Sink talks with Business Development Board members. Photo by Damon Higgins.

Sink, who is Florida’s chief financial officer, kicked off a two-month “Business Plan for Florida” tour at the Business Development Board headquarters here. (Click here to see a copy of Sink’s plan.)

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Republican lawmakers in the Florida Senate took turns firing shots at the state’s largest teachers union today during a committee hearing over whether the GOP-majority wants to approve a massive expansion of the school voucher program. (They do.)

Finance & Tax Chairman Thad Altman said expanding vouchers would help reduce class sizes, a priority of the Florida Education Association, which opposes vouchers. Sen. Rhonda Storms, R-Valrico, asked FEA lobbyist Lynda Russell to read a Harvard study often cited by voucher advocates “for your education and intellectual expansion.”

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Sarasota, challenged the union’s assertion that parents top priorities were small class sizes, safe schools and less emphasis on the FCAT.

“They don’t want better teachers for their kids?” Bennett said.

The bill’s lone opponent on the committee, Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, tried to reign it all in. “Everyone has had their shot at the teachers union,” he said. “Can we get back to the bill?”

But Storms said that FEA President Andy Ford “can take care of himself.” She used her laptop to pull up a copy a recent speech from Ford, who said the union saved millions for public schools during the 2009 session and “once again fought back the barbarians at the gate.”

“That’s us … We’re the barbarians,” an upset Storms said.

A Times/Herald analysis of IRS records shows Rubio’s spending “belies his image as an outsider riding a wave of anti-establishment fervor and gunning to knock off Gov. Charlie Crist for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.” From the story:

• Rubio failed to disclose $34,000 in expenses — including $7,000 he paid himself — for one of the committees in 2003 and 2004, as required by state law.

• One committee paid relatives nearly $14,000 for what was incorrectly described to the IRS as “courier fees” and listed a nonexistent address for one of them. Another committee paid $5,700 to his wife, who was listed as the treasurer, much of it for “gas and meals.”

• He billed more than $51,000 in unidentified “travel expenses” to three different credit cards — nearly one-quarter of the committee’s entire haul. Charges are not required to be itemized, but other lawmakers detailed almost all of their committee expenses.

“In Washington, President Obama and his administration and some of the friends we have over there like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are more worried about growing government than they are about growing jobs,” McCollum said. Sink, he added, “believes that the public should hold Tallahassee accountable for creating jobs. Jobs shouldn’t created by government, whether it’s the state or federal. Jobs are created by small businesses.”

McCollum also got a standing ovation when he repeated his pledge to use his position as AG to sue the federal government if Congress approves a health care overhaul that includes a requirement for individuals to purchase insurance.

The Florida Democratic Party is running a television ad blasting GOP candidate for governor Bill McCollum.

The TV spot was released the same day the the Republican Governors Association let loose a television campaign slamming Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor.

The FDP ad blames McCollum for costing taxpayers billions of dollars during his two decades in Congress.

The RGA ad roasts Sink for earning millions of dollars as NationsBank’s Florida chief in 1998 while giving pink slips to thousands of bank workers during the financial institution’s buy-out of Barnett Bank.

The Democrats’ ad skewers McCollum for voting for Congressional pay hikes four times, for his $75,000-a-year Congressional pension taxpayers are now footing and for voting five times to increase the national debt that skyrocketed to $4.7 trillion while the Republican was in office.

“Bill McCollum. Just another Washington politician Florida can’t afford,” the 30-second commercial ends.

McCollum’s campaign dismissed the Sink ad in much the same way her campaign responded to the RGA ad earlier today. Both sides accused the other of being “misleading” and “desperate.”

“This is a weak, misleading ad from a candidate and party desperate to salvage a message-less, issue-less campaign that has been roundly derided by even their strongest supporters. Alex Sink needs to stop complaining and start explaining. She eliminated thousands of Florida jobs will taking millions in salary and bonuses. The Republican Governors Association raises serious questions and Alex Sink will have to answer to Florida voters in November,” McCollum campaign Kristy Campbell wrote in a press release.

The Republican Governors Association hammered Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the state’s presumptive Democratic candidate for governor and former banker.

The ad is the RGA’s first TV campaign for the 2010 election season and shows that the Florida governor’s race will be one of the premier gubernatorial battles in the country.

Attorney General Bill McCollum is facing off against long-shot state Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, in a GOP primary.

The ad charges that Sink did away with thousands of jobs while president of Florida’s NationsBank operations while earning $8 million in salary and bonuses, capitalizing on the current animosity toward bankers who took billions of dollars in federal bail-out money, spent much of it on executive bonuses and did little to ease the nation’s credit crunch.

The RGA also launched a new website - alexsinksflorida.com - featuring the video, which ends “Alex Sink. Not one of us. One of them.”

