The New York Times story hinted the change was meant to benefit U.S. Sugar and its law firm, where Crist’s ally, U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, was a partner.
Alan Farago of the group Friends of the Everglades says Crist abandoned the Bush plan because of science.
“Gov. Bush is quite critical of the U.S. Sugar deal, but in fact, the plan that he advocated and committed a billion dollars to was also based on very, very uncertain technologies and investments,” Farago said. “For instance, the largest man-made reservoir in the world, which is now sitting off U.S. 27 in a state of half-completeness.”
Environmentalists are upset that the story targeted Crist’s ties to U.S. Sugar, but failed to highlight the connections involving Crist’s opponent, former House Speaker Marco Rubio.
The WFSU story quotes our blog item pointing out Rubio received more than $14,000 from Florida Crystals, one of the main opponents to the Everglades deal. We updated that number to $24,200 in a blog post yesterday.
Marco Rubio is attempting to do just that with this web video released today, just hours before the South Florida Water Management District takes another critical vote on the Charlie Crist-backed plan to buy up U.S. Sugar land in the name of Everglades restoration. Crist has called the deal one of the biggest accomplishments of his term in the governor’s office.
The video compares the Sugar deal to the stimulus package and the cash-for-clunkers program and also cites a Palm Beach Postarticle pointing out that Crist has received $103,987 from U.S. Sugar executives plus their families, attorneys and lobbyists.
When that same standard is applied to Rubio, however, his campaign received $24,200 from Florida Crystals Corp., Sugar’s rival and one of the loudest critics of the deal. Put another way, 1.15 percent of Crist’s campaign collections so far are from Sugar-related interests, while 0.71 percent of Rubio’s campaign can be traced back to Crystals.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio launched the first television ad of his increasingly hostile primary race with Gov. Charlie Crist.
Rubio uses the 60-second spot, running on Fox News, to cast himself in the role as a thoughtful alternative to President Obama, framing his anti-tax message as the best option for the future of America’s children.
Gov. Charlie Crist says he tossed out the possibility that Marco Rubio used his Florida Republican Party credit card for a back waxing after reading it in the St. Petersburg Times on Sunday. The column, from political editor Adam Smith, speculated on what the $135 charge could have been for after Rubio told Fox News that it wasn’t for a hair cut.
Crist, who is badly trailing Rubio according to a new poll today, said repeating the comment would not risk distracting voters from the fiscal issues he and Rubio are debating.
“It puts a fine point on the issue,” Crist told reporters after the Cabinet meeting this morning. “And the issue is whether or not people can trust the speaker to spend their money wisely. I mean, clearly they can’t.”
Crist also sidestepped a question about whether, in hindsight, he would push as hard for former state GOP chairman Jim Greer. “Remember, Chairman Greer wasn’t chairman when Speaker Rubio had his credit card.”
Republican Gov. Charlie Crist‘s Senate campaign responded to a jab from primary rival Marco Rubio, who called the Everglades land buy a “bailout” for U.S. Sugar: From Crist spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg:
“Marco Rubio is being supported in this campaign and in previous campaigns by Florida Crystals sugar company, who is the number one opponent to this Everglades restoration purchase. What else would you expect from a lobbyist who is bought and paid for by special interests?”
Rubio has received more thank $14,000 from the Fanjuls family, which owns Florida Crystals, and Gaston Gantens, the company’s chief lobbyist. The company and its subsidiaries gave anotehr $4,500 to Rubio during his nine years in the state House.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio said a New York Timesstory has raised “troubling new questions” about the U.S. Sugar purchase negotiated by his primary rival, Gov. Charlie Crist. From Rubio’s press release today:
“This deal is nothing more than a massive taxpayer-funded bailout for a top Charlie Crist campaign donor and a profitable bonanza for Crist’s inner circle.
“Once again, Charlie Crist has put his political ambition ahead of the people of Florida, and once again the results are disastrous for taxpayers. In fact, this bailout plan is the second most expensive photo op Charlie Crist has ever staged.
“Charlie Crist’s bailout plan will require higher taxes and increased debt, and it does nothing for the Everglades. In fact, it actually halts real restoration projects started by Jeb Bush, which were already underway.
“Charlie Crist simply can’t be trusted to go to Washington to fight massive government spending because, more often than not, he’s the one proposing it.”
