Ok, so you could argue that the best exchange was the question (Listen here) about who their favorite sports team were (Rick Scott and Bill McCollum both mentioned Marco Rubio, which we’re pretty sure is a squad in the English Premier League…)
But in an otherwise freewheeling, action-packed debate on Thursday, moderator John Wilson gave the two Republican gubernatorial candidates the most room to debate a point over taxes and fees.
The question started out about the barrage of negative ads the two have been unleashing on each other, but quickly devolved into the most heated back-and-forth of the evening.
We wrote this morning that the former head of the now defunct Florida Mainstream Democrats, Rick Kriseman, is upset that Dave Aronberg is using a 527 committee with the same name to help raise money for his attorney general primary campaign.
Well, an anonymous reader commented that Kriseman might not be as neutral as he let on. And that reader was correct: Kriseman recorded a robocall over the weekend on behalf of Aronberg’s primary rival, Dan Gelber. (For the record, we interviewed Kriseman before he recorded the call.)
The mailer is a bruising piece of campaign literature that takes aim at Gelber for working at Akerman Senterfitt, the state’s largest law firm that recently was retained by BP.
It follows a press release that Aronberg, an attorney at Greenspoon Marder, sent out calling for Gelber to quit the firm, although Gelber had toldThe Palm Beach Post editorial board several days earlier that he was resigning from the firm.
The mail piece implies that Gelber was “”defending BP” and that he earned $225,000 per year from “BP’s law firm.”
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., says U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., taught him and other newly-elected senators about proper debate decorum in the chamber. Byrd died today at age 92.
“In a hot political crucible, where there are sharp differences of opinion, you have to keep an atmosphere by which you can build consensus to govern a very large and complicated and diverse country,” Nelson said. “Sen. Byrd was the embodiment of that.”
Nelson’s comment came during an interview this morning with Rich Jones, the morning news host of WOKV AM 690 & 106.5 FM. The radio station, along with The Palm Beach Post, is owned by Cox Enterprises.
Incidentally, Byrd doesn’t appear to have deep ties to Florida, according to a search of our news archive.
The late Sen. Lawton Chiles, D-Fla., unsuccessfully attempted to unseat Byrd as the Senate minority leader in 1984
In 2002, Byrd, as Appropriations Committee chairman, sponsored an amendment to let government condemn about 10 residential properties in Miami-Dade County in the name of Everglades restoration. The amendment, intended to overturn a federal judge’s ruling, was sponsored at the request of Nelson and then-Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla.
Graham told the Post in 2001 that both he and Nelson had a good relationship with Byrd, which Graham hoped would translate into money from the appropriations committee for Everglades restoration.
Some scribbles in my notebook after an interesting afternoon in the State Emergency Operations Center, where Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, was briefed on the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf.
1.) Let’s start by pointing out that politically this is a major I-told-you-so-moment for Atwater, who was the only Republican with a nice big state Capitol office who didn’t want to lift the state ban on oil drilling.
If it wasn’t for Atwater fighting considerable pressure, even from Gov. Charlie Crist, it’s very reasonable to think a bill to allow drilling within 10 miles of the coast would have been approved by the Republican-controlled legislature this year or even signed into law by Crist at this time last year.
2.) So, sure, his skepticism over the oil industry safety claims were pretty much exactly on target. And yeah, this is the same guy who justified a budget line item for public libraries with a story about how, as a boy, he rode his bike to check out a Johnny Unitas biography over and over again.
But make no mistake: He’s no angel. Actually, he’s got a bit of a potty mouth.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush stepped his efforts today to rewrite the way public school teachers are paid with a recorded phone call urging Floridians to call their local lawmaker. (Thanks to our partners at WOKV for the tip).
In the 55-second message, Bush says the bill will improve education in Florida, but the its the target of “a massive misinformation campaign.”
Bush says the bill will “close the achievement gap once and for all” and tells the listeners to call their lawmaker and tell them to support the bill, which will be discussed on the House floor today and receive a final vote tomorrow.
The proposal has ignited a political food fight between some of the heaviest names in the Florida Capitol: The AFL-CIO & the Florida Education Association on one side (see their television ad here) and Jeb Bush and the Florida Chamber of Commerce on the other (see their ads here and here.).
Crist and Rubio take questions after they spoke to the Christian Family Coalition in Miami. Bender/Post
1. No, Gov. Charlie Crist is not giving up his Republican registration. But it’s pretty clear now that he’s decided to promote the independent streak that won him national attention as he built a bipartisan image his first year in office.
