With his wife managing a California gubernatorial campaign, House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton, decides to sit out the 2010 election season.

Hasner, 39, had been mentioned as a potential candidate for a variety of seats — including Congress, state Senate, attorney general and chief financial officer.

Read about it here.

Gov. Charlie Crist will likely announce plans to run for U.S. Senate on Tuesday morning in with “low key” statement and avoid a press conference, Republican Party of Florida officials said.

“I think Charlie Crist will be Florida’s next U.S. Senator,” RPOF Chairman Jim Greer said.

Crist would be the first Florida governor to decline the opportunity to run for a second term since voters gave the state’s chief executive that opportunity in 1968.

The only other major Republican in the race is former House Speaker Marco Rubio, who announced his plans last week. Democratic candidates include state Sen. Dan Gelber, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek and North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns.

Crist ran for the same Senate seat in 1998, losing to popular Democratic incumbent Bob Graham in a race that gave Crist statewide name recognition and a grassroots network. That helped him win the education commissioner’s race in 2000 and the attorney general seat in 2002 before beating Democrat Jim Davis in 2006 to take his current position.

The state budget was in a $6 billion hole this year, and legislators for the first time in years are turning to a new source of income: you. On Friday, they passed the budget and wrapped up another session. Here are some of the ways what they did will affect your bottom line:

$1-a-pack increase in cigarette taxes, up to $1.34 a pack.

Bright Futures cut: The scholarship will no longer offer a free ride. Students will pay for tuition increases starting in the fall, which will be at least 8 percent, some schools as high as 15 percent.

School boards allowed to raise property tax rates by 25 cents for every $1,000 of assessed value to help pay for operations. The owner of a $300,000 house would pay $75 more. After two school years, voters must approve the increase.

Court fees:

Filing a civil action (except family law): From $295 to $395.

Filing a probate case: Will increase but vary.

Fees on driving, tags:

Original driver license:From $27 to $48.

Renewal of license:From $20 to $48.

New license plate:From $12 to $28 (but it will last 10 years instead of six).

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Dominoes. Chess pieces. Musical chairs. A multi-vehicle pileup on the interstate.

Whatever metaphor you prefer, Florida’s 2010 election season could send a horde of politicians in motion from the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee to town halls and village council chambers around the state.

Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to announce soon whether he’s running for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican Mel Martinez. If Crist makes the leap, many political handicappers expect Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum to launch campaigns for governor.

That, in turn, could lead several state legislators to give up their seats to pursue Sink’s and McCollum’s jobs. Then local politicians would have a chance to pursue those newly opened legislative positions.

“It’s the largest game of musical chairs in the history of Florida,” says Palm Beach County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Alan Siegel.

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Sen. Ken Pruitt will resign effective August 4.

Pruitt, who has served in the legislature for nearly two decades, told his Senate President successor Jeff Atwater today that he is retiring from politics, Atwater said.

The Port St. Lucie Republican’s decision came as a surprise, said Atwater, who called his friend and colleague “a class act.”

“This man completely was the centerpiece of the Florida senate for virtually the past decade,” said Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, whose senate district abuts Pruitt’s.

Pruitt served as budget chief and rules chairman before becoming Senate President in 2006. He was elected to the Senate in 2000 after serving a decade in the House.

Pruitt delivered his resignation in a private meeting with Gov. Charlie Crist earlier in the day.

“He’s retiring from politics to go home and be with his bride, God bless him. What a wonderful man and a tremendous career in public service,” Crist said.

Crist and Pruitt became strong allies since Crist took office two years ago, sharing the stage on issues such as property taxes and Bright Futures, Pruitt’s brainchild.

“I can’t say enough good things about President Pruitt. Just a wonderful, wonderful friend and a great man,” Crist said.

Atwater said Pruitt told him of his intention to resign over the telephone after the sine die ceremony marking the end of the legislative session.

“That’s the kind of class act that he is,” Atwater said.

Atwater said he asked Pruitt, 52, why he hadn’t said something at lunch so the other senators could say farewell and Pruitt told him: “This was not my day. This was the senate’s day. This was the people of Florida’s day.”

Much of political Florida expects Gov. Charlie Crist to announce soon that he’s running for U.S. Senate.

