The third time may be the charm for the controversial Central Florida commuter rail project called SunRail.

A special session dealing with SunRail and South Florida’s ailing Tri-Rail system will begin Thursday at 9 a.m.

House Speaker Larry Cretul issued a memo this afternoon saying he plans for the House to vote on the bill on Monday and for the Senate to vote on it on Wednesday.

Cretul, R-Ocala, said he and Atwater have agreed in principal on the proposal, which apparently exists but has not yet been distributed to most lawmakers, if any.

Money for Tri-Rail will come from the state road project fund and money for Sunrail and other rail projects will come from doc stamps from home sales.

PDF: Summary of proposed statewide rail transit legislation

House Speaker Larry Cretul asked federal officials to intervene in gambling talks between Florida and the Seminoles, saying negotiations “are at an impasse.”

Cretul wrote a letter today to National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman George Skibine, who met with the speaker and the House’s chief gambling negotiator Bill Galvano yesterday, asking the feds to fine the Indians or shut them down.

Crist this week said he wanted lawmakers to address the gambling compact in a special session in December.

Cretul’s letter indicates that’s not going to happen.

The Florida Supreme Court last year tossed an agreement signed by Gov. Charlie Crist and the Seminoles and lawmakers this year failed to pass a revised version of the pact.

Under Crist’s latest plan, the Seminoles would have paid $150 million a year to the state for education in exchange for Las Vegas-style slot machines and blackjack and other card games at its Hollywood and Tampa casinos as well as its Brighton and Big Cypress locales in Broward County.

The Seminoles have continued to run the games even without an agreement with the state, irking GOP House leaders and Attorney General Bill McCollum, who accuse the tribe of breaking the law.
(more…)

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist released a memo Tuesday showing he approached Republican leaders in the legislature, including Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, before approving $20 million in cash incentives for a Port St. Lucie animation company.

Crist did not have to brief the leaders, but the governor said he was uncomfortable with the legislature’s decision in the frantic final days of the lawmaking session this year to remove the few restrictions on the state fund that provides economic incentives to private businesses.

“I regretted that,” Crist said of removing oversight. “It’s important to have both branches involved.”

Rest of the story here.

Read his memo to Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul here.

The press release from Wyndcrest/Digital Domain, the company that received $20 million in incentives, here. And the memo from Port St. Lucie attorney Roger Orr regarding the company’s potential land is here.

And even more background on the issue here.

UPDATE: Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, has also notified his chamber that local projects will not be included in the state budget. Atwater said the decision was due to “the continuing fiscal challenges our state is facing and our need to focus efforts on solutions to balance the state’s budget.” “I look forward to working together with you in seizing the opportunities and tackling the great challenges that lie ahead.”

It’s third year in a row members have been told they cannot request money for local projects because of the meager tax collections.

“We again hope to avoid creating unrealistic funding expectations in our communities given the continuing decline in expected state revenues,” state House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, wrote in a memo this morning.

Read the memo here.

Fear not, bookworms.

House budget negotiators raided nearly $13 million from transportation spending to keep money flowing to county and local libraries.

That would bring the total for county and local libraries back to $21 million if the Senate signs off as expected at the next horse-trading session at 8 p.m.

Without it, the libraries would lose about $8 million in matching federal aid.

Palm Beach County would have to fire librarians and scale back on new books and other materials if the cut stays, county officials say.

Money for libraries is one of the budget issues unresolved that House and Senate budget chiefs are negotiating until noon tomorrow.

After that, House Speaker Larry Cretul and Senate President Jeff Atwater take over.
(more…)

Lawmakers have yet to cut a deal on gambling proposals affecting the Seminole tribe’s casinos, dog and horse tracks and education spending.

No money from changes to the gambling compact with the Seminoles is yet included in the budget, Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander said this afternoon.

“We agreed to put it in conference and let the conferees figure it out,” Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said.

Money from a potential gambling compact would be added into the budget if the conference committee reaches agreement.