2. Speaking of Crist’s first year: With his final State of the State coming on Tuesday, here’s a timely look-back at our coverage of his 2007 speech, when he called for more environmental preservation and a voting paper trail and included a quote from Robert Kennedy:
“For him to get up there and do what he did today, he said: ‘I’m my own man,’ that was a strong message,” said Sen. Victor Crist, R-Temple Terrace, who is not related to the governor. “When he gave his final quote from Robert Kennedy, that was bold, and I watched Speaker Rubio’s face, and I turned to the two House members on either side of me, and I said, ‘Oh-oh.’ “
House Speaker Marco Rubio said Crist’s style has helped improve the tone in Tallahassee. “By far the most optimistic first day of session in the eight I’ve been a part of,” said Rubio, R-West Miami. “I think there is a general tone of cooperation.”
3. By portraying himself as an independent Republican (someone who loves guns, hates taxes and can work across the aisle), Crist is hoping to steal some of the sizzle of Rubio’s image as the anti-establishment candidate. In Broward County, Crist tried to use Rubio’s campaign against him:
“This distractions and attacks on each other within the party is not what we should be doing. These individuals who have turned their guns on fellow Republicans instead of focusing our efforts on defeating Democrats have done nothing to serve our party. But at the end of the day the future of the party must come first.”
Rep. Mackenson Bernard, D-West Palm Beach, ceremonially is administered the oath of office in the House chamber by House Clerk Bob Ward as the state's newest member of the Florida House of Representatives. (House photo)
In an odd twist, Rep. Mack Bernard, D-West Palm Beach, actually cast his first vote today before taking his oath in front of the House.
But Bernard’s swearing-in this morning was only ceremonial — he officially took office shortly after winning a special election to replace Priscilla Taylor, who resigned after Gov. Charlie Crist appointed her to the Palm Beach County Commission.
Bernard addressed his new colleagues after taking the oath. Listen here.
Here’s the latest video from the Republican Majority Campaign of Florida, a 527 political action committee whose parent group raised more than $4 million during 2008 (most of which was spent campaigning for GOP presidential nominee John McCain). You might also remember the group from a fund-raising e-mail they sent earlier this year warning that Congress wanted to give President Obama “total control of the Internet.”
The web video focuses on the Gov. Charlie Crist’s support of the federal stimulus package, the central theme of former House Speaker Marco Rubio’s campaign against Crist in the state’s U.S. Senate Republican primary.
Crist, meanwhile, is attempting to add some nuance to his feelings about the stimulus package. He told CNN last night that he didn’t endorse the proposal and that he “didn’t even have a vote on the darned thing.” Here’s a fact-check of sorts from the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, click here to listen to Crist explain to reporters this morning his seemingly evolving position on the subject.
Here’s what Republican Gov. Charlie Crist said this morning when asked about the pros & cons for his party if there’s a GOP primary in the governor’s race. Crist is facing his own an primary in the U.S. Senate race.
But how committed is Crist to that idea of competition? Consider his answer to this question just 60 minutes later. Crist has declined to answer any debate requests (here and here) from his primary opponent, Marco Rubio.
McCollum
Meanwhile, McCollum, a veteran of the Republican primary process, threw water on the idea that any candidate wants a primary. He didn’t say anything about potential benefits for the party. But he was pretty candid saying it wouldn’t be such a great thing for him.
State Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, is considering her own gubernatorial campaign against McCollum.
During the past two days, state economists have given the same presentation on the state’s dismal economy an estimated 1,942 times. Or maybe it just felt like it.
But this morning, House budget Chairman David Rivera, R-Miami, summed it in less than 30 seconds.
Gov. Charlie Crist speaks opens his first Florida Summit on Global Climate Change at the Miami InterContinental Hotel in July 2007. | Post photo
This story was printed Aug. 12 on page 1A of The Palm Beach Post.
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Charlie Crist’s plans for a third high-profile climate summit have been indefinitely postponed as the Republican weighs the political cost of the event’s expensive price tag.
But Crist’s reluctance to appear out of touch with financially frustrated Floridians — and perhaps his party’s conservative base — has not stopped him from asking the event’s sponsors to help fund his U.S. Senate campaign.
Campaign finance reports show Crist has collected $106,500 from individuals and companies tied to past sponsors of his climate summits. That total is 40 percent of the costs of his 2006 summit and nearly 20 percent of the expenses of last year’s event.
Postponing the summit has also raised questions about whether Crist, who is facing an aggressive primary challenge and a restless base in the state GOP, is backing away from the environmental issues that marked his first two years in office.
Gov. Charlie Crist today gave approval to his “dear friend” Frank Brogan taking over the state university system. “He’s a real state treasure, there’s no question about it.”
“It’s great to be home,” Brogan said at a press event at the governor’s office today.
Republican Gov. Charlie Crist was censured on Saturday by the Volusia County Republican Executive Committee. Read Palm Beach County Republican Jack Furnai’s account here
The move was to embarrass Crist for failing to support local Republican congressional candidates in 2008 and for his embrace of President Obama’s stimulus plan. Although it sounds like the vote mostly embarrassed the county GOP chairman, Joe Stich.