Sink was head of NationsBank in Florida when the financial institution acquired Barnett Bank, in 1998, for $62 billion. The merger resulted in the loss of 6,000 jobs, many of them in Florida, according to the ad.

The gubernatorial campaign fur continues to fly in the battle between Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum, this time over what is a tax “cut” and whether they’re good or bad for businesses.

Sink’s campaign took a swing at McCollum for opposing tax cuts for small businesses to jump-start the economy and create jobs.

In fact, McCollum told reporters yesterday that he didn’t think targeted tax credits or incentives work out so great in the long term.

Here’s what McCollum said after a speech to the National Federation of Independent Business.

“Targeted tax credits, in my experience in Washington, were minimally effective. They can be in the short run but they’re not in the long run very effective,” the former Congressman said.

After the two campaigns traded insults on other matters throughout the day, Sink’s campaign blasted McCollum for being against tax cuts.

“Career politician Bill McCollum says tax cuts don’t work, but he’s just plain wrong- wrong for small businesses, wrong for our economy, and wrong for everyday Floridians. The choice in this election just got a little clearer- a career politician who cites his decades in Congress as a reason to oppose tax cuts versus a businesswoman who knows what it’s going to take to get our economy back on track,” reads a press release issued by Sink’s campaign spokeswoman Conchita Cruz.

Hang on.

McCollum spoke about tax credits or tax incentives. Are they the same as tax cuts?

“He said tax credits and tax credits are tax cuts,” Sink said in an e-mail from Cruz.

This from McCollum’s campaign spokeswoman Kristy Campbell.

“It is laughable that Alex Sink, who has made thousands in personal campaign contributions to liberal tax-and-spend Democrats, would try to assert she is a fiscal conservative. Following more political stunts from her official office at taxpayer expense, Alex Sink has resorted to ridiculous attempts to obfuscate the facts.

“Bill McCollum has a bullet-proof record of fighting to cut taxes across the board for families and businesses that speaks for itself,” Campbell said in a press release.

It didn’t take long for Attorney General Bill McCollum’s campaign to slap Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink’s proposal to save $10 million a year by leaving her agency’s middle management positions unfilled after workers retire or leave the state.

The GOP candidate for governor’s campaign called Sink’s announcement a political publicity stunt by her official state office.

“On the heels of a failed publicity stunt calling for Florida’s first Paperclip Czar, it is clear that Alex Sink is running her political campaign out of the Department of Financial Services at the taxpayers’ expense.

“If Alex Sink is serious about streamlining government, maybe she should begin by cutting back on the bloated political and public relations operation being funded by the tax dollars of hardworking Floridians – one that she disingenuously worked to expand in anticipation of her campaign,” McCollum’s campaign said in a press release issued shortly after Sink’s announcement.

McCollum’s campaign lashed out at Sink for proposing to save the state more than $200,000 by cutting back on office supplies. But McCollum’s own director of administration last week proposed doing exactly the same thing to save taxpayers at least $250,000 by reducing office supply spending, including reusing paper clips.

Sink’s campaign shot back with the following:

“Attorney General Bill McCollum’s office has been criticized for playing politics through his official office numerous times, most notably by granting a $1.4 million dollar no-bid contract to his political consultant that produced a thinly veiled campaign ad with taxpayer dollars.”

McCollum hired his former political consultant last year to produce television ads featuring the attorney general warning parents about cyber predators.

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Democratic gubernatorial candidate says she’s going to shrink state government and save taxpayers up to $10 million a year by trimming middle management in her agency.

State workers don’t have to worry about layoffs, though - the former banker she’s going to leave middle management positions empty when current employees retire or resign. It will take up to 18 months to achieve the savings, long after Sink’s time as CFO has ended.

Sink’s announcement today is a continuation of her emphasis on bringing a business-like approach to government.

She recently caught fire from her GOP Cabinet colleague Attorney General Bill McCollum’s campaign for governor for promoting cost savings by cutting back on office supplies, including paper clips.

But McCollum’s own director of administration last week testified before a Senate committee that his office could save $238,000 a year by skimping on office supplies and reusing paper clips.

Sink set a goal of one supervisor for every seven workers, cutting back from a current ratio of one to five in her agency. She says taxpayers could save about $300 million a year if all state agencies did the same.

Many state agencies are already doing what Sink proposes - leaving vacant positions empty - for the past several years because of budget cuts.

Stay tuned to find out what the ratio of middle managers to workers is in McCollum’s office.

Attorney General Bill McCollum continues to defer to GOP party leaders instead of ordering an investigation into possible criminal conduct regarding credit card abuses at the Republican Party of Florida.