Other details in the preliminary budget agreement:
- $30 million total cuts to state worker salaries. The House had wanted a sliding scale of up to 7 percent for all workers; the Senate would have hit employees making more than $100,000 with a 1 percent cut. The Senate wants a graduated scale starting with employees who make $65,000 or more. Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul will ultimately decide what happens there.

- $110 million cut to universities. The Senate’s budget maintained spending at last year’s levels; the House had wanted about $260 million in cuts. Alexander said the agreed-upon amount would be more than covered by the $125 million in the budget from an 8 percent tuition hike included in the budget and the differential that would allow universities to raise tuition up to 15 percent per year until it reaches the national average.

- $400 million raid on trust funds, including $100 million from road projects. That’s $300 million less than the House sought from the transportation trust fund.

- The Senate agreed to the House’s $800 million hike in fees, but tag fees won’t be included. The Senate budget originally had about $500 million in fee increases.

- $1.7 billion in working capital and reserves, depending on how much the gambling agreement brings in.

- Buck-a-pack cigarette tax and $1 an ounce tax on loose tobacco but cigars will likely come out of that.

Budget negotiations should be more open, Senate President Jeff Atwater said this morning.

Atwater said that the Senate rules governing which talks should be public and when that should happen might need to be changed to at least give the appearance of openness.

“It’s necessary,” the North Palm Beach Republican told reporters after a briefing with the Senate Democratic caucus. “It’s important for us to be as open as we can in this process.”

Atwater held a meeting with Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander, Sen. Mike Haridopolos and Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson this weekend inside the Capitol.

Meetings between three or more senators are required to be noticed and open to the public. The Capitol was locked over the weekend.

Atwater said the meeting was unplanned and the group happened to be in the Capitol at the same time and that he ran into Lawson after the Democrat grabbed some ice cream in the Senate member lounge.

Budget leaders have yet to order a public conference committee to begin hashing out their differences.

But throughout the week, House and Senate leaders have traded written budget offers dealing with “allocations,” or how much revenue they will have to spend. The back-and-forth proposals have included high-level proposals in which the House agreed to a cigarette tax, a measure which was never heard in committee.

The longer the behind-closed-doors negotiations drag on, the more questions are being raised about the lack of transparency in crafting the state’s $65 billion budget.

A grand jury last week condemned the budgetary process, saying it was not open enough and gave powerful lawmakers the ability to sneak items into the budget with little or no oversight. That grand jury indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom for putting money for an airport hangar into the budget during a private meeting with his Senate counterpart when he was the House budget chairman.

“Part of the concerns that have been raised is that people think we’re running a parallel side-by-side track, that I might just be having conversations on allocations when someone else is actually getting into specific line items and trading bills.
That’s not going on. The longer that thins has gone on the greater that perception may be created that people think that’s actually taking place and it’s not,” Atwater said.

“If it would be helpful that the allocation process could be more open I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” he said.

He said that his conversations with House Speaker Larry Cretul about the cigarette tax were not “in any way some kind of mysterious kind of conversation.”

“I think everyone in Florida knows we’ve been discussing the tobacco surcharge,” Atwater said.

Lawmakers can’t complete their business on the budget before the session is slated to end next Friday, Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson said this morning at a caucus meeting.

“It’ll be probably almost impossible for us to get out of here really next week,” Lawson, D-Tallahassee, said. “It looks very doubtful that we are going to be able to do that.”

Lawson based his prediction on a conversation with Senate President Jeff Atwater late last evening, he said.

(more…)

Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, said the state House would consider the Senate’s cigarette tax hike and gambling package as a way to boost slumping state tax collections, if Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, would accept about $500 million in budget cuts from the House.

Listen to Cretul’s message here.

The message is significant, because the House has refused to discuss tax increases this year.

But Cretul said he doesn’t want to approve a budget that will lead to future shortfalls. The current Senate budget, he said, would hand lawmakers a $2 billion shortfall in 2011.

“The availability of stimulus dollars will begin to decline and the state’s budget deficit will once against expand,” Cretul said. “We need to look at the state budget from a three year perspective.”

