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The shakeup at the top of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is prompting more questions about why the states top police official was replaced. As Matt Galka tells us, lawmakers are looking for answers.

Gerald Bailey is no longer the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, that is clear.  The reasons why the longtime law enforcement veteran was forced out by Governor Rick Scott and his administration are where things get tricky.

“I want to thank commissioner Bailey for his service. He resigned,” said Governor Rick Scott on January 13th.

Scott’s office later backed off that quote.  Reports and independent sources say Bailey wouldn’t play ball with the Governor’s requests to politicize his FDLE office – including falsely naming a person in a criminal case.   Governor Scott’s office denied the allegations.

Democratic leaders say they’re concerned and want to get to the bottom of it.

“To take a man who has given his life as a real public servant in law enforcement in this state, and to remove him…smacks of shenanigans that we don’t know anything about,” said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, the Senate Democratic Leader.

Sen. Joyner and Rep. Mark Pafford, the Democratic Leader on the House side, said that a resolution should start with the cabinet, but there are other paths they could take.

The three member cabinet says they were told Bailey resigned.  Joyner says if they were misled, it could be a criminal offense.

“It’s called the misuse of a public position, and I think that it throws it to the ethics commission to investigate,” said Sen. Joyner.

The Democrats say even though their party is the one making noise – most of the legislature has expressed concern.

“I don’t think this is a Democratic or Republican issue, this is an issue that effects every Floridian,” said Rep. Pafford.

The House and Senate leaders called for the cabinet to have a meeting with Governor Scott to come clean.

Lawmakers say what’s even more troubling is that the FDLE is going through turmoil just as the department is tasked with investigating Florida’s prison systems after rampant reports of inmate deaths, abuse, and corruption.