http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-943710.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – The crowd of 4500 at Rick Scott's inauguration ranged from triumphant Tea Partiers to angry protesters - including a man who bellowed an insult during the new governor's remarks. Margie Menzel reports.
BJ the clown - in red, white and blue - gathered a group of third and fourth graders from the All Stars Academy on Orange Avenue.
"You're proud to be American? Let's show all the kids, everywhere, how proud we are. Ready? [Yes!] It's 'London Bridges.' Put your hands together."
The kids danced in the street outside the Old Capitol as their teachers, Takescha Smith and Anita Jefferson, looked on. Smith agreed they were excited about the swearing-in of Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, Florida's first black woman in the post.
"And also that it's just a woman in general, because that's important, that women are making history as well," she said.
Karen Jaroch, who joined the Tea Party after the 2009 passage of President Obama's stimulus bill, traveled from Tampa for the inauguration.
"I'm very hopeful that there's going to be a change in the Legislature," she said. "I think Rick Scott represents an outsider to some of the political elites, so I'm very hopeful that things will get changed and we can stop doing the status quo which has gotten us into problems in the past."
...while Marion Banzhaf of Tallahassee brandished a sign that read, "53,000 does not equal a Mandate," referring to the new governor's margin of victory over his Democratic opponent, Alex Sink.
"We want good government, not government that's run by businessmen for profit," she said. "But instead we want government that takes care of our rivers and our waters and our air and provides housing and - and jobs. But not at the expense of eliminating all regulations that protect our great state."
As Scott launched into his remarks, a man in a parka interrupted them.
"The only path to better days...['CRIMINAL!']...The only path to better days is paved with new private-sector jobs."
The man then walked briskly south, down Monroe Street, ahead of his own small crowd of security and reporters, and jumped in his car.