Former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, who left office last year before finishing out his first term, has joined the board of directors of the state’s second largest utility.
Martinez, 63, was elected to Raleigh, N.C.-based Progress Energy’s board earlier this month.
Progress Energy operates Progress Energy Florida, which provides power to nearly 2 million customers in the Tampa Bay area. State utility regulators recently turned down the utility’s $500 million rate hike request.
Not a bad part-time gig for Martinez. The annual pay for outside directors like him is $80,000 including $30,000 towards a deferred compensation plan, according to the company’s federal SEC filings.
Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate in 2005, Martinez was the mayor of Orange County and was on the Orlando Utilities Commission. He’s been lobbying as a partner with the law firm DLA Piper since leaving office last year.
Martinez’s early retirement set off a political cascade in Florida and paved the way for Gov. Charlie Crist to take his place.
Crist appointed his own former chief of staff George LeMieux as a place-holder to fill in for Martinez until the November election. Crist is running in a GOP primary for the seat against former House Speaker Marco Rubio.
Republican Marco Rubio‘s U.S. Senate campaign posted this video on Monday in response to Gov. Charlie Crist, his primary rival, telling The Post editorial board that he wouldn’t completely scrap President Obama’s health care reform. Crist, however, also refused to identify any parts of the reform that he would keep.
Senate President Jeff Atwater said he is more than willing to hand over his Republican Party of Florida-issued American Express credit card statements but that the party’s new chairman, Sen. John Thrasher, won’t do it.
Reporters asked Atwater, who is running statewide for chief financial officer, about the notorious AmEx spending that’s embroiled former House Speaker and U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio and former House Speaker Ray Sansom.
“I asked Chairman Thrasher if he would release the statements of the RPOF credit card that was assigned to me and he said no,” Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said. “He said he has his internal process going on…I have asked him and he has said no. That is the party’s card. It is not my card. I do not have the statements.”
When pressed about why Atwater did not request the statements, he insisted he could not.
“I’m not the card. That would be RPOF. It’s RPOF’s card. So if RPOF were to request those statements I assume they could get them. At this point, it is the party’s card. And I have asked the chairman would you release any card statements that were associated with me? I have no qualms about what anyone would see on that and he said no, we’re doing our process.”
Atwater had one of the AmEx cards while he was recruiting Republican Senate candidates and raising money for the party in 2007 and 2008. He says he used the card strictly for party-related business.
The cards, issued to an undisclosed group of top elected Republicans and party officials, have been a continuing source of embarrassment as details have emerged of lavish spending by former Chairman Jim Greer (including that $3,600 meal at Brasserie L’Escalier), indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom (his $173,000 in AmEx charges included a family trip to Europe and an $893 Starbucks tab) and former exec director Delmar Johnson ($133,763 in a single month last summer).
Rubio got his turn in the AmEx spotlight last week when someone, presumably a supporter of opponent Gov. Charlie Crist’s slumping GOP Senate bid, leaked records of Rubio’s $125,000 in charges from 2006 to 2008. No Greer-scale extravagances emerged, but the records showed a $133.75 visit to Churchill’s Barber Shop in Miami that Rubio said he paid himself.
Crist and Rubio take questions after they spoke to the Christian Family Coalition in Miami. Bender/Post
1. No, Gov. Charlie Crist is not giving up his Republican registration. But it’s pretty clear now that he’s decided to promote the independent streak that won him national attention as he built a bipartisan image his first year in office.
2. Speaking of Crist’s first year: With his final State of the State coming on Tuesday, here’s a timely look-back at our coverage of his 2007 speech, when he called for more environmental preservation and a voting paper trail and included a quote from Robert Kennedy:
“For him to get up there and do what he did today, he said: ‘I’m my own man,’ that was a strong message,” said Sen. Victor Crist, R-Temple Terrace, who is not related to the governor. “When he gave his final quote from Robert Kennedy, that was bold, and I watched Speaker Rubio’s face, and I turned to the two House members on either side of me, and I said, ‘Oh-oh.’ “
House Speaker Marco Rubio said Crist’s style has helped improve the tone in Tallahassee. “By far the most optimistic first day of session in the eight I’ve been a part of,” said Rubio, R-West Miami. “I think there is a general tone of cooperation.”
