Gov. Charlie Crist’s inspector general found Transportation Department Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos did no wrong by using breakfast words as subject lines in e-mails dealing with the controversial SunRail project.

And IG Melinda Miguel also cleared the department of any wrongdoing by not providing e-mails on the SunRail deal to Sen. Paula Dockery until after Crist’s open government office was brought in.

“No evidence was found to suggest that any Department official intentionally withheld documents in violation of the law,” Miguel wrote in her 45-page report. “To the contrary, evidence shows that an unintentional, human error occurred during the initial public records request.”

Kopelousos and her aides insisted that they used the words “Pancakes” and “waffles” in subject lines to draw attention to the messages about the rail deal out of the thousands that the secretary receives daily.

A proposal from President Obama to repeal a ban on gays serving openly in the military — better known as “don’t ask, don’t tell” — has split Florida’s U.S. Senate candidates along party lines.

“We are a nation at war. The governor believes the current policy has worked, and there is no need to make changes.”

–Republican Charlie Crist spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg.

“Marco Rubio supports the current policy and doesn’t see any evidence it needs to be changed.”

–Republican Marco Rubio spokesman Alex Burgos.

“Before the Civil Rights Bill passed, Everett Dirksen told Lyndon Johnson that, ‘This is an idea whose time has come.’ Well this is also an idea whose time has arrived.”

–Democrat Maurice Ferre

“Admiral Mike Mullen’s testimony that repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell comes down to an issue of integrity for citizens in uniform, and for the military as an institution were powerful words of conviction and truth. As a congressional cosponsor of legislation to promote a policy of nondiscrimination in the Armed Forces on the basis of sexual orientation, and having spoken to senior commanders about this issue, the position voiced by the military is a welcome one.”

–Democrat Kendrick Meek

“Unfortunately, that gets a lot of attention.”

That quote from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio wasn’t about this embrace or this sign of affection, he was talking about this one.

Rubio said on CNN on Thursday that “the hug” between Gov. Charlie Crist and President Obama gets too much attention. Crist’s support of the stimulus plan was what was really important, he said.

It was the Rubio campaign, however, that called a picture of Obama and Crist the “MOST POWERFUL ONLINE FUNDRAISING SITE IN FLORIDA HISTORY” in November.

The site is no longer active, but the picture is on a fund-raising page on Rubio’s campaign Web site. A money bomb for Rubio features Crist and Obama embracing.

Today, Rubio is announcing that he’ll return to the site of the Fort Myers rally on Wednesday - the one-year anniversary of the Obama-Crist get-together.

The event, coordinated by FreedomWorks PAC, will feature former House Republican Leader Dick Armey.

From Rubio’s press release today:

“Every day, I am encouraged by the growing support I see for limited government principles throughout Florida and our nation,” said Rubio. “February 10 marks the first anniversary of Governor Crist’s embrace of a failed stimulus policy that has neither stimulated our economy, nor prevented the dramatic job losses that have taken a toll on over 1 million Floridians and families.”

Bernard

The tri-county area is home to the greatest number of Haitian immigrants and has been ground-zero for state and federal Haitian aid efforts.

Newly elected state Rep. Mack Bernard, a West Palm Beach Democrat who was born in Port-au-Prince where the epicenter of the deadly earthquake struck last month, is heading up Palm Beach County’s delegation in the task force, which will include Reps. Juan Zapata, R-Miami, and Ari Porth, D-Coral Springs, and up to 9 other South Florida lawmakers.

Bernard wants better communication from Gov. Charlie Crist, who he said telephoned him the night of the earthquake on Jan. 12 but hasn’t spoken with him since.

Bernard visited Haiti last week. His sister and her three children are now homeless as a result of the disaster, Bernard said.

Crist should appoint a “Haiti czar” to streamline efforts that could be an economic boon to financially-strapped Florida, Bernard, D-West Palm Beach, suggested.

Read the story here.

“It’s that lack of communication, especially from the governor’s office” that is creating frustration for representatives from the tri-county area, which has the state’s largest Haitian immigrant population and is now on the front line providing aid and resources to the ravaged nation, Bernard said.

Gov. Charlie Crist, who has lost a string of straw polls in the U.S. Senate GOP primary, when asked this morning how much straw polls matter:

“Not a lot, as I’ve said before. You know, the only poll that matters is Election Day and I can’t wait for it.”

