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After being closed to the press for two years under then-House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, current Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, re-opened the pre-session meeting among Republican and Democrat leaders.

At the meeting, leaders discuss the agenda of the session, including which bills will be discussed and for how long. Today, House lawmakers will spend most of their time welcoming member of the Florida Gator football team and a corporate tax glitch bill that the Senate approved earlier this week

.Veteran Florida Republican operative Mac Stipanovich always has an intriguing view on state politics. On Tuesday for Gov. Charlie Crist’s State of the State speech, he had a unique seat to go along with it.

This year I watched the State of the State speech on public television in a bar filled with smoke and noisy people who were apparently indifferent to the state of the state. As a result, the experience was a bit like watching a foreign movie with the sound off – just picture and subtitles. This was good news and bad news for the Governor.

To read the rest of his post — along with reactions to the speech from President Obama’s Florida campaign director Steve Schale, former House Democratic communications director Christian Ulvert and Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists President Carl Adams — go to The Forum

The review of state sales tax exemptions in the House Finance & Tax Council is quickly becoming a game of political gotcha in the House.

In a press release from House Majority Leader Adam Hasner’s office, the Boca Raton Republican attempts to rip House Democrats — including fellow South County lawmaker Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, who isn’t even on the council — for exaggerating the benefits of repealing some sales tax exemptions. From the release:

After years of telling Floridians that the best way to balance the budget was to repeal “special interest” tax exemptions, House Democrats – at last given the opportunity they have long been calling for – only recommended $388.9 million in sales tax exemptions to discuss for repeal. While that is a lot of money, even if all of them were repealed, it is nowhere close to meeting the expected $6 billion budget shortfall facing Florida state government this year. In fact, House Democrats are still $5.6 billion short.

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Nan Rich was designated the leader of the Senate Democratic caucus this morning, becoming the first woman to be tapped to the post by her peers. She’ll succeed Democratic Leader Al Lawson in 2010.

Rich, who lives in Weston, is known as a tenacious fighter for the poor, seniors and children, and especially for sick individuals who can’t afford to pay for health care.

Several Senate colleagues referred to Rich as “intense.”

Lawson reflected about what it was like to be caught in the middle of Rich and Sen. Arthenia Joyner, also known for her bulldog-like persistence on certain issues.

“A piece of fresh meat between bloodhounds,” Lawson, D-Tallahassee, joked.

Renewing his campaign to protect secret ballots in union votes, House Republican Leader Adam Hasner of Boca Raton today accused his Democratic counterparts of hypocrisy on the issue.

Democrats largely oppose the change, but Hasner points out the House Democratic caucus on Tuesday held a secret ballot election to pick their leader for 2010-11.

“House Democrats picked their leader in the workplace by secret ballot; now let’s see if House Democrats will allow Floridians in every workplace the same secret ballot right,” Hasner said in a press release from the Republican Party of Florida today.

“Otherwise, House Democrats will once again be saying through their actions: do as we say, not as we do.”

Craig Fugate, Florida’s heralded head of emergency operations, will take over as the head of FEMA.

Fugate spent the last eight years as the state’s chief emergency manager and shepherded the preparation and response to the eight major storms in 2004 and 2005 as well as the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Fugate began his nearly three decades in emergency services as a voluntary fireman.

Florida’s share of the nearly $1 trillion federal stimulus plan is up to $13.4 billion, according to Gov. Charlie Crist’s staff.

That’s an increase of $1.2 billion, and likely to continue to grow as agencies and local governments compete for extra money in the economic stimulus package.

Florida received an extra $1.3 billion for unemployment and an additional $880 million for food stamps, Crist’s staff reported at a meeting of his federal stimulus panel this morning. Food stamp recipients will get an extra $29 added to their monthly $217 beginning April 1, Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon said.

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Palm Beach County Commissioner Addie Greene discussed her possible resignation with Gov. Charlie Crist this morning and says she will announce her plans by the end of this week.

Greene, who said she is considering stepping down because of health concerns, described her 10- to 15-minute meeting with Crist in Tallahassee as “wonderful.”

Crist would name a replacement if Greene steps down. Greene, a Democrat and the only black county commissioner, wants the Republican governor to name a black Democrat to fill the seat if she leaves. State Rep. Priscilla Taylor, D-West Palm Beach, said Greene has talked to her about the possibility stepping down and having Taylor replace her on the commission.

Taylor said she probably would apply for the vacancy if Greene resigns, but stressed that the decision would be up to Crist.

If she resigns, Greene is entitled to a lump-sum retirement payment of more than $300,000 and an annual pension of more than $53,000, according to state retirement administrators. Greene, 66, has been part of the state retirement system more than 37 years. She was a teacher and state House member before getting elected to the commission in 2000.

Sen. Ted Deutch will be “deeply involved” in the Senate’s involvement in forging a deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida regarding gambling at its casino resorts.

The Boca Raton Democrat serves as vice-chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee, which has heard appeals from both the Seminoles and the pari-mutuel industry, whose operators claim that approving Gov. Charlie Crist’s agreement with the tribe would put them out of business.

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Gov. Charlie Crist is pushing lawmakers to embrace the federal stimulus plan, but CFO Alex Sink said this morning that Florida could be losing billions by not aggressively applying for federal grants.

