• Conservative syndicated columnists appear a total of 121 times per week in Florida newspapers. Centrist columnists appear a total of 40 times, while progressive columnists appear a total of 75 times.

• Nationally syndicated conservative columnists account for 49 percent of the column impressions in Florida, while nationally syndicated progressive columnists account for only 32 percent of the column impressions.2

• Those conservative columnists reach Florida readers 3,917,837 more times than their progressive counterparts.

Rising Seas

"Rising seas in the next 100 years will likely swamp the first American settlement in Jamestown, Va., as well as the Florida launch pad that sent the first American into orbit, many climate scientists are predicting." "Oceans' rise a risk for Florida, nation".

"Crist eyes plan to fill budget gap -- tolls could soar"

"A stretch of the BeachLine Expressway in Central Florida, Alligator Alley in South Florida and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay could be leased to private investors under a plan being considered by Gov. Charlie Crist. Officials concede that the proposal, meant to patch a hole in the state's deflated budget, could send toll rates soaring on the two roads and the bridge." "BeachLine joins rent-a-road mix".

Wingnuttery Waning?

"Headed into the 2008 election season, Christian conservatives are weary. Their movement has lost iconic leaders and the Republican presidential field is uninspiring. But they may have found hope in a trailer on the campus of Bell Shoals Baptist Church."

Organized by a scarcely known Tampa-area Christian group and ending Saturday, the summit sounded a back-to-basics theme: that evangelicals are called to be active citizens to combat threats from the left; that the work must involve not just national advocacy groups but local people and pastors; and the fight requires patience and persistence. ...

But only 104, nearly all from Florida, had registered by Friday. A workshop on the basics of grass roots activism drew a handful of people -- and one was a spy, an activist for Americans United for Separation of Church and State researching the opposition.

Speaking of Budget Cuts ...

"For years, state and local governments have given railroads money to maintain and upgrade highway crossings, which makes some sense since government is responsible for public safety."

Crist says it makes sense to invest public money in private rail lines because they help reduce highway congestion. But it's hard to quantify the public value because the governor's transportation department refused to give Tribune reporter Lindsay Peterson the justification documents, saying officials first needed to check with the railroads.

If the deal makes such good sense, the railroads should step out of the shadows and make the case for continued funding. Otherwise, legislators searching for ways to cut the state budget should bring down the arm on this hand-out.

Attorney Access

"Criminal defense attorneys are asking the Florida Supreme Court to block a new law that would slash $50 million in legal fees the state pays every year to defend economically disadvantaged people." "Conflict arises over attorney access and state paid legal fees for poor".

Oops!

"Sometimes a public records request can turn up fascinating documents."

For example, a request to the office of Gov. Charlie Crist for documents dealing with the privatization of roads turned up a six-page proposed contract between the lobbying firm of Smith & Ballard and Cintra Developments, an arm of the Spanish conglomerate working to lease toll roads in the U.S.

The contract states that Cintra will hire Smith & Ballard and rely on Brian Ballard, a top advisor to Crist's campaign last year, as well as Greg Turbeville to lobby on behalf of the company in both the executive and legislative branch for $180,000, paid in 12 installments of $15,000.

Scrutiny

"Cincinnati Insurance says it's under investigation in Florida". See also "State scrutinizes 2nd insurance company".

"Projects in a bind"

"The Florida Supreme Court tossed aside 27 years of legal precedent when it ruled this month that voter approval is necessary for many publicly financed projects. Now, the justices have to clear up the multibillion-dollar mess they've made." "High court bond ruling puts projects in a bind".

No-Fault

"After nearly two weeks of negotiations, there's a good chance the state's no-fault auto insurance law could be extended." "Fla.'s no-fault insurance law may not expire". See also "Deal cut in effort to keep no-fault" and "Deal may extend no-fault insurance".

"Ex-speaker takes intimidation over the top"

The Daytona Beach News-Journal editors:

Thrasher's letter doesn't present rational discourse. Instead, it intimidates. It patronizes. It misleads -- heck, it outright lies, by depicting Hometown Democracy's petition-gatherers as tools of Big Development. They're not. Thrasher is.

"Voting machine memory cards"

"With early voting for city elections just nine days away, more faulty Volusia County voting machine memory cards will be replaced in an effort to minimize the number of failures that have plagued elections here since at least 2000." "Volusia replacing faulty cards in voting machines".

Ah ... He's actually a Wingnut

Q makes a good point about the Wall Street Journal's silly take on Jebbie, saying he "doesn’t make a habit of violating Ronald Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment (‘Thou Shalt Not Criticize Fellow Republicans’)":

Surely not the same Bush whose staff threatened to defeat Republican senators who didn’t help him pass medical malpractice limits. Or who helped raise millions to take out Republican state Sen. Alex Villalobos for opposing school vouchers. Or who, next month, is scheduled to help South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford raise money so HE can remove Republican legislators in that state who are not conservative enough.

How Nice

"Crist steers big political contract to Dem firm".

"Hapless"

"You might think Florida and national Democrats could not look any more hapless fighting one another over whether Democrats' votes should really count in the state's Jan. 29 presidential primary."

Listen to this.