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, in one of two e-mails last week announcing straw poll victories in the Republican primary for attorney general:

“I am extremely excited to win the FFCR (Florida Federation of College Republicans) straw poll.”

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that illegal immigrants should not count in the census, a position that would cost the state federal money and one that puts him at odds with Gov. Charlie Crist — his primary opponent — as well as the Republican-controlled legislature.

Rubio’s spokesman told the paper that his position was based on “rightful representation in Congress and ensuring that every voter has an equal voice.”

Today, Crist, trailing Rubio in recent polls, called the former state House speaker’s position “absurd.”

“Florida deserves to have her fair share. And I think making sure that we count every single Floridian is vitally important. That’s why I went to the school yesterday in North Miami,” Crist said.

“It is important. It’s important to our state, it’s important to our people. And the notion that you would not want to accept federal funding to make a political statement is absurd.”

Gov. Charlie Crist told lawmakers, who spent much of Wednesday belittling Crist’s budget recommendation, that they have until May to come up with their own spending plan.

“We make a recommendation. This is a process. The legislature appropriates. And they’re beginning that process,” Crist said.

“I know that they will do it in a respectful way and the people of Florida will appreciate that. We have until the beginning of May.”

A bipartisan House panel rejected Gov. Charlie Crist’s budget proposals, telling his budget chief the governor’s plan was as sketchy as building a household budget on winning the Lottery.

“There’s nothing here that I can use,” House health care budget chief Denise Grimsley, R-Lake Placid, told Jerry McDaniel, Crist’s budget guru.

Democrats and Republicans alike peppered McDaniel about the assumptions built into Crist’s $69.2 billion budget, including $1.1 billion in Medicaid funding that Congress has not yet approved, $443 million for education spending in a gambling compact that the legislature last year rejected, $300 million in local property taxes that 24 counties have not yet levied, and the absence of $350 million to comply with constitutional class size requirements based on a measure that has not even gone on the ballot yet.

“The validity of any decision-making process is always based on the assumptions you make,” said Rep. Rich Glorioso, R-Plant City, chairman of the House transportation committee.

Crist’s assumptions are too iffy, Glorioso said.

“I can’t live with that. If I was doing this budget for myself with these assumptions I would be making a vast mistake. We need a better product soon. What if these things don’t come in? You always plan on a worst scenario…It’s always easier to add back into a budget than it is to come back six months out and do another cut. I’d like to see another proposal without all these basic assumptions in here,” he said.

McDaniel said the governor might offer a revised budget a week or two before the end of session if there was no chance a compact was going to pass. But that didn’t placate House budget chief David Rivera.

“I will tell you that as far as this committee is concerned, we need a budget. We have to work on a budget. I’m disappointed that we can’t start on that budget process together because our assumptions are so far apart,” Rivera, R-Miami, told McDaniel. “I hope that we will have other recommendations before the end of session thinking that it’s always better late than never. But this committee in the House of Representatives doesn’t have the luxury of waiting.”

With home sales up and migration into the state climbing, Republican Gov. Charlie Crist pronounced today that Florida was emerging from a historically sluggish economy as he proposed a state budget increase for the first time since 2006.

“Something is starting to percolate in Florida’s economy,” Crist said.

He proposed a $69.2 billion budget for 2010-2011, up 4 percent from the $66.5 billion budget the legislature passed for this year.

Crist’s unveiled his rosy proposal the same day the White House announced the U.S. economy grew 5.7 percent in the final three months of 2009, the fastest growth since 2003.

Performance of the state and national economy is expected to factor heavily in the political fortunes of Crist and President Obama in the coming year.

Story here.

This graphic shows the total budget proposed by Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, how much the Republican-controlled legislature approved and where the final budget ended up for the year.

What it shows is that for all the jokes Senate and House leaders make about Crist’s optimistic budget, his definition of reality hasn’t been too far from their own: Crist proposed less spending than lawmakers initially approved in 2007 and in 2009 both he and the legislature ended up on the same total amount.

Story here

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist unveiled a $69.2 billion budget proposal for 2010-11. It’s a $2.7 billion increase from the current year - and would be the first increase in the state budget since 2006 if lawmakers approve.

“For the first time since I’ve been governor we actually have more revenue coming into the treasury, not less,” Crist said.