Sink put some of the blame at the doorstep of the governor’s office in Washington D.C., which she said was created in part to help coordinate the grant process.

“We’re not sure what they’re doing,” Sink said.

Read Sink’s report here.

If Palm Beach County Commissioner Addie Greene decides to resign for health reasons, knowledgeable sources say she wants assurances that Gov. Charlie Crist will choose state Rep. Priscilla Taylor, D-West Palm Beach, or another black Democrat to fill her seat in heavily Democratic, minority-dominated District 7.

The Palm Beach Post‘s editorial board this morning says Crist shouldn’t allow Greene to “anoint” her successor.

The Palm Beach Post editorial board this morning weighs in on a proposed change (HB 1, SB 344) to let police write a ticket if a passenger is not wearing a seat belt:

State Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, in 2007 and 2008 used a key committee chairmanship to block a primary seat-belt law, on the grounds that it would violate individual liberty. This year, Sen. Baker is sponsoring a bill that would ban text-messaging while driving. Is the freedom to text less important than the freedom to drive belt-free?

In addition to less bloodshed and lower medical and insurance costs, Florida would get another benefit from enacting House Bill 1. The federal government would provide $35.5 million for traffic-safety programs. It wouldn’t be part of the economic stimulus, but any safety stimulus would be good for Florida.

Read our story about the speech here and go to The Forum to see what the state’s top political strategists thought about Crist’s address.

Gov. Charlie Crist’s upbeat state-of-the state speech highlighted his budget recommendations and pushed lawmakers to approve three deals _ the CSX/Central Florida commuter rail, the Seminole gambling compact and the U.S. Sugar purchase _ that would cost the state more than $3 billion.

He encouraged Floridians and elected officials to “lift from our shoulders fear and pessimism and take up the mantle of persistence and determination” and pushed lawmakers to be more bipartisan.

“We should not ask what it means to be Republican nor should we ask what it means to be Democratic but rather we should ask what it means to be a good decent human being,” he advised.

But both Republicans and Democrats reacted to Crist’s speech with considerable skepticism.

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Read along here.

The Florida Senate passed a resolution recognizing Palm Beach County’s centennial, but the fanfare of the county’s previous legislative days is no longer.

In better economic times, the county’s legislative days featured swank cocktail parties and plenty of swag, including loads of Mardi Gras-style beads with a commemorative medallion marking the year and flashing plastic ice cubes emblazoned with the county logo.

Not any more.

“Instead of receptions we’ve had meetings and instead of beads we’ve had nothing,” said Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, introducing some hometown celebs (PBC Commissioner Jeff Koons and Lantana Town Manager Mike Bornstein, who also chairs the county centennial committee) in the gallery.

This year’s no-frills Palm Beach County Day fete is limited to food and drink served on the Capitol courtyard tomorrow at 5:30.

House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, told reporters today that he would entertain debate on a temporary sales tax increase.

“One of the graet things about being part of this process is there are always ideas,” Cretul said. “Those ideas do need to be vetted out.”

That comment, however, came just minutes after Cretul spoke about the dire state of Florida’s taxpayers, who he said are “struggling to meet their obligations.”

“With the sacrifices that are made at home with the families and the businesses, you know, government will probably have to do the same,” Cretuls said.

Weston Democrat Nan Rich will be designated the first female leader of the Senate Democratic caucus tomorrow.

Rich will take over the (now) 14-member caucus after Minority Leader Al Lawson steps down in two years.

Rich isn’t the first Democratic lady powerhouse.
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And don’t forget to click here and check out The Forum today and see recommendations for Crist’s speech from top Tallahassee lobbyist Brian Ballard, President Obama’s Florida campaign director Steve Schale, former RPOF director David Johnson and others.

UPDATE: You can check out the governor’s speech here at Channel 20′s site or here on WFSU’s simulcast. You’ll need to download RealPlayer software to watch it if you don’t have that already.

Also, Dara Kam will be using Twitter throughout tonight’s speech, so you can follow along with her here.

Read a copy of Atwater’s speech here or listen here.

Senate President Jeff Atwater’s opening day speech was NOT written by political consultant Randy Nielsen, said an Atwater advisor.

A copy of the speech distributed to the media bore the author “Public Concepts,” Nielsen’s consulting firm based out of Palm Beach County.

But Rick Wilson, a GOP political consultant who played a major role in Atwater’s reelection campaign, said Atwater wrote most of the speech himself with a few suggestions from Wilson.

“Jeff gave me a draft. I did my wordsmithing on it and Jeff polished and worked it up into a pretty good speech I thought,” Wilson reluctantly conceded to quell rumors about Nielsen’s involvement.

The Republican Party of Florida paid $1,300 for the 40 sextants that Senate President Jeff Atwater gave out this morning to help his members navigate troubled economic waters.

That’s just $32.50 per sextant, including the wooden case with engraved nameplate and the following quote from Carl Schurz read by Atwater during his opening session speech.

“Ideals are like stars: you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the ocean desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you reach your destiny.”

Hopefully, senators won’t rely on the sextants to figure out how to create jobs in Florida, where unemployment in some regions is in the double-digits.

The sextants were made in India.