The leading Democratic presidential candidates had already promised to boycott Florida's primary because the early date violates the national party schedule. Now the Florida Democratic party has begged the officially recognized early primary states, such as Iowa and New Hampshire, to give them a break and let the candidates attend Florida's big party fundraiser next month.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist didn't appreciate our coverage of his plan to socialize his state's disaster insurance market and put taxpayers on the hook for billions. Now his populist lunge has won him a more formidable foe in the Sunshine State: his predecessor as Governor, Jeb Bush.

The highly popular [sic] Mr. Bush doesn't make a habit of violating Ronald Reagan's Eleventh Commandment ("Thou Shalt Not Criticize Fellow Republicans"), but he's making an exception here. BestWeek, a trade publication of insurance rating firm A.M. Best, quotes Mr. Bush criticizing states that are crafting disaster insurance plans "that are as bad as the natural disasters themselves." Which states? "My beloved state of Florida has taken steps along that path." Ouch.

Poll Wars

"The Republican presidential primary in Florida is a tight race, according to an InsiderAdvantage poll, while a Quinnipiac University survey shows Rudy Giuliani with an 11-point lead over Fred Thompson."

What gives?

Atlanta-based InsiderAdvantage wanted to find out. So one of its publications, Southern Political Report, paid a Washington firm, Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, to do its own poll.

The results: Giuliani and Thompson running neck and neck. In fact, Mason-Dixon and InsiderAdvantage found the exact same spread, with Giuliani receiving 24 percent and Thompson getting 23 percent of the vote.

The Quinnipiac poll had Giuliani at 28, Thompson at 17.

''It's time to call out this polling organization,'' Matt Towery of InsiderAdvantage wrote about in a nationally syndicated column published Thursday. ``At the very least, Quinnipiac numbers should stop being taken at face value as the paragon of accuracy in Florida.''

Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown's response was brief: ``We stand by our numbers.''

"Score one for the insurance industry"

"Two Florida Supreme Court rulings released Thursday could dramatically curb liability for insurers, allowing them to pay only actual losses from a covered peril, such as a hurricane or a fire, even if a home is totally destroyed." "Rulings may curb property insurer liability". See also "State high court: Insurers not liable for flood damage from hurricanes" ("Score one for the insurance industry.")

Boot Camps

"Gov. Charlie Crist is recommending the state abolish its only STAR program -- the replacement for controversial youth boot camps -- as part of his plans to slash millions of dollars from the state budget." "Crist: Cut cash for youth camp".

Mulligan

"School districts, cities and counties, frantic in the wake of a sweeping property tax ruling issued earlier this month, will get a rare chance to convince the seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court to change their minds." "Court to reconsider property tax ruling". See also "Justices to consider revisiting bond issue" and "Top court to rehear case on voting for borrowing".

"Uncertainty"

The Tampa Trib editorial board: "Closer Look At Tax Reform Reveals Savings And Uncertainty".

Whatever

"Katherine Harris, Florida’s most notorious former secretary of state, is making one of her first public appearances since her unsuccessful Senate race at a religious conservative conference at Bell Shoals Baptist Church this weekend."

Also speaking at the conference is Rebecca Odell Townsend, who became briefly famous during last year’s governor’s race when she publicly contended that she had borne a baby 18 years ago by Gov. Charlie Crist, then a young lawyer.

Townsend, a lawyer who gives speeches on the Constitution to social and religious conservative groups, wouldn’t talk to a reporter about her child after her appearance on a panel on religious freedom this morning. The child, who apparently was adopted soon after birth by a St. Petersburg family, is now an 18-year-old college student.

Florida's Booming Economy

"Florida's unemployment rate ticked up slightly again in August to 4 percent, the highest it has been since April 2005, the state's Agency for Workforce Innovation said Friday. The increase in joblessness is blamed partly on a slumping housing market. The construction industry has lost 18,500 jobs in Florida since last year. August was the sixth straight month in which Florida has seen a year-to-year drop in construction jobs, the first time that has happened since 1992, the agency said." "Florida unemployment continues creeping up as construction slumps".

Death Row

"The only woman on Florida's death row has taken her case back to the Florida Supreme Court. It previously upheld her murder conviction. Virginia Larzelere's appellate lawyer urged the justices to not only uphold a judge's decision granting a new sentencing hearing but order an entirely new trial." "Fla. Supreme Court hears appeals from only woman on death row".

CD 13

"Eleven months later, Congress still isn’t close to ruling on Democrat Christine Jennings’ challenge of the November 2006 congressional election. The U.S. Government Accountability Office met with members of Congress behind closed doors on Thursday to tell them that they have nearly finished their initial review of the recounts and audits already completed in Florida. A report is likely to be presented to a congressional task force investigating the election on Oct. 2, said Rep. Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas." "Resolution of voting dispute months away".

Paey

"A disabled former attorney returned home Thursday after four years in prison, arriving hours after Gov. Charlie Crist and the rest of the state clemency board pardoned his drug trafficking charges."

It ended a case that gained national attention as an example of outrageous mandatory minimum drug sentences.

Richard Paey, 48, had a broad smile as he exited the vehicle driven by prison officials to his Hudson home in Pasco County.

Grubbing for Wingnuts

"Continuing his push to curry social and religious conservative voters in Florida, Fred Thompson will speak to a dinner of the Florida Family Policy Council, an influential religious right organization, in Hollywood in November. The Family Policy Council is headed by Christian right activist and Orlando lawyer John Stemberger, and is associated with James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. " "Thompson To Speak At Religious Right Dinner".