3. By portraying himself as an independent Republican (someone who loves guns, hates taxes and can work across the aisle), Crist is hoping to steal some of the sizzle of Rubio’s image as the anti-establishment candidate. In Broward County, Crist tried to use Rubio’s campaign against him:
Saturday, February 27th, 2010 by Michael C. Bender
Neither Gov. Charlie Crist nor former Speaker Marco Rubio mentioned the other by name at the forum this morning in Miami, but the target of their barbs was unmistakable.
Sen. Mike Haridopolos and Rep. Dean Cannon – on tap to be the next Senate President and House Speaker – aren’t coughing up their state GOP-issued credit card statements, the pair said in a press release today.
“While the media is now calling for the release of many of the Party’s internal financial records, it is our firm belief that the professional auditors should be allowed to do their job without the interference of a media circus surrounding the release of any records,” Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, and Cannon, R-Winter Park, said in the release.
The leaders-to-be issued the release after former House Speaker Marco Rubio’s American Express statements were leaked to the media earlier this week, causing embarrassment for Rubio’s U.S. Senate campaign and glee for his GOP primary opponent Gov. Charlie Crist.
Crist has said that the Republican Party of Florida books should be opened up because of questionable spending by RPOF staff. The party’s spending was among the reasons former state GOP boss Jim Greer was forced out last month.
New RPOF Chairman Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, ordered an audit of the party’s books to begin on Monday.
The Democratic National Committee released a second video highlighting U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio’s state GOP party-issued credit card spending when Rubio was Florida House Speaker.
The Dems’ attack ad is curious, however, because it appears to promote Rubio’s opponent Gov. Charlie Crist.
Interspersed with newsclips from MSNBC and FoxNews are interviews with Crist in which he criticizes Rubio’s AmEx spending and comments that if Rubio doesn’t like the flak, “That’s too bad. Welcome to the NFL.”
Rubio racked up nearly $110,000 on his Republican Party of Florida American Express card -including expenditures for items like Internet music, wine and repairs to his family mini-van – that are raising eyebrows on TV news shows nationwide.
The first ad is a take-off on the MasterCard “Priceless” marketing campaign. It also ends with the RPOF’s Tallahassee street address and advises watchers to send their credit card bills there.
It’s no secret that the Florida U.S. Senate race has captured the attention of the national media and is a crucial race for both parties.
But much of the focus has been on the GOP primary featuring Gov. Charlie Crist, who is leaving office after only one term to pursue the post, and former House Speaker Marco Rubio, the first Cuban-American speaker of the Florida House whose somber face ran on the cover of The New York Times Sunday magazine not long ago, prompting Crist’s campaign to dub him “New York Times Cover Boy.”
While Rubio and Crist slug it out (and it’s getting uglier every day), U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, the Democrat who will likely face off against one of them in November, has been busily stumping around the state gathering petition signatures in the hopes of becoming the first U.S. Senate candidate from Florida ever to qualify by petition.
“It looks like an act of financial desperation when you’re charging a $7 sandwich at Chik-fil-a. That doesn’t sound like sound financial management of your personal income,” Crist said in an interview Friday with The Palm Beach Post editorial board.
In an hour-long interview (video here), Crist hit on a range of subjects, including:
*Running as an independent: Crist said political advisers have raised the possibility, but said he will not change parties.
*Ethics reform: He will suggest criminal penalties in state law for public corruption, a topic he will address in his State of the State speech on Tuesday.
*Oil drilling: Crist said he was not convinced drilling on the state’s shores could be done safely. “Not yet, but I’m close,” he said.
*Health care reform: Crist said he would not “start from scratch” like many Washington D.C. Republicans have suggested to President Obama. Instead, Crist said he would remove any parts of the bill that would raise taxes, raise rates or take money out of Medicare.
Capitalizing on the scandal erupting over the state GOP’s credit card spending, national Democrats released a video take-off of the MasterCard “Priceless” television campaign.
“Getting your personal bills paid for by the Republican Party of Florida like Marco Rubio: Priceless,” the Democratic National Committee video mocks.
The state GOP may get some unwanted mail as a result of the “Priceless” satire.
“Want your bills paid for by the Republican Party of Florida? Just send them in. 420 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301,” it concludes.
The DNC ad targets Rubio at a time when the once-long-shot candidate’s popularity is soaring while his GOP primary opponent Gov. Charlie Crist’s is on the wane.
