Sen. Mike Haridopolos’ abrupt departure from the Republican field prompted Florida Democrats to question whether it could be linked to his association with former state Republican Party chairman Jim Greer, who faces six felony counts of grand theft, money laundering and attempted fraud involving a consulting company he formed in 2009 that drew $200,000 from the party.

Greer is suing the party to recover about $124,000 in severance, which party leaders say was never approved.  Haridopolos’ signature is on the severance, but the Senate president has denied approving a pay-out to the former party chief.

Tim Baker, a Haridopolos spokesman, denied any connection to the candidate’s folding his campaign, with $2.4 million in his war chest — and the Greer case.

But Haridopolos is expected to give a deposition in late August to Cheney Mason, one of Greer’s lawyers, who recently completed a lead role as defense attorney for Casey Anthony.

Damon Chase, a Lake Mary attorney also representing Greer, said Monday, “I think the timing is significant. He knows his deposition is coming up and it’s going to be a videotaped deposition that the press will have as soon as it’s finished. He knows it’s going to leave Florida voters thinking, ‘is this the kind of liar we want representing us in the Senate?” (more…)

A poll released Wednesday by the usually right-leaning Sunshine State News shows Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s approval rating at a dismal 27 percent among Floridians, with 58 percent disapproving of the job done by the first-year governor.

Sunshine’s survey mirrors a Quinnipiac University poll in May that showed Scott’s approval at 29 percent, suggesting the governor’s attempt at overhauling his image with robo-calls and self-styled letters to newspaper editorial pages hasn’t paid off.

The numbers also stand in contrast to what appeared as a brief surge of popularity for the governor in June. A survey released then by Viewpoint Florida briefly countered the governor’s lagging poll numbers — giving Scott a 45 percent approval rating among Floridians.

Viewpoint Florida is run by Republican campaign operatives Randy Nielsen of West Palm Beach and Pat Bainter of Gainesville. They’re also big contractors for the Florida Republican Party.

Nielsen’s Public Concepts and Bainter’s Data Targeting show up in the latest finance reports unveiled by the Florida Republican Party, which also provides insight into the party’s effort to enhance Scott’s image.

Nielsen’s Public Concepts was paid $145,940 for direct mail work in May. Bainter’s Data Targeting collected $29,000 from the Florida GOP for consulting over the three months ending June 30, the party’s report shows.

Nielsen said the payments he received were for work on the Jacksonville’s mayor’s race. They had nothing to do with Scott, Nielsen said.

Meanwhile, Scott pollster Tony Fabrizio was paid $119,250 by the party the past quarter. Phone bank companies Advantage Inc., of Arlington, Va., and Election Connections.com of Tallahassee were paid $149,452 for three rounds of automated phone calls to voters, touting Scott’s budget-signing, demand for drug testing of welfare recipients and the state’s declining unemployment numbers.

Also part of the GOP’s effort to boost Scott: Harris Media, a Austin, Tx.-based public-relations firm which has opened a Tallahassee office and hired one of the governor’s daughters, drew $23,927.16 for web ads and $11,638 for website work from the state party.

Under fire from a pack of Republican challengers, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson raised more than $1.8 million over the past three months for his re-election, his campaign reported Tuesday.

Nelson’s campaign was quick to point out that the top Republican fund-raiser this quarter, George LeMieux, had collected half the Democrat’s total since April 1.

LeMieux collected $950,000 to Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ $900,000 over the past three months. Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner of Delray Beach collected $560,000. A fourth likely well-heeled Republican, former Ruths’ Chris steakhouse CEO Craig Miller was flying around the state Tuesday, making his formal entry into the race.

“The support so far is adding to the momentum that’s building for Sen. Nelson’s re-election,” said Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith. “It’s a sign of strength and broad-based support.”

The Florida Republican Party pulled in $3.5 million in the three months ending June 30, more than three times that collected by state Democrats during the span, new finance records show.

Health care companies, a private prison firm, and utilities were among the GOP’s biggest givers — cash that tracked some of the biggest issues of the 2011 legislative session, ongoing for most of the reporting period.

Still, a relatively modest $5,000 contribution from Jacksonville Greyhound Racing is noteworthy because of its timing. The check was posted by the party on May 6 — the same day the Orange Park dog track played a central role in the chaotic closing hours of the Legislature.

