ORLANDO, Fla. _ Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello ended months of equivocation and endorsed Democratic U.S. Sen Bill Nelson for re-election Monday, calling him "an enormous fighter" for the island _ while sparking rebuke from some Puerto Rican supporters of his Republican opponent, Gov. Rick Scott.
Rossello, who later in the day also endorsed Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for Florida governor, had played it coy over the past few months when it came to the heated Senate race between Nelson and Scott, even after Rossello s father, a popular former governor of the island, endorsed Nelson in June.
At Nelson's campaign office in Orlando, Rossello did not say anything negative about Scott, calling him "a friend" and adding, "In my view, there are two great people running for office. It's not every day you can say that."
But, he said, while it was a tough call, "I believe in Sen. Bill Nelson."
What made the difference, he said, was Nelson's "longstanding relationship" with the island, including push for equality for Puerto Rico when it came to Medicaid reimbursement funding and statehood, as well as his efforts to help the commonwealth after the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Rossello touted Nelson's opposition to the GOP tax reform bill, which he said "added an additional burden" to the island, as well as Nelson's work to add billions in funding for Puerto Rico to a House supplemental bill that originally included no money for the island.
"I remember reaching out to a friend," Rossello said of Nelson, "and I told him about my concerns about the recovery and we really needed the Senate to step up so that we can get the appropriate resources for Puerto Rico. At that point, that friend said, 'Don't worry about it. We will get it done.'"
Nelson, who also received the backing of former Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, in addition to Rossello's father, former Gov. Pedro Rossello, called the younger Rossello's endorsement "a great, great honor."
"Puerto Rico is part of America," Nelson said. "It's our obligation as Americans, as Floridians, to help them."
Rossello's move comes after outspoken criticism of President Trump's controversial statements on Maria recovery, calling the recovery an "incredible" success and falsely claiming the official death toll of 2,975 was inflated by political enemies.
Scott, who has distanced himself from Trump despite being one of his original supporters, directly disagreed with Trump on the death toll and has issued Spanish-language ads in which he says, "When I don't agree with what President Trump does or says, I've said it. My only commitment is with you."
Scott also released a new Spanish language ad Monday which includes several Hispanic Democrats saying they back him for Senate.
Florida Republicans break with Trump on divisive issue of Puerto Rico statehood
Nelson criticized Scott for having "an election year conversion" on issues important to the Hispanic community, saying Scott "never supported Dreamers. Now he says he does. ... He's going all gauzy, fuzzy on immigration."
Scott's "modus operandi," Nelson said, is to "say something exactly opposite of what is the truth, and then he will put money behind it since he has unlimited personal wealth ... But time is up. People see through this."
But Scott touted his own endorsements from Puerto Rico officials, including congressional delegate Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon, former Gov. Luis Fortuno, current Lt. Gov. Luis Rivera Marin and Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz.
"Helping Puerto Rico has never been about politics � it is about helping the island recover and ensuring every family displaced to Florida has the resources they need to succeed," Scott said in a statement Sunday.
"Gov. Rossello is a friend and I will continue to work with him in any way I can to support Puerto Rican families both in Florida and on the island," Scott said. "Sen. Nelson can talk all he wants about writing letters or filing bills that never pass."
Scott and Nelson face off Tuesday morning in a debate hosted by Telemundo in Miramar.
Meanwhile, amid chants asking for Rossello to "go back to Puerto Rico," about a dozen protesters stood outside Nelson's regional campaign office calling the island governor a "traitor."
"Ricardo Rossello said, in his own words, when he came back in February ... that he would support those candidates that were for Puerto Rico," said state Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs. "It shows that he'll say one thing and do the other."
Cortes, who is the DeSantis campaign's chair for Puerto Rican outreach, said he was "disappointed" in the governor and had asked him to reconsider his endorsement _ but got no response.
"I actually hoped that he would stay out of it," Cortes said.
Earlier Monday, Rossello joined the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando, making a pitch for Central Florida business owners to invest in rebuilding efforts on the island.
"Puerto Rico is like a blank canvas for innovation," Rossello said at the National Entrepreneur Center in Orlando. "Because of the devastation (from Hurricane Maria), we need to rebuild."
