Will Gov. Scott choose Barbara Jenkins to fill lieutenant governor position?

ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Rick Scott might swipe one of Orange County's top officials to fill his second in command.

Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigned because of her connection to the statewide strip mall casino scandal, but Channel 9's Karla Ray found Orange County Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins might be Scott’s next choice.

Jenkins is a Democrat, which means it would be a very strategic move for the Republican Scott.

Political analyst Dr. Rick Fogelsong said, “It's probably unlikely and just mentioning her name is for perception purposes only.”

Scott has publicly shown his friendship with Jenkins several times in recent months, but Fogelsong said that’s not enough to make her a good candidate for lieutenant governor.

Jenkins was one of the superintendents to work with Scott to add more instruction time for students in the classroom.

The governor is also pushing for a $2,500 pay raise for all public school teachers.

“It's hard to imagine that Barbara Jenkins would be a serious candidate for the position of lieutenant governor,” he said. “She's bright and she's able, but she has no experience in state government, and she's a Democrat.”

Fogelsong believes just mentioning Jenkins as a potential candidate may be a strategic move to pick up women voters as the governor prepares for re-election.

WFTV