Republican leaders in the legislature have brushed off Crist’s rosy budget proposals in recent years. He brushed off the criticism today that his economic outlooks have been “optimistic.”

“It’s a damn good thing, isn’t it? Somebody better be,” he said laughing. “You know, if you had a leader who said we’re going to hell follow me, I don’t want to follow that guy.”

Some highlights from his proposal:

*2.6 percent increase in per-student spending

*10 percent increase in teacher bonuses; new bonuses for teachers based on results from AP exams and International Baccalaureate.

*$50 million for Everglades restoration; $50 million for Florida Forever

*$10 million for solar energy rebates

*$100 million cut in corporate income tax

Budget proposal here. Press handout here.

Story here

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist was promising some tough talk this morning for Democratic President Obama, but he got just a moment. From the gaggle aboard Air Force One:

Q Is President Obama planning on hugging Charlie Crist? (Laughter.)

MR. BURTON: I haven’t talked to him about the specific greeting, but we look forward to seeing all the Florida officials who will be there when we get on the ground.

From the White House pool report:

President Obama landed at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., at 12:00 p.m.

A few minutes later, he was greeted on the tarmac by a handful of Florida officials, including Gov. Charlie Crist. There was no ho hug this time, only a handshake, but it lingered about 27 seconds, according to your pool’s count. The president tightly gripped the governor’s hand and clutched his arm.

Vice President Biden gathered close for a tight photo of the three – in case Marco Rubio’s campaign is so inclined to use it.

Gov. Charlie Crist’s proposed $500 million boost to education spending based on an unlikely gambling agreement is unrealistic, Senate President Jeff Atwater said this morning.

“The numbers that I would see at this moment that were included in that release did seem to be a bit optimistic,” Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said at a meeting of reporters and editors.

Crist’s $22.7 billion public education budget, released Monday, relies on about $433 million from the Seminole Tribe of Florida now sitting in the bank as part of a deal with the state allowing certain types of gambling at the tribe’s casinos.

But the legislature has refused to sign off on a deal inked by Crist and the tribe and early indications show that an agreement this year remains in doubt.

“We worked hard on a gaming compact and we’re not done but to just plug in the numbers that I saw was rather optimistic,” Atwater, who is running for chief financial officer said.

Gov. Charlie Crist, apparently recovered from the man-hug he shared with President Barack Obama last year, is trying to meet with the president tomorrow in Tampa.

Obama will be in Florida to announce the winners of about $8 billion in federal grants for high speed rail projects, and it is almost certain that at least part of the state’s $2.5 billion ask will be granted.

Crist, who is scheduled to be in Tampa tomorrow, said his staff is working on a get-together with the president.

“I would like to see him, yes. It looks like it’s possible, yes,” Crist said after a speech to editors and reporters at the Capitol this morning.

Crist said he has three things to discuss with Obama, including some advice on reaching out across the aisle, a practice that has landed Crist in hot water with his fellow Republicans.

“I hope that what he announceas in Tampa brings a lot of jobs to Florida in the form of high speed rail. Number two, I’d like to talk to him about a more bipartisan approach which means, you know, it’s a two-way street, you know, reaching out more to Republicans and have them involved in the important issues of the day.
And then finally, encourage him on Race to the Top and lobby him a little,” Crist said. Race to the Top is a federal education grant program that could bring about $1 billion to Florida.

GOP critics lambasted Crist, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, for cheerleading for Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package last year. Crist appeared with Obama in Florida last year and a photo of the two embracing was used by critics to embarrass Crist in his GOP primary campaign against former House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Crist later denied he supported the stimulus, saying he did not have the opportunity to vote for it in Congress.

Crist repeated his “let’s-all-get-along” emphasis when asked what he expected from the president’s state of the union address tonight.

“A common sense approach, more bipartisanship, and I hope he delivers,” he said.

Gov. Charlie Crist said he would help create jobs this year by pushing a corporate income tax cut, bringing back a sales tax holiday for back-to-school shoppers and cutting “red tape” for business permits and regulation.

“Most of what we will focus on this session will be related to the economy, to jobs,” Crist said.

Crist wants to reduce the corporate income tax by 1 percent on the first $1 million in a company’s profits. He said his proposal would affect 35,000 businesses in the state.

Noting 1 million Floridians were out of work, Crist said, “We have to do everything we possibly can to make sure more of them gain employment. I think this will help.”

