About 30 members of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party’s Policy Committee were unanimous Tuesday night in backing state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, in a special congressional election, county Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel says.

Deutch is the best-known Palm Beach County candidate who has announced for the Palm Beach-Broward seat of U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, who’s leaving in January to head a Middle East-focused think tank.

Another well-known Palm Beach County Democrat — West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel — is also considering the race.

Asked about Frankel, Siegel said: “As good as she is, and as great a representative as she would make, I don’t think she would find any support among the organized ranks of the party.”

The Democratic party’s policy committee includes top party officials, “zone leaders” responsible for get-out-the-vote efforts and presidents of Democratic clubs. A formal vote wasn’t taken, Siegel said, because of party rules against making endorsements in primaries.

UPDATED with a comment from Lois Frankel below.

WEST PALM BEACH — Appearing with a dozen Democratic elected officials a few blocks away from potential rival Lois Frankel’s office, state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said his congressional campaign has already topped $100,000 in contributions since setting up a campaign web site late Thursday.

Deutch is running for the seat of U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, who last week announced he’s stepping down in January to head the nonprofit Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation.

Deutch’s campaign today announced endorsements from 16 elected Democrats. Most of them stood behind Deutch outside the Palm Beach County Governmental Center this morning. The endorsers include County Commissioner Burt Aaronson, who said he gave “a lot of thought” to running for Wexler’s seat.

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Fifteen elected Democrats from Palm Beach County are slated to appear this morning with state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, to show their support for his special-election bid for the congressional seat of think tank-bound U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton.

The event will take place at 11:30 a.m. outside the Palm Beach County Governmental Center — a block or so away from the office of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, who’s considering entering the congressional race herself.

In addition to Frankel, the other big question mark is Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter.

Read the list of Deutch’s endorsers after the jump…..

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With U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, resigning in January, state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, has announced he’ll run in the special election to replace Wexler. That has state Rep. Maria Sachs and others eyeing Deutch’s Senate seat — which will only be open if Deutch wins the congressional race.

Read about it in this week’s Politics column…..

A special election to replace U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, will cost Palm Beach County about $600,0000, Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher says. And if state Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, wins that election, Bucher estimates it could cost another $500,000 to hold a special election to fill Deutch’s Senate seat.

Wexler is leaving in January, midway through his seventh term, to head the nonprofit Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation.

Under state law, the county can recover special election costs from the state. But the reimbursements won’t come until July 1 at the earliest and could take longer, Florida Department of State spokeswoman Jennifer Krell Davis said.

Palm Beach County has already submitted requests for about $246,000 to recover expenses from special elections this summer to fill a state Senate vacancy and an open state House seat.

Bucher’s estimates for the special congressional and state Senate elections assume there is both a primary and general election for each seat. Both districts run into Broward County. Bucher didn’t estimate costs there.

State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Coral Springs, said this morning he will not enter the special election to replace U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton.

“I gave this really serious consideration and I enjoy my life as it is,” said Ring, who said serving in Congress would disrupt his family life.

The Broward County resident also noted that 71 percent of congressional District 19 voters live in Palm Beach County.

“Not that it’s not winnable, but it’s primarily a Palm Beach seat,” Ring said.

Ring, a wealthy former Yahoo executive, was considered a potentially formidable candidate because of his ability to pour personal money into an expected short campaign.

State Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, former Broward County Mayor Ben Graber and Jose Ruiz, all Democrats, have announced their intentions to run. Wexler is stepping down in January to head a Middle East-focused think tank.

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, was instrumental in getting little-known Democrats Ted Deutch and Jeremy Ring elected to the state Senate in 2006.

Now the Wexler proteges could battle each other for their mentor’s congressional seat.

Boca Raton Sen. Deutch and Coral Springs Sen. Ring are among the half dozen or more Democrats who might enter a special election for Wexler’s Palm Beach-Broward congressional seat when Wexler steps down in January to head a Middle East think tank.

Wexler remains close to Deutch and Ring, but a Democratic insider said Wexler is likely to endorse Deutch as his replacement.

Other prominent Democrats eyeing the race include West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter, former Broward Mayor Ben Graber and former Boca Raton state Rep. Irving Slosberg.

The winner of the Democratic primary will likely claim the seat in a district where Democrats hold more than a 2-to-1 registration edge over Republicans and no GOP candidate has received more than 34.4 percent since 1996.

Primary and general election dates will be set after Gov. Charlie Crist receives a resignation letter from Wexler.

Graber, who got 6.6 percent against Wexler last year as a no-party candidate, announced today he will run as a Democrat in the special election.

Other potential candidates said they were in soul-searching mode.

“I have to talk to my friends and family and see what’s in my heart,” said Frankel.

“I am talking to community members, I am talking to leaders all across my district and most importantly I am talking to my family,” said Deutch, who expects to make an announcement Thursday.

Ring said he is “absolutely investigating it, considering it. I should have a decision this weekend.”

Ritter said she’ll make a decision next week.

With about 71 percent of District 19 voters in Palm Beach County, Broward candidates Ring and Ritter both said they would have to analyze whether multiple Broward candidates would hurt each other and maximize Palm Beach County’s advantage.