Senate and House lawmakers still have not met in formal budget negotiations, which were scheduled to start Saturday. Before the two chambers can meet, Cretul and Atwater must agree to a set dollar amount for the budget. Only then can conference committees meet to hash out how the money will be spent.

Or, in the House’s case, not spent.

Lawmakers have until Tuesday, April 28 to agree on a budget in order to finish on time on May 1.

(more…)

House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, spent about 30 minutes with the “Leadership Gainesville” group on Tuesday and said he was looking forward not just to the end of session, but the end of his House career altogether.

Cretul, who became the most powerful lawmaker in the House about two weeks before the start of session, has passed out calendars to all House members that count down the days until the end of session.

But on Tuesday, Cretul said he was already looking forward to the end of the 2010 session, when he’d be termed out, able to spend more time on the porch with his grandchildren and eventually return to the process to lobby his elected officials.

Cretul received a few chuckles from the group at the end of the Q&A when he said, “I hope that was worth your time, I guess.”

Here’s how he left them:

“Seventeen days can’t come soon enough for a lot of us,” Cretul said. “This was a position I didn’t necessary seek or campaign for. But circumstances put me here.

“Everyday has been different. Everyday has been new. I can’t say everyday has been exciting. It’s been scary sometimes. But anyway, we’ll get through this, because we’ve got a good group of members and a good Senate and we’ll be out of here.”

House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, announced today that the trains are moving on time in his chamber. With 35 days left in a 60-day session, there has been some concern that Republican leaders in the House would be overwhelmed after former House Speaker Ray Sansom resigned in the face of a grand jury investigation.

But Cretul said this morning that the chamber will consider as many bills as its ever considered in the past.

What passes, however, remains a question.

(more…)

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Dec. 31

“Donors have made it clear to me that they weren’t going to contribute because they weren’t happy with the leadership.”

–Florida Republican Party fundraiser Mark Guzzetta of Boca Raton explaining why he joined other top donors to call for the resignation of state party Chairman Jim Greer.
__________________________________________________
Dec. 30

“Don’t hold your breath.”

–Paula Dockery responding to a suggestion from Bill McCollum’s campaign that her gubernatorial campaign is drawing to an close. Dockery and McCollum are facing each other in a Republican primary.
__________________________________________________
Dec. 29

“This process moves the courts from calling balls and strikes, from creating a level playing field, into the realm of a social service agency, picking sides.”

–Palm Beach County Comptroller & Circuit Court Clerk Sharon Bock on a state supreme court order issued Monday that requires mediation on all homestead properties prior to a foreclosure hearing.

__________________________________________________
Dec. 28

“I thought we’d get a lot of junkers, but the cars that came in are really nice.”

–Gerry Vertucci, whose Riviera Beach junk yard has a surplus of auto parts after the federal government’s Cash for Clunkers program.

__________________________________________________
Dec. 8
“They were equally painful.”

–U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, comparing the state approval of the SunRail bill to his successful passing of a kidney stone.

__________________________________________________
Dec. 7

“Ever since the day that I was able to read the Constitution, I’ve been pro-Second Amendment. And I’m usually the only person in the room that can protect you.”

–Republican Congressional candidate Ed Lynch during a debate last week.
__________________________________________________
Nov. 17

“He’s come back with every strange fish there is.”

–Darrin Duchene of Palm Springs, whose son has caught a number of exotic fish, including a jaguar guapote, in a nearby pond. On Tuesday, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission poisoned the pond in hopes of killing piranhas.
__________________________________________________
Nov. 12

“I love psychology majors and all these other folks, but when you talk about the science, technology, engineering and math industry, we have to be focused on the type of economy we have. People ask me, ‘What are you doing to produce more math majors in the state of Florida.’”

–Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith during a rare meeting of the state groups responsible for public education. Of 49,775 bachelor’s degrees Florida awarded in 2008, just 267 were math majors.

__________________________________________________
Nov. 3

“The only reason that I am not crying is I took a Xanax.”

