Scott, Rubio headline convention of conservatives in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. — Amid calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act and even impeach President Barack Obama, one of the largest conservative groups in the country held its annual meeting in Orlando Friday, with Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio taking center stage.

Americans for Prosperity, founded by the billionaire-businessmen Koch brothers, is holding its annual conference, drawing thousands of visitors and dozens of protesters.

Rubio took the stage to mostly applause, but there were a few dozen boos and calls against Rubio for his stance on immigration reform.

In his remarks, the senator was pelted with calls from the audience of "no amnesty" as he touched on issues including the budget, deficit, education and health care.

Rubio avoided the topic of immigration reform during his 10-minute speech, focusing instead on the struggles his parents faced after they immigrated to the United States.

"My parents never made much money, yet they lived the American dream because just a decade removed from despair, they made it to the middle class," Rubio told the crowd.

Not everyone was happy to see Scott and Rubio at the conference.

"Over one million Floridians could benefit from Medicaid expansion. Rick Scott may say he supports Medicaid expansion, but he did nothing to help get it passed. Rubio is leading the charge to get another useless repeal vote," said Stephanie Porta of Organize Now.

The few dozen protesters who showed up on the outskirts of the Universal Orlando property Friday were supposed to be led by U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson and potential county mayoral candidate Val Demmings; however, neither was present at the protest.

Inside the conference, members of Americans for Prosperity also heard from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

David Koch presented Orlando Magic owner Richard DeVos with an award for his work in the business world for starting Amway.

For Scott, who will seek re-election next year, the event was a chance to highlight Florida's economy at a time when he said the rest of the county is struggling to keep pace.

"We will have the highest general revenue in state history, next year," Scott told the crowd. "Conservative policies work in our state."

WFTV