Speaker Ray Sansom of Destin has not held a press conference during the 10-day special sesison on budget cuts or at any other time since he ushered in the 13th consecutive year of Republican rule in the Florida House on Nov. 11.
Apparently, the 10 Connects Tampa television crew had enough and tried to get Sansom coming into the Capitol this week. Reporter Mike Deeson says Sansom is “taking secret elevators and avoiding his parking space.”
Deeson says that Sansom avoided his truck when he found a TV crew was waiting for him in the parking garage and instead sent security.

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist continued his praise for Democratic President-elect Barack Obama this morning at the 40th anniversary of the Florida Commission on Human Rights.
Crist noted that the country will celebrate Martin Luther King on Monday, a day before the Obama’s inauguration on Tuesday.
“I can’t help but think, back in the ‘60s when Dr. King made his speech at one end of the mall in Washington D.C. that ‘I Have a Dream,’” Crist said. “And then on Tuesday, this coming Tuesday at noon, at the other end of that mall in Washington D.C., that dream will be realized.”
Crist not only sees a little bit of his bipartisanship message in Obama’s “change” campaign, but the governor also wants the incoming president to bail out Florida’s budget with a handsome spending package this year.
Crist told reporters this morning that he and Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, right, are writing a joint letter to Obama supporting an “economic stimulus” package for states.
“It’s very important that we support the new administration,” Crist said. “It certainly is going to help Florida and I think we’ll see some progress there.”

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The Florida Senate approved $2.3 billion reduction to the state budget by a 27-13 vote.
Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando cast the sole Democratic vote in favor of the plan, which includes cuts to public schools, community colleges and alternatives to nursing home care for the elderly.
Transportation and economic developments for the most part avoided any budget-slashing, angering Democrats.
“Basically we’re saying that repaving roads can’t wait but children and seniors can,” argued Sen. Nan Rich, D-Westin.
“The idea that in the middle of a recession, we are going to cut those programs, cut those opportunities is exactly the wrong thing to be doing,” Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, said of cuts in community college spending. “Cutting any education dollars is the wrong thing to do. You pay for a cheap education forever.”
Other Democrats argued that lawmakers are making the cuts to health programs for children and the elderly but are leaving millions of dollars in contracts to private vendors safe.
“There’s no other way I can put it. We do not cut contactor services but we cut vital areas of the budget and when this budget is passed we’re going to lay off thousands of people with the hope that we’re going to create other jobs,” said Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee. “I’m not going to do it.”

Republican leaders in the legislature have proposed padding the budget cuts with extra $400 million in savings to handle addtional shortfalls. The thought was that tax collections will continue to come up short, and the extra cushion will help when they return for their annual spring session in March.
But Gov. Charlie Crist this morning said it could also help him “show a little more compassion.”
“The fact that they went the extra mile, as it were, does give us the opportunity to look at some of things a little more closely and maybe show a little more compassion,” Crist said.
Crist has suggested he’ll restore about $11 million in bonuses for public school teachers — a move House leaders have said they’re okay with.
This morning he said he may look at restoring some cuts to public safety and “anti-fraud” areas of the budget.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Crist said. “I’m going to get briefed again. I do on almost on an hourly basis now.”

The Senate approved Gov. Charlie Crist’s $10 million “economic gardening” proposal by a 27-11 vote despite bipartisan objections to the plan and complaints that the money would be better spent on education or health care.
Dale Brill, head of Crist’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, worked closely with a potential vendor, Steve Quello, to develop the plan, which includes a $1.5 million contract for “technical services” which Quello has expressed an interest in bidding on.
Brill and Quello were refining the legislative proposal until the night before the special session opened last week, according to documents obtained by The Palm Beach Post.
“Certainly it is the perception among many of our constituents that this reeks of some sort of insider dealing, the kind of thing that could give politics a bad name,” said Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, who voted against the bill.
“We would never put anything in a piece of legislation that would direct it to one entity,” said Senate Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committee Chairman Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, the bill’s sponsor. “We wanted to make certain that anyone who is awarded has to come under the same bidding process as any vendor would that is asking for contracts with the state.”
The House will vote on the bill later today.
The timing for the program is wrong and it does not include enough money to create enough jobs to make a difference, argued Sen. Evelyn Lynn, an Ormond Beach Republican.
“This is not the time to find $10 million to put into the budget for something that has not been there already. We are looking at the essentials, how we stay alive… The right thing to do but the wrong time to do it,” said Lynn, chairwoman of the Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee.

Realtor Nancy Cardone this week opened a 2010 campaign for the northern Palm Beach County state House District 83 seat currently held by term-limited Rep. Carl Domino, R-Jupiter.
Cardone, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in a 2002 GOP primary, is the first entrant in what could be a crowded field. Other Republicans to watch include former state Rep. Sharon Merchant and Palm Beach Shores Town Commissioner John Workman.
District 83 leans Republican, but Democrat Bryan Miller made a well-financed bid for the seat last year and Dems vow to make another strong push for the seat in 2010.

Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson told his caucus to use their conscience when voting on Gov. Charlie Crist’s $10 million “economic gardening” business loan program this morning.
“There’s a lot of things in this plan that aren’t clean. It smells. And it’s beginning to smell louder across the state of Florida,” Lawson, D-Tallahassee, warned the caucus this morning before heading to the Senate floor to vote on that package and the budget.
Crist’s proposal includes a $1.5 million contract for technical services for $8.5 million in loans which would go to about 35 businesses. A potential vendor for the contract helped Crist’s office craft the legislation.
“This is the kind of stuff that you have to be very careful with. It’s really not economic stimulus. This is to line the pockets of some people that have been involved. These people have gone back and forth in e-mails… This is the kind of stuff that comes back to haunt us,” Lawson cautioned.
Dale Brill, the head of Crist’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, worked closely with Steve Quello, a consultant and president of CEO Nexus, a for-profit business based in Winter Park. Quello has said he is interested in bidding on the contract.
Brill said Quello should not be excluded from bidding because of his expertise and because the process will be open and fair.
Two GOP senators, including budget chief J.D. Alexander, disagreed, saying the e-mails gave the wrong impression.
Several Democratic senators who previously voted for the package said this morning they now oppose it.

Mark Buzek/Palm Beach Post
Mary McCarty e-mailed this public apology to The Palm Beach Post this afternoon after resigning as a Palm Beach County commissioner on Thursday. She has been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with public services fraud.

Gov. Charlie Crist just sent this letter to Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, and House Speaker Ray Sansom, R-Destin, asking for more time to put together his budget proposal for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
His proposal is due Feb. 2, but Crist wants an extension until Feb. 20. Crist says the extra time will let his staff account for $2.3 billion in budget changes lawmakers are expected to approve tomorrow to end special session.
The delay could mean Crist’s team will have to come up with more cuts — the state’s revenue projections seem to drop by the day. And what about the House and Senate staffs?
Theoretically, they build their budget off the governor’s proposal. Although, by the looks of the last couple budget go-rounds, legislative budget writers might be using it for something else.
To steal one of Crist’s favorite phrases: stay tuned…

Carrie P. Meek, left, listens as her son, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek stands in front of his Miami home and announces that he will run for the U.S. Senate in 2010. (AP Photo)
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, this morning formally announced his campaign to replace U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez in 2010. He is the only major candidate on either side of the aisle to have entered the race.
Here’s some background on Meek and the text of his announcement. And here’s the Associated Press report.
Meek caught up with us this afternoon by phone for a brief interview in which he talked about why he wants to run, what he learned from Barack Obama’s campaign and whether a South Florida politician can still win a statewide race in Florida (all of the Florida’s current statewide office holders — Crist, Martinez, Nelson, Sink, McCollum and Bronson — are from Central Florida).
Listen here:

To see some pictures his campaign sent along, continue reading

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Here’s the reaction from House Pre-K Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Anitere Flores, R-Miami, following Gov. Charlie Crist suggestion that he’d veto the cut to teacher bonuses:

“We recognize that the Dale Hickam Excellent Teaching Program is very important to Gov. Crist and it is also very important to the members of the Florida House. We respect his constitutional authority to review the budget and we look forward to working with him on finding ways to continue rewarding our best teachers in this challenging budget environment.

“In making budget reductions, we worked hard to minimize the impact on this program. While both chambers would have preferred to minimize the impact to the program, we agreed to maintain the core mission of the program and provide teachers with a bonus equal to 8 percent, down from 10 percent, of the average teachers’ salary statewide. This is an excellent program that rewards our teachers directly for expanding their classroom skills and training.

“Facing a $2.3 billion shortfall, there were no easy funding decisions. The House has a long history of fighting to reward excellence in the classrooms- both for students and teachers. We know that we will have to tackle this, and other issues, in regular session and we look forward to the governor’s offering his suggestions.”

Gov. Charlie Crist reasserted his request for a new list of nominees to fill an appeals court vacancy, possibly reigniting a fight over whether Crist is overstepping his authority over a separate branch of government.
Crist last month rejected a list of six judges to fill the vacancy, saying he wanted a black candidate for the post. He earlier tossed a list of judges to fill another appellate vacancy because it lacked Hispanic candidates.
The nominating panel, headed by James Fallace of Melbourne, refused to comply with Crist’s request and sent back the original list.
“I am disappointed by your response,” Crist wrote Fallace today.
The 60-day window for Crist to name a replacement after receiving the list has passed, Crist noted, instructing Fallace to “reconsider your position and take into consideration the State’s interest in fostering diversity in our courts.”
A group of lawyers complained to lawyer Robert Hackleman, chair of the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission, that Crist had inserted politics into the process.
Crist today named Tallahassee judge Nikki Ann Clark to the 1st District Court of Appeals.
Clark, who is black, fills the vacancy created by Crist’s appointment of appellate judge Ricky Polston to the Florida Supreme Court. She’s served on the bench for 15 years and was the late Gov. Lawton Chiles’ head of cabinet affairs.