The Wheels of Justice

"After more than 19 years in prison, Larry Bostic on Friday walked out of a Broward County courtroom a free man."

Bostic, now, 51, was happy and philosophical about his release on a rape charge after test results showed his DNA does not match evidence from the crime.

"I'm lucky. My family stuck with me through this ordeal," said Bostic before heading to the jail to have an electronic monitoring device removed from his ankle. ...

the rape victim told ... the investigator that she never saw her rapist, Sandler said earlier. She picked Bostic out of a photo line-up because she remembered seeing him, a stranger, in the vicinity of the rape a few days earlier, Sandler said.

They Mean It

"The official early states — Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina — have given their response to Democrats who asked if it was okay for presidential candidates to come to the state convention in October: Sure, IF you agree to move your primary out of the 'pre-window' reserved by the national party for those four states. And then, to show they really mean it, they warned in their letter to Florida Democratic Party chair Karen Thurman that their voters and caucus-goers 'will monitor the candidates and media coverage and will ultimately decide whether the campaigns are keeping their promises.'" "'Early states' to Florida: Be careful, we're watching you". Yesterday: "Sentinel: Top Florida Democrats would end DNC fight".

Glitch

"The city of Miami could face an additional $23-million in budget cuts after top Republican lawmakers said Thursday they will seek to fix a glitch in the property tax legislation that allowed the city to avoid deeper cuts." "Mistake may mean deeper cuts in Miami".

Not Ready for Prime Time

The St. Pete Times editors:"In Florida, we're used to newcomers making faux pas on matters that those of us who have been here longer than, say, two weeks take for granted."

For example, the Everglades is known as the River of Grass, not the River of Gas, so we understand your mistake when you said you wouldn't remove it from the list of places where you might drill for oil if elected president.

As an accomplished actor, however, you might have at least read the script first and remembered your lines when you appeared with Gov. Charlie Crist. Asked if you would drill in the Everglades, the proper response wasn't laughter followed by your ad lib: "Gosh, no one has told me that there's any major reserves in the Everglades, but maybe that's one of the things I need to learn while I'm down here."

Obviously, there are lots of things you need to learn about the state. Just be grateful the press didn't ask you about rendering manatees into lamp oil. For future reference, the manatee is Crist's favorite animal, so much so that he's willing to stand up to developers to save the lovable sea cows (sorry, they can't be milked as far as we know).

Scrutiny

"A second private insurance company says it is among those under investigation by Florida officials. Cincinnati Financial Corp. told stockholders on Thursday that two of its subsidiaries -- Cincinnati Insurance and Cincinnati Indemnity -- were ordered by Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation to turn over correspondence with trade groups and others." "Second insurance company comes under scrutiny".

Never Mind

"A year ago, the Florida Cabinet offered hurricane-weary homeowners a deal that was hard to refuse. Make your home safer from hurricanes and you'll be eligible for bigger discounts on your homeowners' insurance, the state promised. The Cabinet even ordered insurance companies to double the discounts. But now, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state's largest insurer with nearly 1.4 million policies, says it will not be giving policyholders those big discounts for storm-proofing their homes." "Snafu blocks big discounts from Citizens for home fixes".

Poor Defendants

"Criminal defense attorneys are asking the Florida Supreme Court to block a new law that would slash millions of dollars the state pays in legal fees for poor defendants. The suit asks justices to rescind Gov. Charlie Crist’s recent appointment of five attorneys to head newly created offices of 'Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel.'" "Supreme Court mulls suit over budget cuts for poor defendants".

Poor Things

"A powerful group of business leaders pledged support Wednesday for the super homestead exemption, but told House Speaker Marco Rubio that much more needs to be done to cut property taxes." "Businesses ask Rubio for more tax relief".

Making Sausage

"Behind closed doors in the Governor's Office, lobbyists representing insurers, health-care providers and plaintiffs' lawyers are negotiating whether millions of Florida drivers will still be buying personal-injury-protection coverage next month." "Insurance plan being hashed out in secret". See also "Increased profit rates cited for lack of Florida property insurance savings". Meanwhile, "PIP loss to hit state".

Math Standards

"Florida's new math standards are good for students and taxpayers." "This change adds up".

Breaking News

"Cabinet OKs specialty tags for NASCAR, troops, prisons". See also "Crist, Cabinet approve NASCAR license plate".

"Behind Closed Doors ..."

"After dog-and-pony shows, candidates go behind closed doors to talk moola".

Playing Politics with Kids

"A Cuban farmer did not speak on the phone or write letters to his daughter for nine months after she moved to the U.S., a clear sign of his abandonment of the girl, state child welfare attorneys said in closing arguments Wednesday in an international custody dispute." "State: Father abandoned Cuban girl in custody dispute".

Florida Hometown Democracy

"The co-founder of the Florida Hometown Democracy constitutional amendment campaign said Wednesday letting citizens vote on land-use changes is not a 'radical, wild-eyed idea' to stifle growth." "Land-use amendment debated".

Attention

Mike Thomas: "Tased student asked for it and got it: Attention". Another view: "Taser doubts". Jac Wilder VerSteeg: "Democracy could use a jolt" ("If it were up to me, the people who don't ask questions would get Tased, bro.").