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, will probably back state Sen. Ted Deutch in the special election to fill Wexler’s congressional seat, a knowledgeable Democratic source says.

Wexler himself wasn’t ready to make any endorsements today as he confirmed he’s leaving Congress in the middle of his seventh term to become president of the nonprofit Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation.

Wexler has a long history of getting involved in Democratic primaries and other local races. His most memorable activity was probably his successful 2004 effort to topple former elections chief Theresa LePore and install Arthur Anderson. Wexler later cooled on Anderson and was neutral when Anderson lost his reelection bid last year to Susan Bucher.

In 2006, Wexler backed Deutch in a Democratic state Senate primary and helped him defeat better-known, better-financed state Rep. Irving Slosberg. At the same time, Wexler was instrumental in Jeremy Ring’s victory over Ben Graber in a Democratic state Senate primary in Broward County. Now Deutch and Ring are among the candidates considering running for Wexler’s congressional seat.

Wexler hinted he’ll make an endorsement soon.

“I have been known to get involved in primaries before, both to people’s happiness and chagrin…I’ve done it before. I care deeply about the person who will replace me and lead this community in Congress, so we’ll leave that for another day,” Wexler said.

Seven-term U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, has told South Florida Democratic insiders he will resign from Congress to take a job with a nonprofit that promotes peace in the Middle East.

Wexler, 48, is to discuss his timetable for leaving office and other details publicly Wednesday morning after speaking to several Democrats individually this week and in a conference call tonight.

Wexler’s departure is likely to set off a scramble among Democrats to replace him in a special election in an overwhelmingly Democratic Palm Beach-Broward congressional district with a large population of Jewish and senior voters.

Among the potential candidates: state Sens. Ted Deutch of Boca Raton and Jeremy Ring of Coral Springs, West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, former Boca Raton state Rep. Irving Slosberg, Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter and former Broward Mayor Ben Graber.

Ring, who said Wexler told him Monday he will be “moving on,” confirmed his interest in running for the congressional seat. Slosberg, who once toyed with the idea of challenging Wexler in a Democratic primary, said he’s “leaving his options open.”

Frankel and Deutch said they’d wait for Wexler to go public before discussing their plans.

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U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan will join U.S. Reps. Robert Wexler, Ron Klein and Mario Diaz-Balart tomorrow on a tour of a Boynton Beach doctor’s home contaminated by Chinese drywall.

The entourage, which includes state Sen. Ted Deutch, will visit Steve and Jennifer Robert’s home in Cobblestone Creek. The Roberts’ daughter has been afflicted with frequent respiratory infections possibly caused by the toxic drywall.

Palm Beach County officials, including Wexler and Klein, have pushed Congress to do something about the tainted building product, as has U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

s had on the lives of the Roberts family, who own a home in the community of Cobblestone Creek. Dr. Steve Roberts and his wife Jennifer Roberts have struggled with their 16 month-old daughter’s frequent respiratory infections, and the fact that their home has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in value as a result of this toxic product.

WHO:
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan
Congressman Robert Wexler
Congressman Mario-Diaz Balart
Congressman Ron Klein
State Senator Ted Deutch

WHAT:
Press Availability Following Tour of Home

WHERE:
The home of Dr. Steve Roberts and Jennifer Roberts
10013 Cobblestone Creek Drive, Boynton Beach, FL

WHEN:
Tuesday, October 13, 10:30-11:30 am

A Republican hoping to unseat U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz literally set his sights on the Broward County Democrat at a shooting range, according to press reports.

Robert Lowry was one of the Southeast Broward Republican Club who went on a shooting spree at a gun range and fired assault rifles at targets including a man in a headdress holding a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

Lowry’s target was a silhouette of a human figure with the initials “DWS” next to the head.

The target practice drew criticism from state Sen. Ted Deutch, a Boca Raton Democrat, who issued a statement condemning the event.

“In a nation that has a tragic history of violence against our leaders it is unconscionable that Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz’s opponent would fire an assault rifle at a silhouette bearing her name,” Deutch said.

“Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz is a dedicated public servant who has earned the respect of her constituents. She deserves far more than a halfhearted apology. The Republican Party of Florida should condemn this candidate in the strongest terms. Unfortunately, this is just the latest example of outrageous vitriol in our political discourse and it needs to stop,” he concluded.

State Sens. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, and Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, called today for a panel of economic and energy experts to travel the state next year and craft a recommendation about changing the state’s strict offshore drilling policies. The bill is drafted anticipating a special session in November.

“We have a duty to make sure we don’t let quick decisions in the pursuit of potentially easy budget fixes get in the way of a balanced economy that includes considerable revenue from coastal tourism,” Deutch said.

The bill would call for a nine-member panel of experts, known as the Florida Energy independence and Coastal Protection Task Force. It would include appointees from the governor, the House speaker, Senate president and, uniquely, one each from the minority party leaders in each chamber. (Read the press release here.)

