Florida Governor Scott Sued by Iraq Veteran Demoted While Deployed

Iraq war vet sues Gov. Scott, state of Florida over job demotion
Tampa Bay Times
Steve Bousquet
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Wednesday, September 17, 2014

TALLAHASSEE — A decorated combat veteran of war in Iraq and Afghanistan sued Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday, claiming the state illegally eliminated his state job while he was serving his country overseas.

Walter Krietlow III is a master sergeant in the U.S. Army reserve who was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star during two tours of duty in Iraq. He's a Republican who said he voted for Scott in 2010 and denied that his filing of a lawsuit less than seven weeks before the election is politically motivated.

"This is not political," Kreitlow said. "This is for the citizen soldiers out there who are taken advantage of. They miss out on promotions. They are not given days off."

Krietlow, 45, works as a police officer in the state alcoholic beverage and tobacco division, part of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). He has worked for the state since 2006, but he wants his old job back.

While Kreitlow was at an Army training camp in Kentucky in the fall of 2011 preparing for a third deployment overseas, he says, DBPR moved his job from his Tallahassee home to Miami as part of a law enforcement consolidation effort that Scott supported.
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