Whites Only

The Washington Post yesterday: "Key Republican leaders are encouraging the party's presidential candidates to rethink their decision to skip presidential debates focusing on issues important to minorities, fearing a backlash that could further erode the party's standing with black and Latino voters." "Debate no-shows worry GOP leaders".

Battle of the Empty Suits

"Mitt Romney is seeking to emphasize his Florida-friendly stands on issues including oil drilling and a national catastrophe fund, following a couple of public appearances here by Fred Thompson in which he didn’t always say what Floridians wanted to hear." "Romney Takes On Thompson On Florida Issues".

The Tampa Trib editors: "Presidential candidate Fred Thompson's swing through Florida should alarm voters and worry supporters. Thompson displayed little command of the issues or sympathy for state concerns."

Laff Riot

"Giuliani associates himself with Churchill".

Probe

"Florida's probe of property-insurance companies that refuse to lower rates has expanded beyond State Farm, state regulators said Wednesday." "Insurance-industry probe widens". More: "Consultant: Insurance should be cheaper, companies at fault".

Court Throws out Legislation

"Although the state Constitution has always barred the Legislature from targeting unique situations with broad general laws, the Legislature has a long history of crafting such deals anyway. Yet in two cases last week, the Florida Supreme Court pulled back the veil on a surreptitious practice that runs counter to Florida's open government laws. In throwing out the two laws, the court toughened the standard for such laws and opened the door for future legal challenges." "Improper laws put in spotlight".

'Glades

"The Bush administration has changed its procedures for trying to remove U.S. sites from a United Nations list of endangered special places after the Everglades was struck from the list this summer, a State Department official said." "Everglades uproar brings change".

Trails

"$16 million allocated for Florida trails".

Brain Trust

Scott Maxwell: "The U.S. House voted overwhelming this week to help families struggling with their home loans. And even though members of Congress who opposed this effort were hard to come by, you can come by four of them right here in Central Florida. Republican Reps. Tom Feeney, John Mica, Adam Putnam and Cliff Stearns were among those on the losing side of a 348-72 vote to expand federal backing of mortgages."

"'Reprehensible'"

"Former House Speaker John Thrasher and opponents of the proposed Hometown Democracy ballot initiative are asking voters who supported the petition to revoke their signatures."

The initiative, if put on the ballot and approved by 60 percent of voters statewide, would require local voters to approve any land-use changes to local comprehensive plans. The effort to put the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot is spearheaded by Palm Beach attorney Lesley Blackner.

Thrasher - with Al Cardenas, former state GOP chairman, and Barney Bishop, head of business-backed Associated Industries of Florida - leads a political committee, Save Our Constitution Inc., that opposes the proposed amendment.

He was asked Wednesday about a letter he sent voters after he debated Ross Burnaman, a Tallahassee land use attorney who crafted the Hometown Democracy initiative, at the Capital City Tiger Bay Club.

Thrasher, a Republican, sent the letter on Sept. 6 under the letterhead "The Honorable John Thrasher Former Speaker of the House of Representatives." It urges voters to renege their support for the initiative, claiming it opens the door for "special interests" to manipulate the outcome of elections.

The letter takes advantage of a new law passed this year by the Republican-controlled legislature that gives voters 150 days to undo their support of ballot initiatives by signing a form and returning it to the Department of State.

The letter also cautions that control over growth will be taken away from local planners and instead "turns all power over use of Florida lands to certain 'electors.'

"Guess who the 'electors' will be. The special interests and their slick lawyers will rig the system to put our future in the hands of their cronies," Thrasher's letter says.

Electors is simply another word for voters, but Bishop acknowledged after Wednesday's debate that the word was used in part to confuse voters.

A women's focus group on the issue that included a former state lawmaker did not know what "electors" meant, Bishop said. "They thought they were presidential electors from presidential election campaigns. We're just using the words in the amendment itself to show people that they don't understand that it's legalese, and people don't understand what that means," he said.

Burnaman called the letter "reprehensible."

Flip-Flop

"The former Tallahassee police chief chosen by Gov. Charlie Crist to head Florida's juvenile justice system this year announced soon after taking over that the state would fight crime in a new way."

Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Walter McNeil said Florida would not keep dumping the bulk of its money into youth lockups. Instead, the state would take a balanced approach, investing in less expensive prevention programs that stop teens from skipping school, joining gangs and committing crimes.

Legislative leaders and youth advocates say they now are surprised that the agency and governor's office presented budget plans that would do just the opposite - chopping millions from programs proven to reform teens who have not yet committed crimes as adults.

FCAT Follies

"Florida schools could lose the $158 million slated as reward money for schools that do well on the FCAT as legislators look for ways to cut $1 billion in state spending." "Cutback of FCAT bonus is urged".

Tame

"But of the close to 2,000 video questions already submitted for the Republican presidential candidates coming to St. Petersburg this fall, the vast majority are asked by regular people sitting in front of a simple camera. The St. Petersburg GOP debate and its unusual format caused an immediate ruckus in some Republican circles. They feared a political ambush. Or some Web-savvy attack. Or just the unexpected. But, so far, there appears little reason to worry." "New debate covers old ground".