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 by Michael C. Bender
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio acknowledged tonight that he put $16,000 in personal expenses on a Republican Party of Florida credit card he was issued while he was in the Florida House. Rubio says he made direct payments to American Express for those charges.
In a letter released tonight, Rubio blames his primary opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist for leaking the statement, which Rubio says at least one media outlet has in its possession.
There have been rumors that Rubio made questionable purchases, but Rubio does not say exactly what those were. The relevant paragraph:
During the period in question, there was no formal process provided by the Party regarding personal charges made on an AMEX account. At no time during my four years as a cardholder did the party ask me to provide additional information about, or personally pay, any of the charges I submitted for payment. I always took it upon myself to identify and directly pay American Express for all non-official expenses. During the two-year period in question, I made $16,052.50 in direct payments to AMEX to cover non-party related expenditures.
To the greatest extent possible, I made sure the Party never paid for any personal charges. In fact, all of my statements were- at least I certainly hope they were- reviewed and approved by former Chairman Jim Greer or others designated by him.
UPDATE:Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman applauded Crist’s interest in the Sansom case and is urging him to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate corruption in the Florida Republican Party. Her letter is here.
Republican Charlie Crist‘s campaign sent out its second missive in two days trying to saddle primary opponent Marco Rubio to the mess left by former Speaker Ray Sansom’s resignation.
Sansom was Rubio’s hand-picked budget chairman while Sansom was tucking controversial deals for a local college into the budget. And while its fair to question about how much Rubio knew about what was going on, Crist’s tactics ignore that the governor had final say on line items in the budget and did not veto the project.
Crist has demanded Rubio “release all emails and documents between Rep. Sansom, yourself, and your respective staff.” But one of the big problems is House rules let lawmakers delete their e-mails at will, a standard that is far less strict than the requirements the legislature imposes on state agencies, the governor’s office and local governments. Crist has shown little interest in urging lawmakers to change that standard.
Today, Crist’s campaign takes a different approach, implying that Rubio not only should have known about Sansom’s budget dealings, but similarly may have used his influence to feather his own nest as speaker. From the press release:
Speaker Rubio, didn’t you insert tax payer funding for Florida International University including $50,000 for FIU’s Metropolitan Center into the 2007 and 2008 budget?
Speaker Rubio, didn’t you receive a job at FIU’s Metropolitan Center while you were still Speaker of the Florida House?
Speaker Rubio, weren’t you given an unadvertised job, like Ray Sansom, with full benefits from FIU two months after the legislative session concluded?
“After eight months of waiting, Marco Rubio is pleased Charlie Crist has finally accepted our long-standing invitation to have a real debate on the issues affecting Florida’s and our nation’s future,” said Rubio for Senate spokesman Alex Burgos. “For nearly a year, Charlie Crist has avoided a serious policy debate or an honest discussion of his record. Instead, he has relied on the broken politics of shrill name-calling, cynical reinvention and petty attacks.“Only now, when his campaign is increasingly desperate and willing to say and do anything to turn the tide, has he apparently realized the importance of a substantive debate on the issues.“FOX Network has shown serious interest in this primary campaign since day one and was the first national news organization to extend an invitation for a debate. Marco Rubio gladly accepted immediately and will be happy to debate Charlie Crist on Meet the Press or anywhere else after he has kept his commitment to have the first debate on FOX on March 28. No national news organization has shown greater interest in covering this race than FOX. It’s unfortunate that Charlie Crist doesn’t understand this.”
Republican Gov. Charlie Crist‘s campaign announced he would participate in two U.S. Senate Republican debates in March. Fellow GOP candidate Marco Rubio has already agreed to one. From the Crist campaign:
The Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate campaign today announced that Gov. Crist has agreed to participate in campaign debates hosted by Meet The Press on March 7th, 2010 and Fox News Sunday on March 28th, 2010.
“Governor Crist looks forward to participating in an open and honest discussion with Speaker Rubio about issues that directly affect Florida voters,” said Communications Director Andrea Saul. “These debates will give Floridians the chance to learn more about the candidates’ actual records, and to see for themselves that Governor Crist is the clear choice when it comes to sending a Senator to Washington who will stand behind the principles of less government, less taxes, and more personal freedom.”
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