A duel between the House and Senate over a tax break for the track — a political favorite of Senate Rules Chairman John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine — forced the session to spill into overtime.

 The House insisted on removing the tax break from what was considered must-pass legislation, and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, later said he was “embarrassed” by the stand-off between the two chambers, which also drew veiled questions about the U.S. Senate contender’s leadership skills.

Other GOP contributions were more conventional — and cash-laden. U.S. Sugar Corp., donated $225,000, Nextera Energy, the parent company of Juno Beach-base Florida Power & Light, gave $250,000, and the Boca Raton-based Geo Group, which hopes to gain a big portion of the state’s plan to privatize prisons across 18 counties, including Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, gave $100,000 to the Florida GOP.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate George LeMieux on Monday became the last of the big three GOP challengers to Democrat Bill Nelson to tout his latest finance total — but he is claiming victory in the dollar race.

LeMieux’s campaign said that in the quarter ending June 30, it took in more than $950,000 — edging Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ $900,000 collected, and the $560,000 former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner of Delray Beach is reporting raising.

“With contributors from all over Florida, George’s campaign continues to strengthen and his grassroots momentum is reflected in his fundraising success,” campaign manager Brian Seitchik wrote on LeMieux’s website.

Haridopolos, who has been in the race longest, remains the leading money-raiser to date, with $3.4 million collected so far. Fund-raising details aren’t expected to be provided at least until reports are due July 15. Nelson hasn’t revealed his cash totals yet.

The Republican contest also is poised to grow further, with former Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse CEO Craig Miller to announce his candidacy this week. Miller ran for Congress in Central Florida last fall, finishing third in the Republican primary field behind Sandy Adams, the Orlando Republican who went on to defeat Democratic  U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas.

Brian Hughes, Rick Scott’s deputy communications director, is the latest gubernatorial staffer to make a career change – heading to the Florida Republican Party as its spokesman.

Hughes will take over from Trey Stapleton, who worked on Scott’s campaign. Stapleton is heading to Washington, D.C., and Hughes will become the new RPOF spokesman within the next two weeks, as the party gears up to serve as host for next summer’s Republican National Convention, in Tampa.

Hughes teamed with Scott communications director Brian Burgess to form what around the Capitol became known as the “two Brians,” a pair of aggressive defenders and promoters of the governor’s agenda. But with Scott marking his six-months in office on July 4, the governor’s office has lately undergone some door-swinging.

Scott chief-of-staff Mike Prendergast exited to the state Department of Veterans’ Affairs and top adviser Mary Anne Carter headed to her Tennessee home and a still-to-be-made-public 2012 political campaign. New chief-of-staff Steve MacNamara hasn’t said it, but clearly among his duties will be trying to improve Scott’s barnacle-scraping poll numbers.

With approval ratings scraping bottom and his name a virtual laugh line for Democrats, Gov. Rick Scott is retooling his leadership team, with a pair of top aides departing and a veteran government insider expected to join the administration.

Scott Chief-of-Staff Mike Prendergast, a retired Army colonel, was officially moved Wednesday to executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, taking with him his $150,000 salary and becoming one of the governor’s best-paid agency heads.

The move came a day after Mary Anne Carter, a top Scott adviser, announced she will leave at the end of the month. Carter guided Scott’s campaign last summer, helping the former health care executive win his first run for elected office — powered by spending $73 million of his own cash.

Meanwhile, Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ chief-of-staff, Steve MacNamara, is considered a likely successor to Prendergast. MacNamara served in a similar role in the House, led a state agency and is a tenured professor at Florida State University.

“Steve is a master of the business of politics and policy,” said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, in line to become Senate president next year. “He would be a real asset to this governor.”

While high-profile staff changes are not unusual, Scott’s recent predecessors, former Govs. Charlie Crist and Jeb Bush, managed to get through at least the first year without an overhaul.

Scott, who will reach his six-month mark in office July 4, may feel some urgency to re-pivot because of recent polls.

Full story, here:   http://bit.ly/mCfRoz

Former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre, a Democrat who endorsed Rick Scott in last fall’s governor’s race, was named Tuesday by the Republican governor to the state’s Transportation Commission.