Gov. Charlie Crist hinted today that he will veto about $8 million in cuts to teacher bonuses included in the budget lawmakers are expected to pass tomorrow.
“I’m looking at it. I’m looking at it,” Crist said this afternoon.
Crist said he spent last night poring over the budget line by line.
Teachers with special certification can get an extra 10 percent of the average teacher salary under the bonus program.
“Hopefully I’ll get it tomorrow and have an opportunity to see what we might be able to do to bring a little more hope to our teachers,” he said.

William Ayers, Sarah Palin’s alleged unrepentant terrorist, took a break from palling around with Barack Obama on Monday to visit with about 900 Florida State University students.
Ayers, who became a potent image in the 2008 presidential election, was greeted at Oglesby Union by a group of protesters, including Richard Benson, a student government senator dressed as Timothy McVeigh, and this guy who insisted he was Osama bin Laden.
Ayers spent most of his 20-minute speech encouraging students to become politically active and then opened the event up for questions, during which he defended his Weather Underground group as an attempt to “resist what we thought was an impending repression, American fascism.”
He also proclaimed himself “as real as they get” and asked why Republican Sen. John McCain didn’t have to face similar questions about bombings.
Listen to some of the more confrontational questions here:

State Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, received a pat on the back from the Palm Beach Post editorial board this morning for his bill to expand where and when early voting can take place. The bill (SB 472) would include community colleges in the list of sites and require weekend voting sites to be open between eight and 12 hours.
From the editorial:

Sen. Aronberg offers a good compromise on the timing but could reach farther to challenge election officials to come up with more easily accessible places for people to vote. Elections officials may argue that it would be too much work at a busy time, but for voters it would be less work. And the priority isn’t to make life easier for elections supervisors. The priority is to make voting easier for Floridians.

The Palm Beach Post editorial board says this morning the $700 million lawmakers plan to take from the Lawton Chiles Endowment is “replacing a promise of health care for Florida’s children and elderly with a shaky IOU.”

Gov. Crist and legislative leaders have made much of the fact that, during the current special session on the budget, they have kept their promise not to raise taxes. But at some point, whether the Obama administration comes through with a stimulus or not, Florida’s political leaders must understand that their blind no-taxes promise is less important than keeping promises to give Floridians adequate health care and education

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, above center, is expected to announce he will enter the race for U.S. Senate tomorrow morning at a press conference in front of his Miami home.
The Miami Democrat, a four-term congressman, would be the first major candidate to enter the race. His supporters have been talking up his credentials — like his work on the state’s class size amendment — since U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, an Orlando Republican, announced he would not seek re-election in 2010.
Meek replaced his mother, Carrie, in Congress in 2003. He previously served eight years in the state House and Senate after winning his first election at the age of 27. He currently sits on the House Ways & Means Committee.
A successful campaign for Meek would make him the fifth Miamian of the past eight senators to hold the seat.

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Bud Chiles III threatened to sue the state after Gov. Charlie Crist proposed propping up the state budget with $600 million from a trust fund named after Chiles’ father and namesake.
Republican leaders in the Florida House and Senate responded Sunday by inking a deal to pull $700 million from the fund, draining the $1 billion endowment to help account for a $2.3 billion shortfall in taxes.
“We’ve made the decision – we’re lawyered up,” Childes said Sunday after House and Senate leaders negotiated a plan to make up for the second year of Florida budget shortfalls. A formal vote on the budget is expected Wednesday.
Chiles blasted lawmakers for a “lack of courage” for not debating a repeal of sales tax exemptions or reversing tax cuts implemented under former Gov. Jeb Bush.
If the legislature approved the plan Wednesday as expected, it would be the second time in eight months that lawmakers depended on the fund to make up for slumping sales and real estate taxes.
In the spring, lawmakers used $300 million from the fund after Gov. Charlie Crist asked Rhea Chiles, the late governor’s widow, for permission to borrow up to $1 billion. She has since showed signs of remorse for that decision.

The House approved its budget proposal, 73-40, along party lines. The move sets up a conference with the Senate, which proposed about $23 million less in general revenue cuts.
State Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton: “The House is working hard to meet our constitutional obligation and craft a responsibly balanced state budget just like Florida’s families and businesses must do. I am disappointed that during the first week of Special Session, all we have heard coming from our Democrat colleagues is the same old refrain of raising taxes on Florida’s families and businesses.
Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton, said Republican leaders “took the easy way out” by forcing the budget cuts on the “vulnerable and frail.”
“Where is the vision? Where is the plan for the future?” said Skidmore, the top Democrat on the General Government & Health Care Appropriations Council.

State Rep. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, this afternoon threw some cold water on an often repeated from Republicans that the budget cuts being weighed today are the result of their excruciating work to balance priorities for the state.

“We don’t have a difficult job I just came out of a wonderful members’ lounge, had a great lunch. I sit in a comfortable chair. We don’t have a difficult job. Our constituents have difficult job. … Our job is … to help them make their jobs a little easier.”

Listen to Sach’s floor speech here.