Not Palm Beach County GOP Chairman Sid Dinerstein.

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After considering making a political maneuver on the bills, Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the cigarette tax hike, 85-30, and the gambling bill, 82-35.

Democrats who opposed the cigarette tax bill were Leonard Bembry of Greenville, Debbie Boyd of Newberry, James Bush and Luis Garcia of Miami and Kevin Rader of Delray Beach. Republicans Brad Drake, Ed Homan, Paige Kreegel, Bryan Nelson and Baxter Troutman did not vote.

On the gambling bill, Democrats opposing the bill were Boyd, Bembry and Bush. Republicans Will Weatherford, Ed Homan and Doug Holder did not vote.

Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West, said he abandoned a strategy on the gambling bill out of respect for Rep. Bill Galvano.

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The Senate approved a gambling bill giving the Seminoles the ability to continue to hold blackjack and other banked card games at their Broward and Hillsborough county facilities in exchange for a guaranteed $150 million a year for education.

The bill (SB 788) also opens the door for more slot machines at parimutuels outside of Broward and Miami-Dade counties where they are already allowed. Voters would have to sign off before that could happen.

The Palm Beach Kennel Club could also use its jai alai permit to open a card room or another dog track under the legislation, which the House is expected to pass and Gov. Charlie Crist has said he will sign into law.

Why the special treatment for the Kennel Club, bill sponsor Sen. Dennis Jones was asked.

The Rooney clan who own the club wants to open another facility north of the West Palm Beach locale. But it’s also for the dogs, Jones said.

“The feeling is that the owners would basically like to convert that…and have a facility in the north county and the south county,” Jones, R-Seminole, said.
“It’s to basically utilize the dogs more so the breeders have more activities…and at the same time a biz decision for the owners of those two permits.”

The Senate approved the measure by a 31-9 vote.

Here’s a running list of quotes today as state lawmakers prepare to vote on a $66.5 billion budget:

“We sent a budget over there with the name of Mary and they sent it back to us with the name of Jezebel.” — Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, on the House vs. Senate budget proposals.

“This is an absolutely miraculous budget that we put together.” — Sen. Steve Oelrich, R-Cross Creek.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall: Who raised fees on us all?” — Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West.

“This is a tread water budget we have from our last cut.” — Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, on higher-ed spending.

“We used to try and come up with ideas to give away money. ‘Let’s send a check for $50 to every Floridian. No, let’s send $75 to every Floridian.’ I remember those days. Unfortunately, those days are gone.” –House budget co-chairman David Rivera, R-Miami.

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Sen. Jim King had barely caught his breath after lambasting Democrats for threatening to vote against the budget before he launched into a diatribe about Hialeah Race Park getting special treatment in the gambling bill.

The bill, approved by the Senate by a 31-9 vote, will allow the quarter horse track, built in 1925 and a historical landmark, to reopen and eventually have thoroughbred racing and slot machines.

“Here you have an entity that was all but gone, dead and buried, just basically a permit,” complained King, R-Jacksonville. “Not only are they in the mix they are also in the opportunity to run races.”

King took a swipe at Miami-Dade County lawmakers who lobbied diligently to get the special provision for Hialeah.

“I’ve never seen some of them work so hard…but that doesn’t make it right for those of us who’ve been here and who have seen what have happened,” King said. He voted for the bill (SB 788).

Half of the Senate Democratic caucus, including Leader Al Lawson, retreated from their threat to vote against the budget after being excoriated by a livid Sen. Jim King.

King threatened the D’s with payback if they carried the “no” votes out after Senate President Jeff Atwater went out of his way to accommodate them in budget and other issues.

“Why would this president or any other presiding officer in the future ever want to include you at all? What does he get for it?” King, a former Senate President, demanded.

King likened a “no” vote to taking “a wooden stake and drive it through the heart of a presiding officer who tried to be so inclusive.”

“If what he gets for that is everybody’s negative vote who’s a Democrat, then shame on you…I would hope that with the vote coming up we don’t so hopelessly set us back that we’ll never be able to recover,” King, R-Jacksonville, went on.

“This goes further than that and it has implications beyond what we just talked about here,” he threatened.

Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, cast the sole GOP vote against the $66.5 billion budget in the 32-8 vote.

