill Nelson race to finish line after bruising campaign

Related: Full coverage of the 2018 Florida Midterm Election

Scott has spent nearly $150 million of his own personal fortune on three campaigns in his career. He first ran for governor in 2010 and beat Democrat Alex Sink. He was re-elected in 2014 after beating former governor Charlie Crist.

The 65-year-old was born in Illinois and raised in Missouri as one of five children. He and his wife Ann have two daughters and are founding members of the Naples Community Church.

Besides being governor, Scott is best known for his career with Columbia Hospital Corporation and Columbia/HCA. Scott helped found the former and in 1994 it merged with HCA.

In a short amount of time, Columbia/HCA became the world's largest healthcare company. But in 2000 and 2002, the company pleaded guilty to more than a dozen felonies in what was, at the time, the largest fraud settlement in the country's history.

During his tenure as Florida's 45th governor, Scott promised to create 700,000 jobs in the state. Politifact ruled in 2018 that Scott had kept his promise. Other key issues for Scott included health care, medical marijuana, the environment and gun laws.

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