McCollum today said he may ask the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to look into the matter but that he would wait until the new chairman of the RPOF - expected to be Sen. John Thrasher - is elected this weekend.

Also today, Florida Democrats shut down McCollum’s anti-corruption hotline, filling up the 800 number’s voice mail in an effort to draw attention to McCollum’s refusal to investigate the credit card charges even after other top Republicans want the books opened.

McCollum said he won’t ask for inquiry until an audit of the RPOF is complete and he gets direction from the new party chairman to move although Gov. Charlie Crist last week said that party officials should open the books now.

“I’m waiting about what the new chairman might discover. I don’t see any evidence at this point of criminal behavior,” McCollum said today after a speech to the National Federation of Independent Business.

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McCollum

Sink

Click here to read about the speech.

And read expanded excerpts of McCollum’s remarks about Sink and the Sink campaign’s response after the jump….

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Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink will be in Palm Beach County on Friday to promote her proposed legislation stiffening penalties for crooks who scam senior citizens.
It’s the third year in a row Sink, a Democrat who is running for governor, has backed legislation to crack down on investor fraud schemes targeting the elderly.

The Senate passed her bill last year but it never got heard in a House committee.
Sink’s office has had 800 complaints from seniors this year.

Rep. Maria Sachs, a Delray Beach Democrat, is sponsoring Sink’s bill this year.

Sink’s proposal would increase penalties for “churning” - turning an existing life insurance policy or annuity from one company to another - annuities to senior citizens and for other annuity or insurance-related schemes.

Friday’s event will be held at 10 a.m. at The Church of Bethesda in Palm Beach.

Those interested in attending should pre-register by calling 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236) or (850) 413-3089.

After dissing Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink for gloating about skimping on paper clips, Attorney General Bill McCollum appears to have taken a liking to her cost-cutting measure.

Spending less on office supplies and reusing paper clips and file folders could save taxpayers about $238,000 a year, McCollum’s director of administration John Hamilton told the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee this morning.

Oops.

Just a few weeks ago, McCollum mocked Sink’s efforts to stop buying non-mission critical office supplies until the end of the fiscal year in June, a savings that she estimates could be $200,000. If all the state followed her lead, taxpayers could save $14 million according to the Democratic candidate for governor.

“While Alex Sink focuses on rationing paperclips and paper products, Bill McCollum is focused on finding solutions to the severe economic challenges we face,” McCollum’s campaign said in a press release late last month.

McCollum’s campaign spokeswoman Kristy Campbell had this to say in response to our blog:

“Attorney General McCollum has remained to curbing wasteful spending throughout his tenure in office. Unfortunately, CFO Alex Sink has consistently used her office for political public relations stunts and for attacking her opponent on the taxpayers dime,” Campbell wrote in an e-mail.

And Democratic Party of Florida spokesman Eric Jotkoff had his own snap:

“We’re glad to see that career politician Bill McCollum is finally showing some concern for Florida taxpayers and eating his wrong-headed attacks on Alex Sink, even if it took some coaxing and cajoling, at least the Attorney General is finally following CFO Sink’s leadership in cutting wasteful government spending,” Jotkoff wrote in a press release.

Read the related article by Palm Beach Post columnist Frank Cerabino, Governor’s race
 an all-out battle 
of self-promotion

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said she learned a lesson from accused Ponzi-schemer Scott Rothstein, the Broward County lawyer and political powerhouse who pleaded guilty this morning to racketeering and other offenses.

Rothstein, a major GOP contributor, and his wife held a fund-raiser for Sink’s gubernatorial campaign in August and donated $200,000 to the Florida Democratic Party before being accused of bilking his law firm’s clients and others of $1.2 billion.

At The Associated Press annual gathering of editors and reporters, Sink said the “first rule of business is to know who you’re dealing with.”

When asked if she applied the same bromide to her dealings with Rothstein, she bristled.

“Well obviously I didn’t because he is an admitted con artist,” Sink said. “Here’s a guy who conned all of Ft. Lauderdale and most of South Florida.”

She ticked off the names of other lawyers whose political stars have fallen including Bernie Madoff and banker Allen Stanford.

“I learned a lesson there,” she said of Rothstein. “Ask more questions.”

McCollum leads Sink, 41 percent to 31 percent, in a poll that has a 2.4 percent margin of error. McCollum held a 4-point lead in polls last August and October.

The poll also finds 57 percent of Floridians oppose the Democratic health care overhaul legislation moving through Congress and 55 percent favor increased drilling in federal waters off Florida — but not if rigs are as close as five miles from shore.

Poll respondents generally don’t support relaxing immigration laws in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti that is likely to increase the number of refugees leaving the island.