–Boca Raton attorney Stuart Rosenfeldt after his law partner, Scott Rothstein, was accused of orchestrating an investment scheme that handed major financial losses to investors.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 29

“You’re still getting killed.”

–Vice President Biden on Florida’s economy.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 28

“They were leaving because we had not been able to give them a raise in four years.”

–Child Care Association of Brevard County Director Barbara Moore explaining why a progress report for the federal stimulus plan showed she used money to save 129 jobs at her center. The money was used to give all 129 employees a raise.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 27

“I didn’t know his itinerary. That’s all.”

–Gov. Charlie Crist answering questions about why he did not attend any events with President Obama in Florida on Monday.
__________________________________________________
Oct. 21

“Mr. Masilotti’s discussions with the United States produced no new leads, uncovered no previously unknown schemes, led to zero indictments, zero arrests and not a single new investigation. Instead, his information was filled with half-truths and material omissions.”

–U.S. Attorney Stephen Carlton weighing in on a request for a reduced prison sentence from former Palm Beach County Commissioner Tony Masilotti.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 17

“It’s like putting a Band-Aid on an amputated leg.”

–UCF economist Sean Snaith reacting to news from Gov. Crist’s office that stimulus money has saved 22,000 jobs in a state with 11% unemployment for the first time since 1975.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 16

“My concern is either they don’t think we have the expertise or they don’t think we have the integrity.”

–Port of Palm Beach Chairman Ed Oppel responding to a request from the state to halt efforts to develop an inland port.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 15

“This enables him to take credit for what many might see as an empty gesture but one that might advance his ambitions.”

–Tony Alfieri, director of the Center for Ethics & Public Service at the University of Miami law school, about Gov. Crist’s call for a state corruption grand jury.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 14

“Let me say this once: I am not under any investigation. My marriage is intact. My health is good and thank God the health of my family is good.”

–U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, announcing his plan to resign from Congress.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 13

“When in doubt, don’t.”

–Former state Sen. Daniel Webster, a Republican and former House Speaker saying he won’t run against U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, an Orlando Democrat.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 10

“Now give Bill McCollum some credit. He’s done a very good job of making sure he always has a job. But what about jobs for everybody else?”

–Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, a relative newcomer in Florida politics, cracking on her likely Republican opponent Bill McCollum, who has been in politics for 29 years.

___________________________________________________
Oct. 8

“Once again our leadership skills and our statesmanship will be put to the test with this challenging budget environment.”

–State House budget chief David Rivera, R-Miami, on the $2.6 billion budget hole lawmakers face next year.

___________________________________________________
Oct. 5

“The official misconduct charge is hanging by a thread.”

–Indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom’s attorney, Steven Dobson, after a judged dismissed key parts of the case.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 26

“They wanted a change back in 1976. You remember? …. They got one-Jimmy Carter. Four years later, they took care of business-Ronald Reagan. It may happen again.”

–Gov. Charlie Crist predicting a one-term presidency for President Barack Obama.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 23

“We have gone from having nothing of substance to something that is more stringent than state law and even the Miami model.”

–Palm Beach County Attorney Denise Nieman about a plan to create an watchdog unit to investigate corruption.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 21

“I feel we have scrutinized every item.”

–Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess Santamaria supporting a 14.9 percent the tax rate increase.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 18

“We don’t use technology to circumvent the open government laws and we don’t use text messages to discuss state business.”

–Gov. Charlie Crist’s spokeswoman, Erin Isaac, describing the governor’s decision to bar his staff from sending text, PIN and instant messages from their cell phones.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 14

“There’s nothing secret about the Sunshine team.”

–Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum answering questions about a new open government initiative.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 9

“You lie!”

–U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., during President Obama’s speech on health care reform.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 8

“After reading and hearing of what’s happening over at the Public Service Commission, it sounds to me like they’re ready to implode over there.”

–Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, asking for a Senate ethics investigation into possible ethics violations at the PSC.

___________________________________________________
Aug 24

“Such inexcusable conduct undermines the public trust and confidence in the regulatory process and impugns the integrity of this commission.”