Deutch and Aronberg both characterized their bill as a way to slow down the issue. House Republicans, led by Dean Cannon of Orlando, introduced a bill late in the session this year to let the governor and Cabinet open Florida’s coastline to offshore drilling. The surge in gas prices last summer — combined with an historic drop in state tax collections — also led formerly staunch opponents of drilling, including Gov. Charlie Crist, to reconsider the issue.

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Sen. Ted Deutch is glad his GOP counterparts in the House agree with a proposal the Boca Raton Democrat came up with two years ago that went nowhere.

Deutch tried but failed to pass a bill that would update state election laws to exempt Internet ads linking to campaign web sites from requiring disclaimers about who is paying for the ad and the candidate’s approval.

House Majority Leader Adam Hasner’s office sent out a press release today touting similar legislation filed by state Rep. Eric Eisnaugle, R-Orlando, calling it a “commonsense solution.”

“In the new media economy, technology advances faster than our laws can adapt. We need to ensure that Florida’s laws keep pace with the technological changes that modern campaigns are now embracing to reach voters,” Hasner, R-Boca Raton wrote.

Deutch later issued a press release saying he would file similar legislation again and reminding the public, and especially the GOP, that the bright idea was his back in 2008.

“Unfortunately, the bill, which had no House sponsor, was never heard in the Senate,” the release reads.

Don’t expect any YouTubed confrontations when U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, hosts a town hall meeting later this month to discuss the 1,018-page House Democratic health care bill.

Klein is planning a “telephone town hall” that he says will reach far more constituents than an in-the-flesh event.

Republican challenger Allen West says Klein’s a chicken.

“The unwillingness to stand in front of your constituents can only be called cowardice,” said West.

Klein dismissed West’s claim. He said the teleconference has been planned for weeks and was not a reaction to the recent transformation of town hall events from soporific C-SPAN affairs to shout-fests that go viral on the Internet.

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The horrific deaths of two Lake Worth children at the hands of their father contributed to a change in law that broadens the information available to judges when deciding visitation rights.

Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law this week a measure that expands from third degree felony to first degree misdemeanor domestic violence convictions judges take into consideration when determining parental responsibility.

Boca Raton Democratic Sen. Ted Deutch sponsored the bill (SB 904) at the behest of Jennie Carter, the mother of 10-year-old Nelson and 8-year-old Crystal Camacho who died after their father, Tony, set his suburban Lake Worth home ablaze days before Christmas in 2006.

All three died in the fire. Camacho died of smoke inhalation after stabbing Crystal in the back, severing her spine and leaving her paralyzed as flames engulfed their home.

Camacho’s ex-wife Jennie Carter had requested a restraining order and supervised visitation for the children.

That was never granted.

The Senate delivered a double whammy to commuter rail by squashing a proposed Central Florida commuter rail system and failing to bail out the financially troubled Tri-Rail.

They voted 23-16 against an amendment combining a $2-a-day rental car surcharge to raise money for Tri-Rail and okaying the controversial $500 million-plus deal between the state and transportation giant CSX to create a Central Florida commuter system.

The surcharge, sought after for years by Tri-Rail officials, would have given county commissioners in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade the ability to impose the rental car tax until 2014, when voters in each county would then have to sign off on it.

The proposal could have raised $180 million over four years for the rail system, necessary to keep service from slowing down and workers from getting fired, argued Sen. Jeremy Ring, a Margate Democrat who co-sponsored the amendment.

Supporters of SunRail linked the project with Tri-Rail to try to sway Democratic South Florida lawmakers who opposed the CSX deal because it leaves the state liable for accidents caused by the rail behemoth.

“How can I vote against three of my own counties? That is a very difficult position to be in,” objected Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami. “You know that old saying. You’re darned if you do and you’re darned if you don’t. So that’s where we stand today on this floor. Many of us.

Bullard voted in favor of the amendment, as did Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach. Palm Beach County Democratic Sens. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres and Ted Deutch of Boca Raton voted against it.

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.

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The Senate budget plan includes no boost to health care spending despite $1 billion earmarked from the federal stimulus package and an anticipated $1 billion from a proposed cigarette tax hike.

That’s raised the bipartisan hackles of Senate Health and Human Services budget committee members, including Chairman Durell Peaden, who phoned in his complaints on Friday to Gov. Charlie Crist.

“You want it in oral communication or blood pressure readings?” Peaden, R-Crestview, said of his disappointment.

Peaden said he has no clue where the money meant for health care is going.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said.

Part of the stimulus money is going to pay for programs for the medically needy and to accommodate increases in the Medicaid caseload, as required to get the federal stimulus money.

But nearly $800 million of the stimulus money is going to be used for non-health care programs and replaced with money a buck-a-pack cigarette tax proposal — if it passes.

Either way, the buck-a-pack cigarette tax proposal will generate $1 billion to offset the more than $1.3 billion the state now pays for tobacco-related illnesses, the proposals sponsor Sen. Ted Deutch said.

“This legislation will generate in excess of $1 billion in the first year. That is new revenue that will go into the health care trust fund for the purpose of funding health care,” Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said..

Sen. Nan Rich called the fund shift a “bait-and-switch” that defies the intent of the federal stimulus plan.
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