Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Holly Benson resigned from her post this morning, the day after meeting with Gov. Charlie Crist who appointed her to the post in Feb. 2008.

“I had a meeting with the Governor the other day to talk about some opportunities that lie ahead, and I regret that because of those opportunities I will no longer be able to serve as your Secretary,” Benson wrote in an e-mail to AHCA workers this morning.

Benson, a former state representative from the Panhandle, is expected to jump into the attorney general’s race next month, according to sources close to the Pensacola Republican. That could elevate interest in a GOP primary against Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, who’s already announced his candidacy to replace Bill McCollum. Democratic state Sens. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres and Dan Gelber of Miami Beach are already engaged in a heated battle for the state’s top law enforcement chief.

Crist tapped Benson, a bond lawyer, to head AHCA in 2008. Before that, she left her Pensacola House seat to head DBPR, again at Crist’s bidding.

In the House, Benson was the force behind a model Medicaid reform project that has had mixed results. (more…)

State Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, questioned the need for Gov. Charlie Crist’s grand jury, which would probably recommend a host of laws to smother public corruption.

“The problem is not a lack of ideas,” Gelber said. “It’s the lack of political will to address this issue directly.”

Gelber, a state attorney general candidate, said has been searching for a House Republican to help sponsor his proposal to let state attoneys prosecute under the theft of honest services, which was one of the recommendations from Palm Beach County’s grand jury. Gelber introduced a similar bill last year but it did not receive a hearing.

Gelber also pointed to a constitutional amendment he plans to run this year that would tighten the open records laws for the state’s budgeting process. “If you want to clean up government, let the sun shine on it,” he said.

LAKE BUENA VISTA — Democratic attorney general candidates Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber traded a few elbows over school vouchers and campaign finance this morning but spent most of their time bashing Republicans during a debate before about 1,000 Democratic activists.

The first debate between the primary rivals saw Miami Beach state Sen. Gelber repeatedly stressing his eight-year record as a federal prosecutor while Greenacres Sen. Aronberg, 38, frequently invoked popular former Democratic Attorney General Bob Butterworth, for whom Aronberg worked in two stints between 1999 and 2002.

The debate’s most heated exchange came when Gelber accused Aronberg of supporting private school vouchers.

(more…)

Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell is endorsing Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, for attorney general. That’s a strong indication that Darnell’s friend and former hometown state Senator, Rod Smith, will not run for AG in 2010.

Smith is the former state attorney who prosecuted Gainesville serial killer Danny Rolling before becoming a state Senator and losing a 2006 Democratic primary for governor. He has been considering the AG race and would be considered a formidable candidate because of his statewide name-identification.

Smith today stopped short of saying he won’t run for AG, but noted that he talked to Darnell before she endorsed Aronberg.

“I have not made any announcement on this, but certainly when my friends are announcing their support for other people, it can be assumed that most of them don’t think I’m going to be running,” Smith said.

(more…)

Florida candidates and political parties are making a mad scramble to collect small donations before a midnight deadline for third quarter campaign finance reports.

The Florida Democratic Party says if you donate $20 or more before tomorrow, you’ll have a chance to win a free night at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club during the party’s state conference next month.

That got us wondering – what are other pols promising for your money?

(more…)

State Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, announced a round of endorsements today from Jacksonville-area Democrats. Gelber is running against fellow Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres for the Democratic nomination in the attorney general’s race. The contest, so far, is the highest profile statewide primary for Florida Democrats.

Endorsing Gelber today were state Reps. Audrey Gibson and Mia Jones; Jacksonville City Council members Glorious Johnson and John Crescimbeni; St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles; and former House Democratic Leader Doug Wiles.

“After learning about Dan’s background and his passion to bring change to Florida, I know he is the perfect choice to serve as our next Attorney General. His near decade of service as a federal prosecutor and his time in the Florida Legislature make him well suited to meet the challenges of today with thoughtful solutions,” Johnson said.

Glades County Sheriff Stuart Whiddon is endorsing state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, in the Democratic primary for Florida attorney general. Whiddon joins Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara in backing Aronberg, who faces state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, in the primary for Florida’s top lawyer’s job.