Florida’s CFO Alex Sink, the only Democrat on the state’s elected Cabinet, will bring her message of cutting government waste to the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches luncheon on Monday.

Sink also touted her work to protect taxpayers dollars in Tampa Bay this week, a trip that cost taxpayers $2,400, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, is presenting the cigarette tax hike Friday in the state House, but might vote against it.

She’s still not sure.

Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, convinced Senate Republicans to put new gambing money into savings. But he might not vote for the bill that would allow blackjack in Seminole casinos.

He’s undecided.

“I’m not entirely sure,” he said. “I’m going to have to wait and see. I’ve got mixed emotions. … I’m going to do what I hope all members do and make the best judgment at the time that gets the best work done for the people of Florida.”

These aren’t ideas that lawmakers are tossing around in workshops. These are the two issues that forced Republican leaders to extend session an extra week at a reported cost to taxpayers of $50,000 per day.

So what’s got Cannon and Bogdanoff unwilling to commit? Mostly, its that they’re not sure what Democrats are going to do Friday, when the bills are scheduled for a final votes.

“I can’t speculate about what they think is appropriate,” Cannon said. “I have a lot of respect for Leader Sands, for folks like Rep. Fitzgerald and others. I have confidence that they have to do what they think is best and we have to do what we think is best.”

But what if Democrats think its best to leverage their votes for something else? (Although its not exactly clear what that something could be at the 11th hour with most of their bills already dead.)

“I’m just not worried about it,” Cannon said. “Look, I have a lot of confidence that in the end, its our job to pass the budget. I think we’ll do that and I think we’ll get it done.”

Sounds like an interesting day in store for the House…

Ellyn Bogdanoff?

The once adamant opponent to the tax hike [Sun-Sentinel: "Bogadanoff on cigarette tax: no way"] is now carrying the bill in the House. Bogdanoff, the House Finance & Tax Council chairwoman, said she’s being a team player, but she still might vote against the bill tomorrow.

One of the reasons the Fort Lauderdale Republican could be hesitating: Republicans don’t want to rely on Democratic votes to pass anything tomorrow.

In some Q-&-A about the bill on the House floor today, Bogdanoff repeatedly referred to the
$1-per-pack hike as a “surcharge” so often, some Democrats are wondering whether she’s going to change the name of her committee to the “Finance & Surcharge Council.”

UPDATE: We were provided the wrong letter earlier. This post was updated to include the correct letter and correct names.

More fallout from the prescription drug bill:

Speaker Designate Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park was among 13 Republican leaders who sent this letter Gov. Charlie Crist today asking him to veto a bill to create a prescription drug database. The letter is in reaction to a story about a similar database getting hacked in Virginia and held for ransom.

It’s probably worth pointing out 10 of the 13 were the only “no” votes against the bill in either chamber. The three other Republicans – Adam Hasner of Boca Raton, Anitere Flores of Miami and Dean Cannon of Winter Park – did not vote when the bill was debated in the chamber.

Meanwhile, Rep. Carl Domino, R-Jupiter, sent this e-mail to Florida drug czar Bill Janes asking him to join in the call for a veto.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Marcello Llorente, a Miami Republican who told Post on Politics that Crist should still sign the measure into law:

“There are numerous safeguards in the legislation to ensure the protection of personal information. I am confident the Task Force created in the bill will yield recommendations that uphold the highest level of security for personal information contained within the database. The tragic deaths of almost ten Floridians a day must stop. I urge the Governor to sign this bill expeditiously in an effort to end the practice of doctor shopping and help ensure that pill mills enabling the senseless loss of life are put out of business.”

Sen. J.D. Alexander and Rep. David Rivera — two of the state’s more important budget writers and both Republicans – were chatting last month in a Capitol hallway when Ron Saunders strolled up.

Saunders, one of the top Democrats in the House, suggested that the minority party’s votes might be needed on some budget issues.

House budget chief David Rivera, R-Miami, shot back: “We would never do anything that would require votes from you guys.”

But one of the final votes of a legislative session scheduled to end in overtime on Friday will be whether to allow new games at Seminole casinos so the state can collect hundreds of millions of dollars to protect its depleted budget.

And Republicans might need some help to do it.