Ferre, 75, was named to a three-year term — succeeding Marcos Marchena. The appointment must be confirmed by the Florida Senate.

After losing his Quixotic bid to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate — drawing 4.9 percent of the vote in losing to then-U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek — Ferre said Scott would be the first Republican he voted for in 54 years of casting ballots.

Ferre said he liked Scott’s plan for Florida’s economy. Ferre also said he was mad at the “exclusionary direction” of the state Democratic Party, which had cold-shouldered him in his run for Senate.

Attorney General Pam Bondi responded Thursday to West Palm Beach Democratic Rep. Mark Pafford’s request to examine the circumstances surrounding Gov. Rick Scott’s staff stiff-arming Democratic protesters at his budget-signing last month at The Villages.

Bondi hinted she was concerned, but powerless to step in.

“Throughout my nearly two decades in public service, I have been committed to transparency and open government,” Florida’s top legal officer, a Republican, wrote. “While I do not take lightly the questions you have raised, Florida law does not empower me to investigate your concerns.”

Pafford, who earlier wrote Scott seeking a response, was among Florida House Democrats who urged Bondi and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, also a Republican, to push for more answers and an apology from the governor for his office’s role in bullying a couple dozen Democratic protesters at last month’s ceremony.

A governor’s staffer apparently urged Sumter County Sheriff’s deputies to rein-in the protesters, claiming the budget-signing was a private event. Deputies confronted the protesters, keeping them out of the governor’s view and ordering them to discard their signs.

For his part, Pafford said in  a statement, “While I appreciate Attorney General Pam Bondi’s acknowledgment letter, I remain concerned that constitutional rights protecting Florida’s citizens have purposely been ignored by the Governor’s Office.

 “Since January 2011, when members of the press were banned from attending inauguration events in the state capitol building, the pattern of privacy has been the norm. I believe Floridians want answers to what transpired in The Villages and accountability,” he added.

Term-limited state Sen. Mike Bennett abruptly ended his bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor on Monday, blaming a “fire in the belly” problem and frustration with spending most of his time fund-raising.

Bennett, 66, a Bradenton Republican who doesn’t live in Castor’s Tampa-area district, announced his candidacy late last month.

 At the time, Bennett said he was prepared to move to challenge the Democratic incumbent if redistricting next year didn’t tuck him into the boundaries served by Castor.

On Monday, Bennett called it quits. 

“In all honesty, I quickly realized that the ‘fire’ I was feeling was heartburn over constant fundraising, travel and the other demands of running for federal office. Traveling the world and fishing are candidly things I’m looking forward to catching up on when my term in the Florida Senate comes to an end,” Bennett said.

The U.S. Justice Department was asked by Florida officials Wednesday to approve the state’s sweeping new elections law for five counties that need such preclearance under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Secretary of State Kurt Browning submitted documents detailing law changes under CS/HB 1355, which Gov. Rick Scott signed into law May 18 over opposition from legislative Democrats, the League of Women Voters, NAACP and other organizations.

Critics of the law said it is designed to blunt Democratic turnout and weaken voter registration efforts in advance of the 2012 elections.

 The ACLU of Florida, the national ACLU, and Project Vote, a Washington, D.C., voters’ rights organization, sued last week in Miami federal court to stop statewide implementation of the law until Justice Department approval is obtained.

Browning had said earlier that he would not seek to enforce the state’s new standards in Hendry, Collier, Hardee, Hillsborough and Monroe counties until receiving Justice Department approval.

But he has gone ahead and ordered the new law to take effect in Florida’s 62 other counties, a move which triggered the ACLU legal challenge.

State and federal law require the state to have uniform elections laws.

“It looks like Browning is now trying to speed-up the process in hopes of covering up the mistake he made by ordering the law to take effect,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida.

Browning has defended his action, saying the new measure was to take effect upon becoming law. He acknowledged that preclearance was needed before the measure could be enforced in the five counties.

The Justice Department has at least 60 days to review documents submitted Wednesday by Browning.

