If you ask Gov. Rick Scott, he hasn't changed his ardent campaign promise of implementing a statewide E-Verify requirement to identify illegal workers.

"I didn't change my position on E-Verify," he told reporters at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials annual conference on June 22, 2012.

An in-depth explanation from Scott's own mouth says otherwise, though.

The Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee bureau asked Scott to clarify his position after he told a group of citrus officials that it would be foolish to put Florida businesses at a disadvantage. (Neighbors Georgia and Alabama have laws requiring employers to use the free, Internet-based E-Verify system).

Here's his full response:

"Here's what I feel about our immigration policy. Number one, the federal government needs to have a national, secure borders. Two, have an immigration policy that everybody understands – Americans and people who come to our country. Three, we need to make sure we have a work visa program that doesn't put Florida businesses at a disadvantage. Now, with the regard to E-Verify, as you know we did it for people who do business with state government, but we've got to have a national E-Verify program, because I don't want to put Florida businesses at a competitive disadvantage."

Comprehensive federal reforms? A work visa or national E-Verify program? None of those were part of Scott's campaign promise to "require all Florida employers to use the free E-Verify system to ensure that their workers are legal."

Floridians for Immigration Enforcement, an activist group that endorsed Scott based on his strong pledges to crack down on illegal immigration, said Scott is going back on his promise.

"He never campaigned on this phony baloney guest worker program," said David Caulkett, vice president and founder. "That wasn't part of his campaign."

Caulkett contends Scott was swayed from his hard-and-fast campaign position by business interests. He's lost hope that Scott will press the issue while he's in office.

"They've wimped out and betrayed citizens on this issue," he said, including other state leaders such as Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

Advocates for more immigration say Scott is following a national trend of states stepping back from harsh enforcement measures.

"Responsible, pragmatic Republicans in a lot of states are seeing what happened in states that went with all-out enforcement," said Tamar Jacoby, of Immigration Works USA, a pro-immigration business coalition. "Those states hemmoraged workers, and investors started having qualms."

Whatever the reason for Scott's move, this remains Promise Broken.