Said Whiddon, in a statement released today by Aronberg’s campaign: “Dave fits the mold of an ideal Attorney General….previous experience already working in the office as assistant AG, a track record of getting consumer protection laws passed, even experience at the federal level fighting terrorism by going after money laundering operations…no one else can offer Floridians that kind of background and dedication to the job.“

State Sen. Dan Gelber is pushing a constitutional amendment aimed at cracking down on the kind of secret budget deals that got former House Speaker Ray Sansom in trouble.

Gelber, who is running against Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres in a Democratic primary for state attorney general, and Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota, want lawmakers to put the constitutional amendment on next year’s November ballot.

The amendment would require that appropriations bills be written in plain language and that all budget conference meetings between two or more lawmakers be conducted in a publicly noticed meeting.

The state budget is usually crafted in a much different manner, going through a series of conference committees until the Senate President and the House Speaker ultimately resolve their differences behind closed doors.

In Sansom’s case, he was the House budget chairman when he slipped in a $6 million item to build an airport at a college where he later became a high-paid executive on the day he was annointed Speaker.

Sansom, Okaloosa County developer Jay Odom and former Northwest Florida State College President Bob Richburg have been indicted on official misconduct charges regarding the airport.

Sansom and Richburg each face an additional perjury charge for allegedly lying to a Leon County grand jury. They are scheduled to stand trial at the end of this month. (more…)

State Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, has picked up the endorsement of St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara in Aronberg’s quest for the Democratic attorney general nomination. Aronberg, who’s running against state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, in the primary, unveiled an endorsement from Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw a few weeks ago.

Says Mascara: “Dave Aronberg and I share the same commitment when it comes to law enforcement…zero tolerance for anyone who preys on any Floridian, young or old. We need someone in that office who wants to be Attorney General to protect the public from serious crimes including consumer fraud. “

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw endorsed state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, for attorney general today, our Andrew Marra reports from the Port of Palm Beach.

Aronberg is trumpeting it as the first endorsement by a law enforcement official in the Democratic AG primary. But rival state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, suggests he earned that distinction when he received the backing of former U.S. Attorney General and 2002 Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Janet Reno.

Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno endorsed state Sen. Dan Gelber for Florida attorney general today.

“Dan has the gumption and spirit to make the Attorney General’s office a vital force in the lives of Floridians,” Reno said in a press release issued today, saying Gelber would make a “splendid” AG.

Gelber, a former federal prosecutor from Miami Beach, is running in a primary against fellow Democratic state senator Dave Aronberg of Greenacres to replace Attorney General Bill McCollum, who is leaving office after one term to run for governor.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp is the leading GOP candidate in the race so far.

Reno, a Miami native, served under President Bill Clinton as the first female U.S. Attorney General.

Florida Democratic Chairwoman Karen Thurman pitched the party faithful this morning on the Dems state conference by highlighting the scheduled debate between state Sens. Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber, both candidates for state attorney general.

” want to make sure you’ll be at our State Conference, where we’ll get the chance to see our next Attorney General in action. Florida Democrats will have the opportunity to see State Senators Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber – one of which I am sure will be our next Attorney General – debate their vision for Florida’s future,” Thurman wrote.

The conference is scheduled for Oct. 9-11 at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club in Orlando.

State Attorney General candidate Dave Aronberg today announced a “Hillsborough County Steering Committee.” The announcement marks the first significant movement into the critical Central Florida area for the Greenacres Democrat.

Aronberg and his primary opponent, fellow state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, both have strong constituencies in South Florida, which makes securing the Interstate 4 Democrats from Orlando to Tampa pretty important to both campaigns.

So far, Gelber has held an edge in this area of the state if you put anything in endorsements: he was backed by a group of Democrats he once served with in the state House as well as Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa – the only Dem in the state Senate to publicly weigh in on the race.

The list of Aronberg’s Hillsborough group is after the jump.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS — The three leading candidates for Florida attorney general — Republican Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and Democratic state Sens. Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber — are here to speak to a Florida Sheriff’s Association lunch.