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Former Gov. Jeb Bush is supporting Senate President Jeff Atwater in his statewide run for chief financial officer, even though Atwater has a Republican opponent in the primary.

Atwater’s campaign released the announcement Wednesday, along with a link to a YouTube video in which Bush, still influential in GOP politics in Florida, says of Atwater, “It’s his life experience of being a committed family person, of being a successful businessman and also having served in positions of increasing responsibility in the Florida Legislature that have made Jeff uniquely qualified to handle this job.”

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Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican running for U.S. Senate:
“The attempted terror attack on Christmas Day was a somber reminder that we are a nation still at war. The facts surrounding the failed bombing plot are alarming. It is troubling to hear that this attempt was not stopped long before the plan was enacted.
“As more details emerge on who knew what and when, it is important that all facets of our homeland security redouble their efforts to protect the American people as we fight the ongoing war on terror.

“While I appreciate that a review has been conducted, it is much more important that our entire intelligence community proactively works to make sure this type of attempt doesn’t happen again.”

Attorney General Bill McCollum, a Republican running for governor:
“I am thankful President Obama is fully engaged on national security issues and the business of keeping Americans safe. Our approach must not be reactionary and it must not be passive. We must successfully execute a coordinated and proactive intelligence and counter-terrorism strategy to ensure the safety of our citizens. (more…)

Gov. Charlie Crist ordered an investigation into “Wafflegate” but his concerns about transportation officials’ possible violations of the state’s Sunshine laws aren’t keeping him from signing the bill they were writing about into law tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Crist will hold ceremonial signings in Tampa and Orlando of the sweeping rail bill passed during a special session last week.

Today, Crist acceded to Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink’s request for the inspector general investigation.

But he rejected Sen. Paula Dockery’s suggestion that he delay signing the bill that paves the way for SunRail.

Dockery’s fought for three years the deal in which the state will pay CSX at least $430 million for 61 miles of track in Central Florida for a commuter rail project. The state will share the rails with CSX, which will continue to operate freight on the line for less than $4 million a year.

The Palm Beach Post reported on Sunday that CSX played a major role in the crafting of the bill.

“For three years, the agency has been stonewalling citizens trying to examine this back-room deal. Given the secretive code words used to hide its communications, the agency has violated the public trust. Until the investigation is completed, I would encourage the governor to delay signing – or better yet, veto – the legislation we’ve now learned was authored by CSX,” Dockery, R-Lakeland, said in a statement.

Orlando Ax the Tax chairman Doug Guetzloe also asked Crist to hold off on signing the bill into law. Guetzloe and the state Tea Party Chairman Fred O’Neal have asked Leon County State Attorney Willie Meggs to investigate the matter they coined “Wafflegate.” Guetzloe also said he will file an ethics complaint and ask Attorney General Bill McCollum’s office to look into it.
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Gov. Charlie Crist ordered his inspector general to investigate the state’s top transportation officials’ use of code words in e-mails.

Crist made the request after Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink asked Crist for an internal investigation to find out if Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos (whom Crist appointed in 2007) and her deputy Kevin Thibault tried to hide their e-mails from public records review by giving the subject line of “pancake,” “pancakes” and “French Toast.”

The e-mails sent in November contained information about a proposed rail bill later approved by lawmakers during the special session that ended last week.

“Given our state’s proud and comprehensive public records laws, I remain concerned that DOT employees may have deliberately used these code words in an attempt to disguise their actions from the people of Florida. We live in the Sunshine State, and this is not the way the people’s business should ever be done,” Sink, the presumptive Democratic candidate for governor, wrote in a letter to Crist to Crist asking for the investigation.

Minutes after Sink’s office released her letter, Crist’s office sent out his response.

“I agree with the letter that was just received from Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink. Accordingly, I have directed Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel to conduct an inquiry of the Department of Transportation,” Crist said in a statement.

Crist’s order for an investigation came after numerous demands for an inquiry from other sources.
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Tea Partiers have asked Leon County State Attorney Willie Meggs to convene a grand jury to investigate state transportation officials’ use of code words in e-mails.

Tea Party Chairman Fred O’Neal filed a request with Meggs yesterday asking for a grand jury to look into “deliberate evasion of Florida’s Public Records law” as well as “as an arrogant disregard” of the state constitution’s Sunshine Law guaranteeing access to public records and meetings.

Tea Party activists dubbed the messages “Wafflegate” after The Palm Beach Post reported that Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos and her deputy Kevin Thibault exchanged three messages last month with the subject lines “pancake,” “pancakes” and “french toast.”

Doug Guetzloe, chairman of “Ax the Tax,” said he plans to file complaints with the ethics commission and Attorney General Bill McCollum’s office and another to Meggs.

“This is a direct violation of public trust,” Guetzloe said. (more…)