Critics of the new law say it is designed to make registering to vote and casting ballots more difficult for minorities and low-income voters, who typically vote Democratic. Scott and Republican legislative leaders said the new standards

The law imposes strict regulation of third-party registration groups, including requiring that they turn in registration forms within 48 hours after they are signed. It also reduces the number of days available for early voting in Florida, although county election supervisors are required to maintain the same, 98 hours made available before Election Day.

Florida House Democrats urged a pair of Republican Cabinet members Tuesday to push for more answers and an apology from Republican Gov. Rick Scott for his office’s role in bullying a couple dozen Democratic protesters at last month’s budget-signing ceremony.

A Scott spokesman, Brian Burgess, last week acknowledged the governor’s office was wrong when a staffer apparently urged Sumter County Sheriff’s deputies to rein-in the protesters because the budget-signing was a private event.

Deputies confronted the protesters, keeping them out of the governor’s view and ordering them to discard their signs during the signing ceremony at The Villages in Central Florida.

Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, last week asked Scott to explain the actions. Scott later told reporters he’d look into it, and Burgess released his statement Friday evening, blaming the action on “confusion among event staff, including an employee of the governor’s office.”

House Democrats, however, want to learn more. They want Atwater and Bondi whether civil liberties were violated and whether the governor’s office should reimburse any public funds used to hold the signing ceremony, which was live webstreamed on the Florida Republican Party website.

The Democrats concluded by asking Scott’s fellow Republicans, “What recommendations can you provide to ensure all Floridians that such a ”mistake,’ will not happen again?”

Jennifer Meale, a Bondi spokeswoman, said the attorney general was traveling to Atlanta in advance of Wednesday’s court hearing on the lawsuit by Florida and a dozen other states challenging the federal health care law.  

House Speaker Dean Cannon went more public Tuesday with his endorsement of Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who is among three Republican contenders looking to knock of Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

Cannon met with the Senate chief Tuesday in Orlando, calling him a “trusted friend, a valued legislative partner, and a much needed voice for conservative principles in Washington, DC.”

Cannon, R-Winter Park, and Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, were close allies during most of this spring’s legislative session, their first as leaders. The wheels came off toward the end, with Haridopolos later saying he was “embarrassed,” by the standoff between the two sides over legislation.

Among the bills that failed to win approval was one sought by Haridopolos, giving wrongly convicted William Dillon of the Senate boss’ home Brevard County $1 million in compensation for serving three decades behind bars.

On Tuesday, though, any hard feelings between the two chamber leaders seemed forgotten. Cannon said of Haridopolos, “ I am confident that he is the candidate that can finally retire Bill Nelson.”

Haridopolos heard similar comments in February. At a kick-off fundraiser, billed as a “private strategy session,” Haridopolos raised $1 million from lobbyists just before the session dawned.

Cannon was among those attending, drawing some notice for pledging his support for Haridopolos. Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner of Delray Beach and former U.S. Sen. George Lemieux of Fort Lauderdale have since joined the race.

Politico reported Tuesday that former Ruth’s Chris steak house CEO Craig Miller, who lost a congressional run last year, is also considering running for the Republican Senate nomination.

“I couldn’t ask for a better partner in the Florida Legislature and I look forward to having the speaker join me on the campaign trail,” Haridopolos said.

A Rick Scott spokesman Friday acknowledged that the governor’s office staff was wrong to keep a handful of sign-carrying Democratic protesters away from his budget-signing last week at The Villages, the Central Florida retirement community.

Brian Burgess, Scott’s communications director, said there was “confusion among event staff, including an employee of the governor’s office,” about whether the signing of the $69.1 billion state budget was a “public or private” event.

“Although it was held on private property that was reserved for the event, the public was invited to attend,” Burgess said. “ The field staffer should not have participated in decisions related to event attendance or admission to the venue.”

Sumter County Sheriff’s deputies chased off a couple dozen protesters wearing blue, ‘Vote Democratic’ T-shirts and carrying signs at the budget-signing last week, that was organized by the Florida Republican Party and web-streamed on the party’s site.

Deputies, however, apparently acted on the orders of Russ Abrams, a Scott assistant, who told one reporter the budget-signing was a private event. Scott press secretary Lane Wright last week said the governor had nothing to do with stiff-arming the protesters.

For his part, Scott on Thursday said that he would look into the week-old controversy. That came after West Palm Beach Democratic Rep. Mark Pafford wrote the governor earlier this week, demanding an explanation.