–Public Service Commission member Nathan Skop after learning the regulator’s chief lobbyist attended a Kentucky Derby party at the Palm Beach Gardens home of FPL Vice President Ed Tancer. FPL has two cases pending before the PSC worth more than $4 billion.

___________________________________________________
Aug 24

“Whoop de do – who’s that hurting? It’s not hurting anyone.”

–Boynton Beach recreational fisherman Robert Bishop insisting he shouldn’t need a $9 fishing license to catch small fish. A new state law this year requires a license for shoreline, saltwater fishing.

___________________________________________________
Aug 14

“Dunkin’ Donuts is pleased that the signs have been removed.”

– A company spokeswoman after the state fired Bay County Heath Department Director Mike Thomas for posting a sign reading “America Dies on Dunkin” as part of his campaign against obesity.

___________________________________________________
Aug 13

“Maybe by divine justice it came out to a tie.”

–Palm Beach County GOP Chairman Sid Dinerstein on a failed bid to censure Gov. Charlie Crist.

___________________________________________________
Aug 11

“We’re getting back zippo.”

–Palm Beach Councilman William Diamond recommending the town secede from Palm Beach County.
___________________________________________________
Aug. 6

“To walk away without a compelling reason is disrespectful to the party and the people you took an oath to represent.”

–Former Republican Party of Florida Director David Johnson on U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez’s resignation.

___________________________________________________
Aug. 6

“I don’t think so.”

–Gov. Charlie Crist
___________________________________________________
Aug. 5

“Chris Craft is a job-killing army of one.”

–The opening salvo from National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Seré after Craft, a St. Lucie County Democrat, announced his campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta.

___________________________________________________
Aug. 2

“If the editor saw me walking across Sarasota Bay on top of the water, the next day the headline would say: ‘Bennett can’t swim.”

–State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, after being questioned about using taxpayer money to charter planes to commute to the Capital.

___________________________________________________
July 31

“‘Cash for clunkers’ is an apt description of the kind of government Americans are getting in return for their tax dollars these days.”

–Former Jeb Bush speechwriter Albert Martinez via Twitter.
___________________________________________________
July 24

“Hey, nobody thought Utah was going to beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, right? But it happened.”

–Designated House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders on his party’s chances of taking control of the chamber in 2010 for the first time in 14 years.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

July 14

“This is the big banana.”

–Attorney General Bill McCollum about a $2.3 million price gouging settlement announced Monday.

___________________________________________________
July 3

“Every March, when Tallahassee comes to life, no one’s safe.”

–St. Lucie County Clerk of Courts Joe Smith about changes state lawmakers made this year in the way courts are funded.

___________________________________________________

July 1
SMOKE ‘EM IF YOU CAN AFFORD ‘EM

–News Service Florida headline about the state tax on cigarettes increase by $1 today.
___________________________________________________

June 24
“495 days until Election Day 2010!”

–GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum via Twitter.
___________________________________________________

June 23

“Since the legislature is building airport hangars instead of funding FDLE, they’re a little behind.”

–Leon County State Attorney Willie Meggs after being asked when a forensic exam of indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom would be completed.
___________________________________________________

June 17

“Florida received an F-, the lowest overall grade in our survey.”

–The Heartland Institute’s Property and Casualty Insurance 2009 Report Card.

___________________________________________________

June 14

“Hopped up out of bed, turned my swag on….”

–State Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, sending Soulja Boy lyrics out to his Twitter followers.

___________________________________________________

June 10

“I don’t understand it. … He’s unassailable.”

–Sean Snaith of the UCF Institute for Economic Competitiveness on how Gov. Crist has maintained high approval ratings despite the state’s economic woes.

___________________________________________________

June 4

“I guess she’s not going to be able to do it.”

– Norman Ostrau, director of FAU’s Public Ethics Academy, on former Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty’s scheduled June 17 speech on how not to behave in office.

___________________________________________________

May 29

“Pythons are not Republican or Democrat and neither is water.”

