TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Florida Gov. Rick Scott won't become Sen. Scott until Jan. 8.
Scott announced Tuesday that he will remain in his current role until Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis is sworn in. Scott, who has kept his plans secret for weeks, was scheduled to become a U.S. senator five days before his term as governor would end.
"Gov. Scott will remain governor until January 8th, 2019," said John Tupps, Scott's communications director. "U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to hold the ceremony for Gov. Scott's swearing-in as U.S. senator from Florida that afternoon."
DeSantis will be sworn in Jan. 8. New and re-elected U.S. senators are sworn in Jan. 3, as laid out in the U.S. Constitution.
Scott's decision means that he'll come to Washington as the most junior incoming senator. He would have been 97th on the seniority list.
Tupps said Scott's reason for staying in his role is because he "promised to fight for Florida families every single day of his term."
That five-day gap could have only been filled by Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who has served in the role since 2014. Scott is one of seven new Republican senators elected in November.
A delay in the swearing-in ceremony will affect Scott's seniority, which plays a major role in things like the seating chart on the Senate floor, office space and committee assignments. Most Florida officeholders who seek other office are required to put their resignation in writing under the state's resign-to-run law.
That law prohibits anyone from holding two public offices at the same time. Scott was not required to sign such a letter, since he ran for a federal office. The last time a similar situation happened was when two-term Gov. Bob Graham was elected to the Senate and resigned as governor on Jan. 3, 1987.
Lt. Gov. Wayne Mixson, a lawmaker from the Panhandle town of Marianna, held the office until Bob Martinez was sworn in as governor three days later.