"A potentially potent voting bloc"

"A little publicized provision in the proposed property tax amendment gives a tax break to mobile home owners and creates a potentially potent voting bloc. The tax break could benefit close to a million Floridians, about 75,000 of them in the Tampa Bay area. And with polls showing tepid support for the super homestead amendment, their turnout could make a difference." "Mobile home owners may get break".

If "business leaders" like it, it must be good

"Crist stepped in Monday to kick-start a property-tax ballot measure that a recent poll showed is losing support among voters and dragging down his approval ratings."

Crist joined business leaders in Tampa to launch "Yes On 1 -- Save Our Homes NOW," aimed at winning passage of a Jan. 29 constitutional amendment to create a new supersized homestead exemption. ...

The Republican governor's move puts him at odds with Democratic legislators and many local government officials, who warn the exemption would drain millions of dollars from services and schools.

"I don't think it's right that we're giving Floridians a choice of a tax break, but only if they want their schools to suffer," said House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach.

The amendment is expected to cut property taxes by $8 billion over four years. If approved, tax collections for schools are expected to drop by $1.8 billion next year -- which lawmakers have said they will offset with state dollars. But that will prove difficult, as a sour state economy will likely require more spending cuts on top of the $1.1 billion legislators may cut next month

Voting Lawsuit

"Claiming that a 2-year-old voter registration law will unfairly block minorities, including Hispanics, from registering to vote, the Florida branch of the NAACP and a Miami-based Haitian group filed a federal lawsuit Monday that seeks to throw the law out."

Florida law requires that a citizen's name on a voter registration form be matched with a Social Security number or driver's license number. Florida legislators made the change to comply with the Help America Vote Act.

The lawsuit, which was filed with the help of the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, says the measure violates federal voting rights law because bureaucratic ''errors'' will block people from being able to vote.

Florida "Values Voter Presidential Debate."

"On a night that opened with 90 minutes of prayers, gospel music and Bible verses, seven Republican presidential candidates gathered in Fort Lauderdale to try and win over an evangelical voting bloc that has been a political powerhouse in past elections." "GOP hopefuls woo faithful in Lauderdale debate". See also "GOP front-runners sit out debate with 'values voters'".

See 'Ya

"Head of Florida Highway Patrol Resigns".

Yecke Watch

"The state Board of Education this morning narrowed its seven remaining candidates for education commissioner down to three finalists: College Board administrator Eric Smith, New York state education official Joseph Marinelli and current Florida public schools chancellor Cheri Yecke." "Education commissioner finalists chosen".

You recall Yecke; the Palm Beach Post editorial board today:

Mr. Winn appointed her after she lost her job as education commissioner in Minnesota, in part because of her willingness to let schools teach creationism as an alternative to evolution. That typifies the ideological bent of Gov. Bush's education department, which warped intended reforms. Jeb acolytes were so unwilling to question FCAT procedures and school grades that unqualified graders were hired and flawed tests approved.

The unquestioning attitude toward vouchers allowed private schools to take money without enrolling students. Six years after the Legislature created the $88 million program, private voucher schools don't have to give tests that would allow comparison with public schools.

Florida has a depressing achievement gap between white and minority students. The graduation rate is too low. Reading gains in lower grades are lost in high school, the result of treating the FCAT like a cure instead of diagnostic test.

Jeb's education reforms were all about Jeb and his political résumé. Attempts to protect his legacy are all about Jeb. To solve Florida's education problems, the Board of Education, Gov. Crist and the next commissioner have to turn the focus back to students.

No-Fault

"As talks continued in Tallahassee Monday on ways to reform Florida's controversial no-fault auto insurance law, agreement is emerging on capping fees for medical care after an auto accident. Finding an acceptable method to contain these costs has been a major sticking point for lawmakers eager to preserve the no-fault law." "No-fault insurance talks gain momentum". See also "Lawmakers urged to act on no-fault auto coverage" ("Crist's staff and state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink stepped up pressure on lawmakers Monday to either resurrect or reform Florida's no-fault automobile insurance before it disappears Oct. 1.")

Nukes vs. Welands

"Florida Power & Light plans to dramatically expand nuclear power output at Turkey Point -- a project some environmentalists fear would destroy hundreds of acres of wetlands and consume too much of the area's already dwindling water supply." "FPL files to expand Turkey Point plant".

"Think again"

The Tampa Trib editorial board:

Crist is thinking about selling the state lottery to a private investor who would pay enough to solve the state's immediate budget problems. He should think again.

The sale would be a bad idea for Florida's financial future, its public education and society in general.

Whoopee

"Putnam Praises AG Nominee".

Easier Said than Done

"The next time a mayor, council member or county commissioner threatens to cut police, fire or other vital services to meet the state's mandated tax cuts, look them square in the eye and ask them how much they spend on travel."

And if you happen to live in a city or town that refused to reduce its tax rate this year, ask commissioners how much they're paying in membership dues.

It's amazing how many local leaders still don't get it. Certainly spending on travel and membership dues is not enough to make or break a budget. But cutting these luxuries sends a strong message in tough economic times that local governments are doing everything they can to stretch tax dollars. Refusing to do it sends exactly the opposite message.

"Surprising Results"

"The Christian Coalition of Florida recently released its annual legislative report cards -- and some surprising results."

