Why Rick Scott Booked It Out Of A Local Starbucks

The governor of Florida is in some hot water after video of a woman yelling at Gov. Rick Scott in a Gainesville Starbucks surfaced online and went viral in no time. According to the New Times Broward-Palm Beach, the woman is Cara Jennings from Lake Worth, Florida, a political activist and former city commissioner who called her run-in with the governor "ironic," because she had tried many times to formally meet with him about immigration reform. Jennings was just sitting down to work on some freelance writing when the governor came in.

"You cut Medicaid, so I couldn't get Obamacare," Jennings says to Scott in the video. "You're an asshole. You don't care about working people. ... You should be ashamed to show your face around here."

Jennings' claims about Scott's Medicaid cuts are both scathing and true. As John Oliver once reported on Last Week Tonight, the federal government offered to cover 90 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion to eliminate the gap between those with too much income to qualify for Medicaid and too little income to qualify for Obamacare. Yet several state legislatures, including Florida, voted not to expand the program. Furthermore, the state's 2016 budget cut over $400 million from the Medicaid low-income pool program that would have helped hospitals cover low-income patients' healthcare costs.

As Scott turned to leave the building without his coffee, Jennings hit harder with her criticisms of the governor's tenure. "You stripped women of access to public health care. Shame on you, Rick Scott! We depend on those services. Rich people like you don't know what to do. When poorer people like us need services, you cut them. Shame on you Rick Scott! You're an embarrassment to our state!"

Once again, Jennings was on point with her political critique. Late last month, Scott cut all state funding to health clinics that perform abortions. Planned Parenthood says its Florida clinics serve over 67,000 women per year, who utilize health services such as cancer screenings, birth control, and well-woman exams.

The New Times asked Jennings what lead her to confront the governor, but Jennings seems to believe that her reaction was one that should be emulated by others. "The better question is: Why don't more people stand up to politicians like Rick Scott who make horrible decisions. I implore my fellow Floridians to do the same when they see Rick Scott."

Jennings' confrontation of the governor has quickly turned her into an internet celebrity, with hundreds of people on social media praising her actions. Florida's next gubernatorial election is just two years away — perhaps Jennings will make a bid with her newfound public support.