“It’s interesting an apology didn’t occur,” Pafford said Friday evening, when told of Burgess’ statement. “It appears that the governor is acknowledging that mistakes were made. But I would think part of the message would be, ‘I apologize.’”

Here’s the video of last week’s exchange between deputies and protesters:  http://bit.ly/lCydCl

Only a day after suing Gov. Rick Scott over his executive order requiring drug testing of state employees, the ACLU looked poised Thursday to fire another legal challenge his way — this time over the state’s new elections law.

A pair of Tampa Democrats, Sen. Arthenia Joyner and Rep. Janet Cruz are expected to join ACLU executive director Howard Simon and others Friday in announcing the latest effort, aimed at slowing down the implementation of HB 1355.

The legislation has been criticized by Democrats in Florida and across the nation for imposing tough standards on voter registration organizations, while making it more difficult for voters to cast ballots after they move from one county to another.

Scott, meanwhile, said he is confident the ACLU’s challenge to his ordering random drug testing of state workers.

“It’s common sense,” Scott said. “The private sector does it. They do it to make sure they have a productive workforce. So we should be doing it at the state. It makes all the sense in the world. It’s constitutional.”

Gov. Rick Scott vetoed a record $615 million Thursday from the budget approved earlier this month by lawmakers — saying he was holding “special interests accountable.”

With Scott’s action, the budget shrinks to $69.1 billion, and reserves swell to about $2.8 billion.

“I campaigned on making the tough choices to turn our economy around,” Scott told a crowd at The Villages, the Central Florida retirement community Thursday.

College and university construction projects took a big hit in Scott’s veto list, with most of a more than $220 million approved list eliminated. Among those vetoed was $7.3 million for a Wellington campus classroom building at Palm Beach State College and $3.2 million for roofs and other work at Florida Atlantic University. 

Scott, who earlier called for even deeper cuts for education, urged lawmakers to redirect some of the vetoed dollars back into public schools — which face a $1.3 billion cut.

Representatives of business groups, lawmakers and Florida Republican Party Chairman Dave Bitner were the warmup act for Scott’s budget signing and vetoes under a sweltering midday sun. 

Speakers praised Scott and ridiculed Washington for overspending.

“The people in Washington, D.C., need to use Florida as an example of fiscal responsibility,” said Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla.

The budget approved by lawmakers cuts $2.6 billion from schools, health and social service programs, bringing per-pupil funding to its lowest level in six years, while imposing deep cuts to hospitals, nursing homes and HMOs. Some economists warn the spending plan, which takes effect July 1, could slow the state’s recovery by adding more Floridians to the jobless ranks.

But among conservative tea party voters, who helped vault Scott to a narrow victory over Democratic opponent Alex Sink last fall, the Legislature’s spending plan was a failure.

The budget reduces the state’s workforce by 4,500 positions, to 122,236 employees. It also privatizes prisons in the state’s 18 southernmost counties, including Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, clouding the future of about 3,000 corrections workers.

School districts also are looking to cut jobs in the face of a drop in state dollars. Palm Beach County is poised to close a $35.4 million budget hole by eliminating more than 700 positions, including custodians, classroom monitors and school police officers.

But in his budget proposal, released in February, Scott wanted more. He called for cutting 8,681 jobs across state agencies, while reducing $4.6 billion in spending.

Florida Democrats spent Wednesday firing off several thousand e-mails to the governor’s office, demanding that he veto the entire 406-page document.

“It is a budget that eliminates, and does not create, jobs for Floridians,” said Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach. “It is a sorely deficient budget that is inappropriately balanced on the backs of our middle class.”

With Rick Scott poised to sign into law a new state budget, the focus Thursday morning remains on whether the first-year governor might also be out to set a new state record.

Scott has said — without providing details — that he plans to veto portions of the $69.7 billion spending plan approved earlier this month by lawmakers.

Tea party activists are expected to form a large share of the audience at today’s signing ceremony. And leading lawmakers think Scott could make a political statement by axing hundreds of millions of dollars in proposed spending.

Could he top former Gov. Charlie Crist’s $459.2 million record for vetoes?

