TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- One of the most hotly contested topics in Tallahassee is dividing Republicans and Democrats, but not in the way you might think.
Gov. Rick Scott is getting a lot of support from the other side of the aisle for his support to expand Medicaid in Florida.
Scott said in his third annual State of the State address that "we lost in the Supreme Court over the president's healthcare law."
"Now, our options are either having Floridians pay to fund this program in other states while denying healthcare to our citizens - or - using federal funding to help some of the poorest in our state with the Medicaid program as we explore other healthcare improvements," said Scott.
Gov. Scott reversed his position on the matter after months of fighting Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. "I concluded that for the three years the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost of new people in Medicaid, I cannot, in good conscience, deny the uninsured access to care."
Democrats in the joint session went into a standing ovation when Scott threw his support behind expanding the federal legislation during his speech.
It was a surprise to many across the aisle including Jacksonville representative Mia Jones. She hopes the governor can convince enough Republicans to vote against their party platform.
"I think given the opportunity, we'll have enough Republicans that will stand with us to make sure Floridians get their fare share of the pot," said Jones.
I polled our local Republican lawmakers to find out if they will follow the governor's lead. Sen. John Thrasher, of St. Augustine, says he's waiting on more information but hasn't ruled it out. Sen. Aaron Bean, however, is more skeptical.
"It's a bad policy," said Bean. "It's not a very efficient way to reach out and cover folks. However, there are still so many questions with Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act that we still have to make sure we have all of the information before we embark."
There are 4 million uninsured Floridians. Scott says the federal government will pick up the tab for the first three years of expanding Medicaid.
Republicans sitting on a Florida House committee voted down Scott on Monday by rejecting an expansion of Medicaid.
The members of Florida's Select Committee on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act decided against writing a bill expanding Medicaid in the Sunshine State.
