Where's the fan? Final Crist, Scott debate gets heated

In their final — and most heated — debate before the Nov. 4 election, incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist came out swinging Tuesday night, excoriating each other's records as the state's chief executive and each painting his rival as out of touch with everyday Floridians.

Scott and Crist, a former Republican who left office after a single term and is now seeking his old job back as a Democrat, traded jabs over the economy, racial justice and the death penalty and drew sparks over each others' wealth. Scott, who reported his net worth as $132.7 million last year, repeatedly contrasted his deprived childhood with that of Crist, whose father is a St. Petersburg doctor.

Scott, a former health care executive who made his fortune as the head of the Columbia/HCA hospital chain, repeatedly recalled how he grew up in public housing and how his parents struggled to pay for health insurance and Christmas presents.

"I watched a parent that lost the only family car. I watched a father struggle to buy Christmas presents. I went through that as a child. Charlie never went through that. Charlie grew up with plenty of money. He's never had to worry about money. He has never had to worry about being laid off. Charlie has done fine in life. But what I'm going to fight for every day is what I've done the last three years and nine months, I'm going to fight for families like mine growing up," Scott said.

Crist, who listed his net worth of $1.25 million last year, portrayed himself as an advocate for middle-class Floridians whose family had humble beginnings.

"He talks about that I've done fine in life. Listen, when I was a little kid, we lived in a small apartment in Atlanta when my dad was going to medical school and he used to delivered newspapers to make ends meet. So you don't know me and you can't tell my story. And I'm not going to tell yours. But I know you are worth about $100 or $200 million today," Crist said. "And you know, God bless you for that wealth, Rick. But the way you got it was pretty unsavory. And you know, the fact that you just don't relate to people, real people in Florida today and the struggles they have, and you won't lower utility rates, you won't lower property insurance, it is wrong."