News Release: Associated Press News

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A top aide to Florida Gov. Rick Scott is admitting that he once misled people about having a college degree.

Adam Hollingsworth, Scott's chief of staff, issued a statement to the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times where he acknowledged that he did not receive a degree from the University of Alabama until 2009. He acknowledged that for years he had said he was a graduate.

Hollingsworth said he apologized for the "misrepresentation."

Scott in 2011 signed a measure that repealed the law that made it illegal for someone to falsely claim they had a degree. A federal court had previously declared the law unconstitutional.

Scott in a statement said that he had confidence in Hollingsworth as his chief of staff and called him a "man of tremendous integrity."