Rick Scott Suspends St. Lucie Commission Chair after Arrest

St. Lucie County Commission Chairman Chris Dzadovsky, a Democrat from Fort Pierce, has been suspended from office by Gov. Rick Scott.

Dzadovsky was charged Monday after he allegedly took a pool heater from the home of his deceased ex-fiancée, according to TCPalm.com.

TCPalm.com further reported that Dzadovsky, who is running for re-election, has questioned the suspension as “political shenanigans from the governor.”

"I think the timing in an election year is interesting, to say the least," Dzadovsky wrote in a statement posted by TCPalm.com. "To suspend a commission chair for an issue that has nothing whatsoever to do with county business is unheard of and unprecedented. I know of only one case in which a Florida commissioner has been suspended by a governor, and that case was county-related.

"After all the work I have done for the residents of St. Lucie County, my constituents deserve better than political shenanigans from the governor. Furthermore, I find it disconcerting that the governor has apparent disregard for the Bill of Rights, which clearly states that every citizen is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. People concerned about their basic civil liberties, constitutionality and inalienable rights should be outraged."