Also at the conference at the PGA Resort and Spa is Bob Butterworth, the Democrat who served four terms as attorney general from 1987 to 2003 and was sheriff of Broward County in the 1970s. Butterworth was Republican Gov. Charlie Crist’s appointee to head the Department of Children and Families before stepping down last year and going into private law practice in Broward County.

Asked if he’ll take sides in the 2010 race for his old job, Butterworth said, “I’m not sure at this point in time. We have very good people running on both sides of the aisle.” He added that he’s not sure whether all the candidates for AG have entered the race — a reference, no doubt, to former Democratic state Sen. Rod Smith, who’s considering a run for the top legal post.

State Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, told supporters today that he collected $173,000 for his primary battle with fellow state Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. Gelber announced earlier this week that he collected $150,000.

The two Democrats are squaring off in the most closely watched Democratic statewide primary so far in the 2010 election cycle. Their second quarter campaign reports — which are due today — give a indicate that this race is still pretty close. In other words, neither candidate buried the other in money, so both have pretty legitimate claims for staying in the race.

And why that’s good news for the two attorneys, it’s a concern for party leaders, who don’t want to risk a bloody primary – especially when no Democratic candidate has stepped forward in the state CFO race…

Mason/Dixon: Attorney General Bill McCollum 41%, state CFO Alex Sink 35%, undecided 24 %

The poll also shows McCollum with a large lead over potential GOP primary challenger Sen. Paula Dockery, 53% to 4%.

In the Democratic Primary for Attorney General, Florida state senators Dan Gelber and Dave Aronberg remain essentially tied, with 11% and 10% respectively.

In the GOP CFO race, Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach leads Florida Rep. Pat Patterson of DeLand, 17% to 10%.

Attorney General candidate Dan Gelber announced support today from five of his former House colleagues in the politically crucial Tampa area.

The five House Democrats — Daryl Rouson, Janet Long, Michael Scionti, Bill Heller and Betty Reed — all served under Gelber when he was House Democratic Leader in 2007-08.

Gelber, of Miami Beach, is competing against Dave Aronberg of Greenacres for the Democratic nomination for attorney general.

Just hours after Dave Aronberg announced support today from Broward County Property Appraiser Lori Parrish, Dan Gelber released an endorsement from former state Education Commissioner Betty Castor, the first woman elected to a Cabinet office.

Gelber and Aronberg are competing for the Democratic Party nomination to run for state attorney general, one of three spots in the Florida Cabinet.

From Castor: “I know what it takes to be an effective member of the Florida Cabinet, and Dan has the experience necessary to hit the ground running from day one in Tallahassee. For as long as I’ve known Dan, he has been one of the most effective voices for the issues we care about. His passion to stand up for change is what we desperately need in Tallahassee.”

Read Castor’s endorsement here.

Broward County Property Appraiser Lori Parrish today will endorse state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, in the Democratic primary for attorney general, an Aronberg campaign adviser says.

Aronberg and state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, are the only announced Democrats in the AG race, which means both have similar South Florida bases for their statewide campaigns. That could be a problem for them if former state Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua enters the Democratic primary.

Gelber recently ventured into Aronberg’s turf to pick up an endorsement from Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon. Aronberg returned the favor by snagging an endorsement from Miami Beach City Commissioner Noah Wolfson, who’s hosting a fund-raiser for Aronberg this month.

State Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, picked up an endorsement this morning from Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler. Gelber and fellow Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, are competing in a primary for their party’s attorney general nomination.

Seiler and Gelber were close friends during their time together in the Florida House. Seiler said he prefers to stay out of primaries, but felt compelled to make this endorsement. “We need to make sure that Alex Sink has the right person sitting next to her on the Florida Cabinet,” Seiler wrote in his endorsement, which you can read here.

Gelber’s backers have also been excited about the endorsement last week from state Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa. They point out that Joyner is from the politically crucial I-4 corridor, she’s a long-time civil rights activist and is also the first state senator to pick sides in the battle between the two members of that chamber.

Read Joyner’s endorsement here.