Earning failing grades, for instance, were loyal Republican senators such as Mike Haridopolos, Evelyn Lynn and Bill Posey.

That put all of them solidly behind the likes of Democrat and convicted felon Gary Siplin, as well as Republican Bob Allen, who is slated to go on trial this week for charges (that he denies) of soliciting prostitution. Both of those guys earned passing grades.

Whatever

"Giuliani, who frequently touts his crime-fighting record when he was mayor of New York City, said Monday that Miami Police Chief John Timoney 'made the right decision' in allowing officers to start carrying assault weapons." "Giuliani: Assault weapons for police `the right decision'".

Gambling Lawsuit

"A case that pits South Florida's casinos against a coalition of anti-gambling forces reached the Florida Supreme Court on Monday in a lawsuit that, if successful, could undermine the legal basis for slot machines at casinos in Broward and Miami-Dade counties."

The suit, filed three years ago, charged that a petition to put the slot machine question on the statewide ballot was riddled with fraudulent signatures. The constitutional amendment gave Las Vegas-style slot machines to the two counties if voters later approved locally.

After the state's voters approved the amendment -- with about 51 percent -- Circuit Judge Nikki Ann Clark of Tallahassee ruled that the claims of fraudulent signatures were moot.

But the coalition of opponents, including Floridians Against Expanded Gambling, the U.S. Humane Society and Greyhound 2K, a national group that opposes greyhound racing, pressed on until the dispute reached the state's high court on Monday.

A lawyer for the coalition argued that the fraud claims were made before the election, so the case should still be heard.

Kissing the Ring

"Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson brings his campaign to the state Capitol on Tuesday, becoming the latest in a series of GOP hopefuls to call on Gov. Charlie Crist." "Thompson latest GOP hopeful to meet with Crist".

"'Retaliatory' audit"?

"An unusual fight between a Panhandle property appraiser and the state Department of Revenue intensified Monday with the county official complaining about a 'retaliatory' audit. Flanked by two state lawmakers, Santa Rosa County property appraiser Greg Brown came to Tallahassee to challenge the need for the in-depth review and complained afterward that the agency was singling him out." "Panhandle tax fight heats up".

General Mel declares: "we have Al-Qaeda on the run"

"U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., offered a cautiously upbeat assessment of U.S. progress in Iraq at Monday's luncheon meeting of The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches' 'The surge has worked beyond the expectations of most observers,' Martinez told the crowd of about 460 at the Kravis Center's Cohen Pavilion. 'I believe we have Al-Qaeda on the run.'" "Martinez sees progress in Iraq".

New Standards

"Florida may soon have a new way of teaching math and science if revisions to the Sunshine State Standards are approved today. The state Board of Education is meeting in Tampa for its monthly meeting. Many district and state administrators are in favor of the revisions because there were too many benchmarks for students to meet. With fewer benchmarks, the revised format will be more in-depth." "Education board weighs changes to state standards".

Hard Bargaining

"The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees came up with something different in talks at the Department of Management Services last week. AFSCME, which represents tens of thousands of state office workers and laborers, sought to find out if Gov. Charlie Crist is willing to touch part of ex-Gov. Jeb Bush's legacy ... Service First, Bush's sweeping revision of the state personnel system." However,

despite all of Crist's more moderate positioning, he's still a conservative Republican. He's not going to carry Leon County, or need to, in 2010. And AFSCME, despite some GOP endorsements last year, will probably be supporting the Democratic nominee against him.

Six years ago, Bush took personnel rules that were stuck in the 1950s and streamlined them for the workplace of the Internet age. Now, the "people's governor" might want to lend an ear to AFSCME's ideas for treating the people's employees more like people.

If He Hates Muslims, He's My Guy ...

"Giuliani's successes as mayor of New York City, especially his performance immediately after the World Trade Center bombings in 2001, was a popular subject at the gathering."

"It was a toilet and now it's not," said Rita Thompson, who on this year's 9/11 protested a Muslim parade in Manhattan. "How could (Michael) Bloomberg let that go on?" she wondered of the current mayor. "You can bet Giuliani wouldn't have."

Huh?

"A University of Florida student was Tasered and arrested after trying to ask U.S. Senator John Kerry about the 2004 election and other subjects during a campus forum."

Videos of the incident posted on several Web sites show officers pulling Andrew Meyer, 21, away from the microphone after he asks Kerry about impeaching President Bush and whether he and Bush were both members of the secret society Skull and Bones at Yale University.

``He apparently asked several questions _ he went on for quite awhile _ then he was asked to stop,'' university spokesman Steve Orlando said. ``He had used his allotted time. His microphone was cut off, then he became upset.''

For decades, Florida's parimutuel industry has been among the biggest donors to political parties and campaigns. The industry employs some of the most seasoned lobbyists in Tallahassee.

Despite that, the parimutuels never get all they want. It took them seven years to get poker rooms. They have tried vainly for years to legalize video lottery terminals.

But any gambling deal needing legislative approval would give the tracks a platform to complain about unfair competition - especially if the compact included games not legal in Florida, such as blackjack and baccarat.

Caving in to the Gun Lobby

The Daytona Beach - News Journal editorial board observes that

even as the body count climbs, it seems doubtful that state lawmakers will see reason and make it tougher to pack heat. Florida residents do have the right, however, to expect state lawmakers to stop caving into the gun lobby and start saying no to laws who push gun-nuttery to ludicrous heights.

