In the 2016 press release, Scott announced that the Cape Canaveral-based company was consolidating its operations in Virginia to Florida and expanding its headquarters at its Space Coast office. The move was supposed to create 150 new jobs and result in the investment of $4.5 million in the local community.
"With the EDC’s assistance, CHSI chose a location and we are customizing a facility that will continue to meet our ongoing business expansion needs,'' said Gary Palmer, president and chief executive officer of Comprehensive Health Services Inc., at the time.
According to the Department of Economic Opportunity, the state awarded the company $600,000 in incentive money from the Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund program. The contract, completed in July 2017, requires the company to receive tax refunds for every job it creates with a salary of $66,000 or more. It gives the company until December 2021 to create the jobs. DEO spokeswoman Tiffany Vause said Tuesday that the company had not received any tax-refund money yet but would be eligible to do so for the first time this year.
Five months before the contract was complete, in February 2017, Comprehensive Health Services agreed to pay $3.9 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by double-billing the IRS for electrocardiograms and vision tests. Comprehensive Health Services did not respond to a request for comment.
Scott, the Republican governor who is running for U.S. Senate, distanced himself from the Trump administration on Monday regarding the immigration policy.
"Let me be clear — I do not favor separating families," the governor said in a statement. "Washington is to blame for this by being all talk and no action, and the solution is to secure the border."