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Despite the “good riddance” reaction of many GOP leaders to the defection of Pennsylvania Sen. and former Warren Commission single-bullet theorist Arlen Specter, Politico calls the party’s crop of 2010 Senate recruits “Specter-like” and says it includes “some of the party’s best known RINOs” — that’s short for “Republicans In Name Only.”

Politico‘s Exhibit A: Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, expected to announce soon whether he’s running for the Senate seat of retiring Sen. Mel Martinez. A picture of Crist is featured with the online story.

Seminoles could have blackjack and other banked card games in Broward and Hillsborough counties but only slot machines at their remaining three facilities and leaves the door open for full-fledged slots in Palm Beach County.

House and Senate gambling negotiators struck a deal late this evening as Gov. Charlie Crist and some tribal members looked on, finishing in time for lawmakers to take a full vote on the gambling package before the Senate is scheduled to end on Friday.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Crist said. “This is a victory for the children of Florida and for education.”

Under the final deal, lawmakers could give permission to voters in any county to approve full-fledged slot machines at pari-mutuels that have held live racing for at least two years, like the Palm Beach Kennel Club. But that would require legislation authorizing the referendum.

In exchange for blackjack at four of their seven casinos, the Seminoles would pay at least $150 million per year plus 12 percent of their earnings up to $2.5 billion. The state share could be as high as 25 percent of the tribe’s net win over $4.5 billion.

“We think it’s important to have these resources to help us get through the next year and couple years,” said Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander, who also led the gambling talks.

House chief negotiator Bill Galvano had said earlier that allowing blackjack in Broward alone would “push the House to the brink” and conceded that the final deal allowing blackjack there and in Tampa Bay “was still a heavy lift.”

Lawmakers will revisit the types of gambling allowed in the state in five years.

Earlier in the day, an agreement seemed unlikely when Galvano accused the Senate of moving backwards with a bid this morning that included a broader proposal for Indian card games than previously proposed.

“Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your offer but I will say that it appears the Senate, with all due respect and notwithstanding your brief explanation, is moving backwards. Backwards from where we want to go in an expansion standpoint. Backwards from where the House is heading. And I’ll look at your offer and we will let you know if it’s necessary to meet further,” Galvano, R-Bradenton, said.

Max Osceola is biding his time down the street from the Capitol after gambling negotiations between the House and Senate blew up earlier this morning.

The Seminole Tribal Councilman is in the same limbo as a crush of lobbyists on the other side of a gambling stalemate.

Osceola sat beside Gov. Charlie Crist this morning as talks took a nosedive after the Senate offer broadened gambling opportunities for the Indians. House gambling negotiator Bill Galvano shut down the talks and now it remains up in the air when he and Senate counterpart J.D. Alexander will meet again, if at all.
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A few hours after the House’s chief negotiator accused the Senate of “moving backwards” on a gambling deal and threatened to call off talks, Senate President Jeff Atwater said he thinks the two chambers are “close” to reaching an agreement before the session ends on Friday.

“I’m frankly just so impressed that we’re down to just a couple of items left that I think if I were looking at odds at the moment my odds would be, now that we’re this close, I think we can come up with something that can work,” Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said this afternoon.

Rep. Bill Galvano abruptly walked out this morning after Sen. J.D. Alexander presented his latest offer on a compact with the Seminoles that would allow them to hold blackjack, baccarat and chemin de fer at all of their seven casinos. The Senate’s previous offer had limited all of the card games and only permitted blackjack at all of the casinos.

Atwater, accompanied by Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander who is also handling the gambling deal, said he wasn’t surprised by Rep. Bill Galvano’s reaction, saying that it was the “first pushback” after two days of negotiations.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise that in something this significant that we hit a bump. But hopefully they’ll call us shortly and be ready to sit back down soon,” Atwater said.

Atwater met with the Seminoles early this morning and said he believes the two chambers are “finding some common ground” on their disparate plans. The House wants to limit blackjack to the tribe’s three Broward County resorts, which the Seminoles have rejected.

When asked if it was time for Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul to take over gambling talks, Atwater said “I don’t think so” before Alexander interrupted.

“Please. Please. Please. Fire me,” Alexander, R-Lake Wales, pleaded in jest.