Senate President Ken Pruitt filed an amicus brief today in state Supreme Court supporting House Speaker Marco Rubio’s decision to sue Gov. Charlie Crist over the gambling compact with the Seminole Indians.

“Governor Crist had the very best interest of the state in mind when he worked with the Seminole Tribe,” Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, said in a news release. “I believe the Governor properly exercised his authority to negotiate a compact, however, in order for the compact to be valid it must be approved by the Legislature.”

After returning from his trade mission to Brazil this week, Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to hit the property tax campaign trail and offer voters his solution to a problem that he helped manufacture.

Most expect the trail to be smooth sailing for the popular governor, but there are some potential stumbling blocks: Can he carry the constitutional amendment over the new 60 percent threshold? Will an organized opponent emerge? Will the Realtors show support by again forking over $1 million to Crist? Will voters instead wait until November and opt for former Senate President John McKay’s plan to cut property taxes 45 percent by lifting sales tax exemptions?

And, at this point, Crist shouldn’t expect much help on the campaign trail from Palm Beach County Democrats.

Meanwhile, the tax changes are keeping the locals restless as the cuts have forced St. Lucie County to look elsewhere for money to pave sidewalks, but rising taxes have helped put the Florida Keys at a crossroads.

Senate President Ken Pruitt (R- Port St. Lucie) issued the following statement regarding the special session call that was released earlier today:

“Senator Posey has done a masterful job to forge an agreement with Representative Bogdanoff on PIP, and the Senate thanks him for his leadership on the issue. It is in my judgment, given the current budget shortfalls and the serious fiscal challenges in the forecast, that the most prudent action on the part of this Senate would be to focus on our constitutional duty to have a balanced budget. “

House Speaker Marco Rubio is asking Gov. Charlie Crist to use his power to include PIP and property taxes in the special session call.

For the full letter..

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Senate President Ken Pruitt and House Speaker Marco Rubio just issued their official call for the special session that starts Wednesday.

The proclamation lets lawmakers debate budget cuts and fix a property tax cut for Miami. Not included in the call: PIP.

For the official call…

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Ken Pruitt Jr., known as KP to friends and family, was remembered this morning at a touching memorial service on the FSU campus.

Former state Rep. Charlie Sembler, a Sebastian Republican and longtime family friend, gave the eulogy. Lillie Bogan, Pruitt Jr.’s former supervisor at the Department of Revenue, told stories to the audience of about 500 about Pruitt Jr.’s sense of humor and kindness.

His five brothers and sisters remembered him with notes inside the service’s program.

“KP, I love you so much and always will and I’m going to miss you like crazy,” one sibling wrote. “I will miss your hugs, your jokes and everything about you.”

Please note: condolences to the Pruitt family can be posted here

Ken Pruitt Jr., the 29-year-old son of Florida Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, died this morning in Tallahassee.

An officer with the Tallahassee Police Department said initial evidence pointed to an accidental overdose, but that the cause of death was still undetermined.

“I can say is that he’s not the victim of a homicide or the victim of any violent crime,” Officer John Creamer said.

Police responded to the townhome of Sam Coskey after he placed a 9-1-1 call at about 1 a.m. this morning in a townhouse community in northern Tallahassee. Pruitt Jr., was brought to the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital where he died, police said.

Coskey told The Palm Beach Post today that he met Pruitt Jr. about 18 months ago at Brothers bar, where Coskey worked at the time as a doorman.

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Senate President Ken Pruitt and House Speaker Marco Rubio said this afternoon they reached “substantial agreement” on property tax reform.

The agreement appears to be that $25,000 homestead exemptions would be increased based on an undetermined percentage of the property’s value, rather than the median county home value. A joint property tax committee spent a half-day last month discussing percent-based exemptions, all of which voters would have to approve.

Pruitt and Rubio also agreed to provide immediate cuts to city and county budgets (although they don’t know how deep) and cap future increase (although they’re not sure by how much).

“With these major issues decided,” Pruitt and Rubio wrote, the committee meeting scheduled for Monday will focus on cuts for low income seniors, incentives for affordable housing, reducing tangible personal property tax and reforming assessments on “working waterfronts.”