Palm Beach County Republicans will consider a similar censure motion next week. Asked about that vote, Crist implied that he wasn’t concerned about the outcome.
Presidents from 10 of Florida’s 11 universities stormed the state Capitol today to urge lawmakers to keep the college’s budget whole. The issue over how much to spend on higher education is holding up the closed-door budget negotiations between the two chambers.
Lawmakers will probably hand them the power to raise tuition up to 15 percent next year, but the presidents said that was not enough. Further cuts, the presidents said, would force colleges to shut down programs, lay off teachers and furlough staff.
Cut would also kill the state’s efforts to pull through the economic recession.
Here’s a sample of their comments today (click on the links to hear their full statements).
“If we are crippled to the extent that we’re unable to be responsive, everybody suffers. It’s a clarion call from the presidents to try and make sure the entire state understands the seriousness of the situation.”
“Jeopardizing our future by failing to continue to invest in higher education in this budget is not the path to a bright future … This would drastically change the way Florida A&M operates.”
The content of the podcast informed this story that was published Sunday. The interviews are still timely and, by at least one account, still entertaining.
The first 14 minutes is an interview with designated House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders of Key West talking about how Republican leaders are more interested in “hijacking” bills than fulfilling their responsibilities. He admires Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, for her “blatant partisanship,” anticipates the next “memo” from House Republican Majority Adam Hasner, apologizes on behalf of the Democratic caucus “for not being stupid,” and says he’s going “do my best” to flip the 76-44 majority the GOP enjoys in the chamber.
“We are the minority party,” Saunders says. “We are their conscience.”
The 12 minutes that follow is a separate interview with Hasner, R-Boca Raton, who gets in his own jabs. He says the House Democrats “have become a party of no” — just like Republicans in the U.S. House. He says their a “continental divide” in the minority party and that the stimulus will “potentially create more problems in the future than it solves.”
UPDATE:This blog was updated to include the correct value of the sales tax exemption.
At two different times today, Gov. Charlie Crist teased reporters about an afternoon meeting he was having with his budget director, Jerry McDaniel, in which they were going to talk about a budget cut that would not hurt education spending or health programs for the poor.
We caught up with him at the governor’s mansion before a Torah dedication tonight to ask about the meeting.
Crist said he wasn’t prepared to talk about cuts and instead mentioned looking at “the other side of the ledger,” like fees.
“There’s some exemptions that I would encourage the legislature to look at, too,” Crist said. “There’s one that relates to automobiles when you have a trade-in. For some reason, and I don’t know exactly when it happened an exemption was carved out, and in my conversations with Jerry could mean as much as a half a million billion in dollars that we could use to help education. We’re just starting to look at that and study it.”
So if Crist’s estimate is right, that brings the budget deficit down to $2,999,500,000 $2,500,000,000.
(For some background on sales tax exemptions, click here.)
In the first meeting in nearly three weeks for the House’s top two budget councils, chairmen Marcello Llorente and David Rivera, both Miami Republicans, read from the same script in separate meetings today to inform budget writers about the tight schedule.
They said appropriations committees (essentially budget sub-committees) will receive spending totals (known as allocations) by the end of the week and will have to approve budget details by Thursday, April 2.
Republican leaders want councils to vote on the budget before Wednesday April 8, take Thursday and Friday off for Easter and Passover and let the chamber vote on the bill April 17th.
That would leave the Senate and House about a week to iron out differences in conference committees so the respective chambers can consider the changes in time for the the scheduled last day of session, May 1.
The national fight over ensuring secret ballots for union votes erupted Wednesday in an emotional quarrel between two Palm Beach County lawmakers that included one calling the other a “jerk” in a Florida House committee meeting.
Rep. Mary Brandenburg, D-West Palm Beach, called Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton, a “jerk” from her seat in the House Policy Committee. Her microphone was turned off, but her comment was audible from at least the third row in the meeting room.
Listen to their dialogue during the committee here. Then read the rest of the story here.
About 300 people showed up in front of the state Capitol today to hear Stuart Milk, left, nephew of slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, support several gay rights bills introduced in the legislature this year. The rally with Milk, of Broward County, was organized by Equality Florida.
Two of the proposed changes he wants the legislature to approve come from Palm Beach County lawmakers.
Rep. Mary Brandenburg, D-West Palm Beach, has legislation (HB 413) that would let gay couples adopt children.
Rep. Kelly Skidmore and Sen. Ted Deutch, both Boca Raton Democrats, have companion bills (SB 2012 & HB 397) that would make it illegal to fire someone or deny them housing based on sexual orientation.
Brandenburg’s bill hasn’t received a committee hearing the past two years and probably won’t fair much better this year. Skidmore told the crowd today the gay rights bills have an uphill climb in the legislature.
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