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” said Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, chairman of the Senate’s Health and Human Services budget committee. “I think there’s a real possibility that the veto amount exceeds $459 million.”

The budget approved by lawmakers cuts $2.6 billion from schools, health and social service programs, bringing per-pupil funding to its lowest level in six years, while imposing deep cuts to hospitals, nursing homes and HMOs. Some economists warn the spending plan, which takes effect July 1, could slow the state’s recovery by adding more Floridians to the jobless ranks.

But among conservative tea party voters, who helped vault Scott to a narrow victory over Democratic opponent Alex Sink last fall, the Legislature’s spending plan is a failure.

“We were all disappointed that the House and Senate came out with a much higher budget than Gov. Scott proposed,” said Robin Stublen, a leader of the Charlotte County Tea Party, who helped draw supporters to Thursday’s signing event at The Villages, the Central Florida retirement community.

“But I think (Scott) will do what he thinks is right,” Stublen added. “He’s not concerned with his poll numbers or his next election.”

Even as Florida State University administrators work to stiff-arm critics over the school’s $1.5 million donation from conservative titan Charles Koch, Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday added a couple prominent Republican leaders to its board of trustees.

Scott named former House Speaker Allan Bense of Panama City and Joe Gruters, chairman of the Sarasota Republican Party, and a recent candidate for state GOP boss, to the school’s board. Bense served as the state party’s finance chairman last year.

Both also are Noles.

But FSU President Eric Barron has been pushing back hard against criticism that the school has compromising its values — and strayed into the world of right-wing politics — with the contribution from Koch. The part-time Palm Beach resident’s cash will help pay for positions in the university’s economics department.

Koch, a part-owner of Koch Industries, is a prominent libertarian who has helped finance such organizations as Americans for Prosperity which, in turn, have served as a touchstone for the tea party movement.

Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Marcelo Llorente filed suit Wednesday, seeking to stop the Republican-ruled Florida Legislature’s rewrite of elections law that Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign into law.

Llorente is seeking an injunction against Miami-Dade elections officials to stop the new elections measure (CS/HB 1335) from taking effect.

Llorente, a former Republican House member, maintains that a provision that would eliminate Sunday’s scheduled early voting in Miami — in advance of next week’s election – is unconstitutional.

State law, “cannot deny the right of the Miami-Dade County citizens to continue with a lawful and properly noticed election already under way,” Llorente said in his lawsuit filed in the county’s circuit court.

Llorente is among 11 candidates running for the post. But the legal challenge to the elections law comes even as Scott is mostly drawing heat from Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and a half-dozen members of Congress who want the Justice Department to block the elections law because they maintain it may interfere withe the federal Voting Rights Act.

Scott has until Saturday to act on the legislation. He told the Palm Beach Post on Wednesday that he was still making up his mind.

The governor also said he wouldn’t sign an elections bill he thought could hurt voters.

“I’m not going to sign a bill that discourages people from voting,” Scott said during a break in Wednesday’s hurricane conference in Fort Lauderdale. He added, “I want people to vote.”

Florida Republican senators put the legislative session in the rearview mirror Monday and went fishing — raising money for Sen. Don Gaetz’s bid to become the next Senate president.

Billed as the 3rd Annual Boca Grande Fishing Tournament, the two-day event in Southwest Florida is expected to lure more lobbyist cash than any sportfish. But that’s the idea.

“We’ve got to start early and often,” said Senate Rules Chairman John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, who was among the nine GOP senators listed as ‘captains’ of the excursion. “Sen. Gaetz is doing what’s necessary. We might have 40 senate races next year. Part of being a leader is being prepared.”

Lawmakers start session early next year — in January, to begin once-a-decade redistricting. When the line-drawing is completed, all 40 Florida Senate seats will be up for grabs, unlike most election years when only half the Senate is on the ballot.

Thrasher, a former House speakerand past Florida Republican Party chairman, didn’t want to talk of where he might position himself in the line of succession following current Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and Gaetz, R-Niceville.

Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, another of this week’s tourney ‘captains,’ has gathered support for 2015-16.

“I just take each election as they come,” Thrasher said Monday, following a round of  golf at the swank Gasparilla Inn and Club. “At some point, I’ll have to make a decision. But right now, I’m just looking to help Sen. Gaetz.”