– SFWMD Chairman Eric Buermann after touring the Everglades.

___________________________________________________

May 24

“He’s always liked boxers, the wilder the better. But we’d never seen him wear pink before.”

– Sheree Boyd, whose son, Zachery, was pictured in pink “I Love NY” boxers during a firefight with the Taliban.

___________________________________________________

May 22

“It’s been a remarkable job.”

–Palm Beach County stripper registrar Barbara Wilmoth.

___________________________________________________

May 21

“In our business we pride ourselves on telling the truth.”

–Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, explaining that Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty should be fired for allegedly misleading him about an insurance bill.
___________________________________________________

May 20

“Did you guys see my house? I’m trying to figure out if my lawn is getting mowed there.”

–President Obama during a phone call with the space shuttle Atlantis crew.

___________________________________________________

May 19

“On the road again today with my campaign aides Mr. Garmin and Mr. Sunpass.”

–U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio via Twitter.

___________________________________________________

May 18

“We’re going to win!”

–Republican Bill McCollum announcing his campaign for governor.

___________________________________________________

May 15

“That’s all disgusting stuff, man…. I’m not into that kind of politics at all. I don’t want to even talk about it. I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want anything to do with that stuff.”

–GOP U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio responding to a question about Outrage, a documentary that implies his Republican primary opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist, is gay.

___________________________________________________

May 13

“In unique and challenging times like these, our state needs a new and different kind of leadership.”

–Democrat Alex Sink announcing her campaign for governor.

___________________________________________________

April 22

“Do it for the children.”

–Republican Gov. Charlie Crist urging lawmakers to take $1.1 billion from the Seminole Indians of Florida for allowing blackjack, roulette and craps in their casinos.

___________________________________________________

April 20

“My particular newspaper has called on me to make sure that I vote to do away with special-interest, state-delivered welfare to corporations. And I am going to do that.”

–Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, before voting to remove a sales tax exemption for newspapers and magazines delivered by mail.

___________________________________________________

April 17

“Do you want a haircut or do you want an amputation? That is your choice.”

–Rep. Alan Hayes, R-Umatilla, on House Democrats’ objections to nearly $1 billion in new fees to cover budget holes.

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April 15

“They send these kids to Iraq to fly jets, they ought to be able to play blackjack.”

–State Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, on why he opposes a proposal to increase the gambling age in Florida from 18 to 21.

___________________________________________________

April 14

“My car is actually parked right outside the door. So could you let me know what time you’re leaving?”

–Democratic Rep. Audrey Gibson, a Nissan Altima owner, responding to Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton. Hasner said said he wanted lawmakers to approve a constitutional amendment for the 2010 ballot more than a 18 months before Election Day because he “might get hit by a car” leaving the Capitol.

___________________________________________________

April 13

“I’m not going to congratulate you on bringing forth this bill. However, I am going to congratulate you on all the shots you’ve taken as you’ve brought forth this bill.”

–State Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, before voting against a bill from Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff to increase oversight on county clerk of court budgets.

___________________________________________________

April 12

“Tell me about it!”

–U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, responding to a Boyton Beach woman who told him that she couldn’t “live with my parents in their 55-and-older community forever.”

___________________________________________________

March 31

“Smoke ‘em, chew ‘em, dip ‘em or whatever. We have to tax ‘em. Doesn’t matter if its … smuggled in from Castro. They need to be taxed.”

–Senate Health & Human Services Appropriations Chairman Durell Peaden, R-Crestview, in explaining his support for a $1 tax increase on cigarettes and other tobacco.

___________________________________________________

March 27

“Wiggling, who knows? Wiggle, wiggle. I’m wiggling right now.”

–House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, on whether there was “wiggle room” in his chamber’s opposition to new card games at Seminole casinos.

___________________________________________________

March 25

“We’re hoping and praying that the money will be there.”

–Senate Pre-K-12 Appropriations Committee Chairman Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, about the chamber’s proposed education budget.

___________________________________________________

March 24

“Veterans have a right to run for office without being termed out. So I think we have some credence here.”

