Sen. Rick Scott warns socialists, communists to avoid Florida

Sen. Rick Scott is stirring fresh 2024 presidential campaign speculation with a viral tweet urging “socialists and communists” to stay away from Florida.

Mocking an NAACP travel warning aimed at people of color, the former governor warned progressives to rethink possible plans to travel or move to the Sunshine State.

“If you’re someone who believes in big government, think twice if you’re thinking about taking a vacation or moving to Florida,” Scott said in a video posted on Twitter. “We’re the free state of Florida. We actually don’t believe in socialism.”

Scott’s tweet racked up an eye-popping 24 million views after he posted it late Tuesday. The performance was particularly remarkable because Scott isn’t known for a huge social media presence.

“We like freedom, liberty, capitalism, things like that,” he added with a wry smile.

The tweet was a sarcastic response to travel advisories warning people of color to avoid Florida over what they call the state’s racist policies under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Scott’s tweet raised renewed speculation that he may jump into the Republican presidential race, even though he has said he will run for reelection to the Senate in 2024.

It notably drew more attention than anything DeSantis has done on social media or in real life since his botched campaign launch on Twitter.

If Scott reverses course and joins the White House race, he would be the fourth #FloridaMan in the White House contest, along with DeSantis, Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez and former President Donald Trump.

Scott, who would be the second GOP presidential candidate with that last name along with Sen. Tim Scott, is best known for his ill-fated proposal to force annual votes on continuing Social Security and Medicare. He was forced to withdraw the plan amid widespread criticism, including from fellow Republicans.

Trump holds a dominant lead over DeSantis, with the rest of the field trailing far behind. But candidates keep on joining the contest, apparently in the hope the former president may be forced out of the race by his legal woes, leaving a wide-open race.