One good example of this firearms extremism passed two years ago, with the approval of legislation that allows any person to shoot at someone he or she feels poses a credible threat. That law, known as the "castle doctrine" or "shoot first (and ask questions later)" law, has already spread to 15 states.

Expect the Legislature to face more pressure. A bill that would force property owners to allow anyone to bring guns onto their premises -- even schools and universities -- was derailed this year by the bloody Virginia Tech shootings, but it's bound to come back. The National Rifle Association is also pushing hard against mental-health screening and safety training requirements.

At some point, however, Floridians (and their elected representatives) should face reality. The state's gun-friendly culture hasn't made it any safer; in fact, most evidence points in the other direction.

Don't Be So Sure

"The funding of school crossing guards, on the other hand, probably was not the kind of service that most Floridians have in mind when state politicians talk about tax cuts." "Crossroad".

One suspects that a good of the residents of this den could care less about paying for school crossing guards: "Retirees' dreamland is Republican bastion". After all, they paid for public schools up North, and it would be terribly unfair to make them pay for it again.

"What will the Charlie Crist era mean" for education?

"If the Jeb Bush era in Florida education meant an emphasis on public school testing and private school vouchers, what will the Charlie Crist era mean? A big part of the answer could come starting this week. The state Board of Education interviews seven candidates today for the post of education commissioner, a job that could pay as much as $275,000, more than twice what the governor makes." "As interviews start for education chief, Crist's goals await".

Meanwhile, the Tampa Tribune editorial board notes that "the Florida Board of Education today will interview seven finalists for state education commissioner, including someone whose candidacy raises a red flag. Before applying for the Florida job, Philadelphia schools official William Harner was a candidate for the superintendent's job in Toledo, Ohio. Talks broke down, however, when officials refused his request to pay the cost of sending his teenaged daughter to private school." "Red Flag On Education Candidate".

Freddie Courts Nitwit Vote

The Orlando Sentinel has a puff piece on Freddie, who is trying to convert his status as a sweet talking right winger as an empty suit into votes; with nitwits like the gentleman quoted below voting in the Republican primary, he may have a chance:

With his honey-soaked baritone, front-porch manner and instantly familiar face -- thanks to endless Law & Order reruns -- Thompson fills a void for many voters even if they can't yet say why.

"It just feels like he's the only candidate who represents the ideas this nation was founded on," said Buddy Reynolds, a 54-year-old Titusville resident. "It's more of an intuitive, gut-level feel."

'Ya Think?

Thanks to the Sun-Sentinel editors for this observation: "Teachers, at all levels, should get the pay and benefits they deserve so they don't need to live in parking lot apartments in what could be a dorm-style arrangement. We don't set up special housing for cops, firefighters, paramedics and other public servants in South Florida who don't make gigantic salaries, and we shouldn't have to do it for teachers." "Teacher housing plan doesn't get passing grade".

The "Right" To Vote

Tom Blackburn reminds us that

we have no right to vote in the presidential primary. Not incidentally, we have no right to vote in the general election for president, either.

In the 2000 election, most of us learned that we have no right to vote for president. Yes, we vote for electors, and they vote for president; you learn about the "indirect" election in high school. But we don't have a right to vote for electors, either.

Tom Feeney, then speaker of the Florida House, asserted that the Legislature decides how the electors will be chosen, and it can pick them itself without consulting the general public. In fact, as the Supreme Court was settling that election, the Florida House voted for the George W. Bush electors, and the Senate was poised to follow. That would have made the flawed election and 36 days of vote-counting and courtroom arguments into irrelevancies.

Mr. Feeney is no constitutional scholar. But his position was supported during oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court by no less than Justice Antonin Scalia - who is - and the point found its way into one of the court's opinions, although not as the controlling point.

The point is now back in the holster until the next time a strong party needs to draw it. But, in short, the only voting right you have in presidential elections is the right to hope that the Legislature doesn't decide not to let anyone vote.

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., offered House Joint Resolution 28, which would launch a constitutional amendment creating, for the first time, the right of the people to vote for president. He has 58 cosponsors. The closest one to us is Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami. Mr. Feeney went on to Congress from a Central Florida district. He drew attention there by sponsoring a sense of the House resolution telling the Supreme Court not to pay a nickel's worth of attention to the opinions of high courts in other democratic countries with laws similar to ours.

His hostility to foreign things does not extend to the choice of golf courses. He was among the congressional junketeers who played the game with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff in Scotland when the bloom was on the heather.

But most of us owe to Rep. Feeney the discovery that, when it comes to electing presidents, we fundamentally don't matter. We have had seven years to do something about that. And we haven't. We must like it that way.

"Hometown Democracy"

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Hometown Democracy would make the land-use plan much more difficult to revise, so developers want to get their changes approved now. An irony is that big pushes for wholesale changes are what motivated supporters to launch Hometown Democracy. Plans are now so changeable that people can't count on them. Defending plans has become an endless battle that wears folks down. But citizen approval of every amendment would require voters to understand technical issues that are not always what they seem. Indeed, it's difficult to read the proposed plan amendments and immediately know if they are good or bad." "Reforming Title Insurance Industry Should Be State Priority".