–Senate Community Affairs Committee Vice Chairman Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, before voting for a constitutional amendment that would ask voter to extend property tax breaks for disabled veterans and extend term limits.

___________________________________________________

March 20

“We threw that away.”

–Senate Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations Chairman Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, on Gov. Charlie Crist’s budget recommendations.

___________________________________________________

March 19

“This is the slowest session beginning I have ever seen in my life.”

–Vern Pickup-Crawford, who has four decades of experience lobbying in the state Capitol, to the Palm Beach County delegation.

___________________________________________________

March 12

“Don’t piss on me and tell me it’s raining.”

–Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, in a heated exchange about President Obama during a Senate Transportation and Economic Development meeting.

House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, asserted his authority this afternoon and stripped a council chair position from Rep. Julio Robaina, R-Miami. The move elevates Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, to head of the House Criminal & Civil Justice Policy Council.

Word is Republican leadership was unhappy with Robaina’s handling of this bill in council yesterday that had the support of Cretul and Attorney General Bill McCollum. Word is that Robaina offered this amendment, that rewrote language on contingency fees.

(more…)

.
After being closed to the press for two years under then-House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, current Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, re-opened the pre-session meeting among Republican and Democrat leaders.

At the meeting, leaders discuss the agenda of the session, including which bills will be discussed and for how long. Today, House lawmakers will spend most of their time welcoming member of the Florida Gator football team and a corporate tax glitch bill that the Senate approved earlier this week

The Florida Senate kicked off the opening day of session by recognizing members and staff who have served in the military.

Today, March 3, marks Florida’s 164th anniversary of being a state, prompting the military honors.

Six senators served in the military, including Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, who served three tours of duty in Vietnam.

Former Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, also received honors because his son, Stephen, is currently serving in the U.S. Marines.

The military salute began far earlier in the day, however.

As the sun rose over the Capitol this morning, Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul raised flags which were distributed to the Senate staff whose family members served or are serving in the military.
(more…)

House lawmakers this morning officially elected Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, as the speaker of the House for the next two years. He replaces Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, who was forced to step down after questions were raised about his relationship with Northwest Florida State College.

“Unless you have been out of the country or away from the district, you know the challenges we are facing,” Cretul said to the chamber opening up the 2009 legislative session this morning. “And it’s an uphill battle for all of us.”

Ray Sansom, seated in the back of the House chamber, and his fellow House Republicans voted at 9:17 p.m. tonight to elect Ocala real estate broker Larry Cretul as the leader of their caucus. The move effectively removes Sansom from power and designates Cretul as House speaker for the next two years.
“I think it’s probably fair to say that all of us would probably rather be somewhere else tonight,” Cretul, above, said after the vote. “But the circumstances require us to come together. … Thank you for your support.”
The 16-minute emergency meeting — proof House leaders can keep a meeting short and to the point when they want — was just the latest chapter in a tumultuous two months for Sansom, who, as recently as Friday, had hoped to only briefly step aside while he faces a grand jury inquiry.
“You’re being asked to make a choice between confusion, disorder and uncertainty or clarity, order and stability,” Majority Leader Adam Hasner of Boca Raton said to open the meeting. “Let’s move forward.”

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From the Associated Press:
The state House’s acting speaker is a low-key, little-known but well-liked conservative Republican real estate broker from north-central Florida.
Rep. Larry Cretul prefers to work behind the scenes and likes to ride motorcycles, friends and colleagues say.
Cretul, 61, of Ocala, will lead the chamber at least until a series of investigations into Speaker Ray Sansom’s connections to a state college are resolved.
Cretul is a native of Trenton, Mich., a Baptist deacon and Navy veteran. He and wife Lana have two sons and a grandson. Before being elected to the House in 2002, Cretul was a Marion County commissioner for eight years, serving twice as chairman and twice as vice chairman.
“He’s not a bombastic type,” said Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, who represents some of same areas as Cretul. “He’s a quiet professional.”
House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, said Cretul would have a “calming influence” on the chamber.

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