Crist ran through a list of accomplishments, including the state’s Everglades land purchase and retaining Piper Aircraft in Vero Beach, and said he would “probably” veto another bill that deregulates property insurance companies in Florida.

Crist briefly touched on his U.S. Senate Republican primary during a Q-and-A session.

Asked whether he could win as an independent candidate, Crist said, “We’ll never know.” Asked if he would seek an endorsement from former Gov. Jeb Bush, he said: “I’ll ask the people for their endorsement.”

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist said he would be in the Tampa Bay area on Thursday and would attend President Obama’s town hall if the schedules worked out.

“If we can work it out logistically, I will be with him,” Crist said.

Crist said criticism from Republicans, like his U.S. Senate primary opponent Marco Rubio, wouldn’t factor in his decision. “That’s not my concern. My concern is fighting for jobs for the people of Florida.”

UPDATE: Crist shrugged off the poll results this morning, telling reporters that his main responsibility was to govern and “fight for the people.” Rubio’s campaign sent out a press release announcing the results, but did not offer a reaction.

Marco Rubio, who once trailed Gov. Charlie Crist by 31 points in polling on the 2010 Republican Senate primary, now has a narrow lead in the race, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.

The poll shows former Florida House speaker Rubio with 47 percent to Crist’s 44 percent among Republicans, a lead within the poll’s margin of error.

The poll also finds Florida voters disapprove of President Obama’s job performance by a 49-to-45 percent margin.

In hypothetical general election matchups, Rubio tops Democratic Senate front-runner Kendrick Meek by a 44-35 margin while Crist tops Meek 48-36.

(more…)

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that corporations and unions can spend as much as they want on “electioneering communications,” the negative ads targeting candidates.

The ruling could have a sweeping effect on Florida campaigns, especially in battleground races like the U.S. Senate GOP primary between Gov. Charlie Crist and former House Speaker Marco Rubio.

The suit was filed by a group behind Hillary Clinton-bashing ads in her U.S. Senate campaign.

The court decided in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission that banning corporations and unions from paying for the ads equates to a chilling effect on free speech.

“There is no basis for the proposition that, in the political speech context, the government may impose restrictions on certain disfavored speakers. Both history and logic lead to this conclusion,” the ruling reads. “Political speech is so ingrained in this country’s culture that speakers find ways around campaign finance laws. Rapid changes in technology—and the creative dynamic inherent in the concept of free expression—counsel against upholding a law that restricts political speech in certain media or by certain speakers.”

Common Cause said the ruling “creates political crisis” by paving the way for corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of cash on elections.

“The Roberts court today made a bad situation worse,” Common Cause President Bob Edgar said in a press release. “This decision allows Wall Street to tap its vast corporate profits to drown out the voice of the public in our democracy. “The path from here is clear: Congress must free itself from Wall Street’s grip so Main Street can finally get a fair shake.We need to change the way America pays for elections. Passing the Fair Elections Now Act would give us the best Congress money can’t buy.”

No word on whether the Republican Senator-elect will come to Florida and campaign for either Rubio or Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida’s GOP U.S. Senate primary. But Rubio supporters are hoping to tap into the momentum from the Massachusetts phenomenon.

Citing Brown’s historic victory on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint sent a fund-raising letter to supporters today asking to help raise $500k for Rubio by Feb. 10. (The date is an anniversary of sorts.)

“Conservatives across the country recently supported a moneybomb for Senator-elect Scott Brown, which raised $1.3 million for his campaign in just 24 hours. If we can raise just a fraction of that amount for Marco Rubio’s campaign, it will give him the momentum and resources he needs to win,” wrote DeMint, R-S.C.

Republicans aren’t the only one trying to raise money in Brown’s wake. Democratic U.S. House candidate Ted Deutch of Boca Raton penned a similar plea on Wednesday.

That’s about how it went Wednesday among candidates for Florida’s open U.S. Senate seat as each scrambled to point out parallels between his campaign and that of Brown, whose victory Tuesday gave Republicans a Senate seat in Massachusetts for the first time since 1972.

“You’d think these guys were best friends with Scott Brown,” said Wayne Bertsch, whose Tallahassee-based phone bank company dialed 300,000 Massachusetts voters in the final days of the Senate race.

Rest here.