Right Wing Meccas

Yesterday we read about this: "Retirees' dreamland is Republican bastion"; today we get this:

Ave Maria University was founded in 2002 by Tom Monaghan, the multimillionaire founder of Domino's Pizza and conservative Catholic philanthropist, who moved the campus from Naples, Fla., to a 5,000-acre tract five miles from Immokalee, which is 30 miles northeast of Naples.

It is part of an ambitious development called Ave Maria Town, which will include 11,000 homes, three golf courses and its own water park, all oriented around a towering church.

After years of picking tomatoes, [Lucas] Benitez co-founded the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an organization that fights for better wages and working conditions for farmworkers.

He sees Ave Maria as ''the NAFTA of Immokalee,'' and says its backers want to replace the farms with gated communities.

''They aren't talking about improving the town or creating more employment,'' he said. ``They are talking about getting rid of the workers who have lived here for decades.''

Benitez said the impact was already being felt through Collier County's crackdown on trailers where the farmworkers live. In the past year and a half, 226 trailers have been condemned, said Nancy Freeze, the Immokalee director of the Health Department.

"Lawmakers have failed to do their job"

The Miami Herald editorial board:

The biggest problem in Florida's auto-insurance stalemate is a lack of leadership. Legislators haven't fixed or replaced the existing no-fault law in the four years since they approved sunsetting the law on Oct. 1.

Lawmakers have failed to do their job. As a result, confusion and unintended consequences lie ahead for motorists. By default, the old system is set to disappear, and it is unclear how a new system might work. Florida will become the only state in the country that doesn't have mandatory medical coverage for people injured in traffic accidents.

This is unacceptable. Gov. Charlie Crist, House Speaker Marco Rubio and Senate President Ken Pruitt need to take a stand. They should insist that legislators finalize no-fault reforms. The reforms should be approved in a quick special session this month. Failing this, lawmakers should rewrite the law during the budget-cutting session -- now set for Oct. 3 -- and save Floridians from needless grief.

Doing the right thing

"Some Palm Beach County cities are avoiding state-ordered budget cuts by not reducing property taxes required by the Legislature."

In all, eight of the county's 37 municipalities have said they are not going to lower their taxes as much as they were instructed, according to state records and an analysis by the Palm Beach Post.

The Legislature approved a $15.6-billion property tax relief package that requires most of the state's 67 counties and municipalities to cut their tax rates to the 2006 level and reduce property tax revenues by up to 9 percent.

However, the mandate allows local elected officials to override the law.

How Green is our Charlie?

"Crist has recommended that lawmakers during a special session cut the $5 million of red tide money for this year as they attempt to pare $1 billion off the top in response to lower than expected revenues. Red tide is a bloom of naturally occurring algae that releases toxins that kill fish and aquatic mammals. It causes respiratory irritation in humans. Red tides have been recorded in Florida since the 1840s but are occurring more frequently, lasting longer and causing more problems." "Crist proposal would slash red tide funding".

They're Just Birds, What's the Problem?

"Florida's roaring development has taken a toll on some of the state's emblematic birds, reducing their populations during the past decade,according to the latest bird-count statistics." "Florida's birds try to wing it".

Privatization Follies

The Miami Herald editors:

Faced with a $1.1 billion shortfall in state-budget revenues, Gov. Charlie Crist is thinking outside the box. Among other things, the governor is considering turning over the Florida Lottery to a private operator. It's easy to see why. Florida could get a lump-sum payout of as much as $31 billion for leasing the Lottery to a private vendor for 30 or 40 years. ...

That kind of cash could make Florida's deficit go bye-bye in a hurry. It also could resolve some costly problems, such as reducing class sizes and boosting teacher pay. Nevertheless, giving a private firm control of a gaming enterprise approved by voters 21 years ago as an ongoing source of funds for education is a bad idea. Gov. Crist and Lottery officials should think long and hard before giving up this asset.

States have valid reasons for turning over some of their traditional services and functions to private companies

What's Next? Bazookas?

"A rise in assault rifle use by criminals has spurred Miami's police chief to authorize patrol officers to carry similar weapons, he said Sunday." "Miami Police to give officers assault weapons".

Silly

"The charges were stunning: Seven Miami men were accused of trying to join forces with al-Qaeda to blow up the FBI headquarters in Miami Beach and the Sears Tower in Chicago."

Their plans, according to prosecutors, included blowing up the 110-story Sears Tower, taking over a Chicago-area prison and turning the inmates into an army, and launching terrorist attacks allegedly described by lead defendant Narseal Batiste as "just as good or greater than 9-11."

Mention this one, and many people start laughing. Lawmakers repeal the intangibles tax cuts that sliced more than $1 billion from the state's annual revenue stream?

But legislators should face facts: These cuts -- especially the last few rounds, which benefited people with average incomes of $2 million or more -- amount to welfare for rich people. And if welfare programs have to be cut, this is a good place to start.

If they're brave enough, lawmakers can resolve the entire budget crisis with one wise decision. And they can tell those who complain that they enjoyed an intangibles tax "holiday" -- much like the sales tax break extended to working families.

Allen Trial This Week

"As the Merritt Island Republican heads to trial this week accused of offering to pay $20 to perform oral sex on an undercover police officer, Allen remains confident he will be acquitted, welcomed back into the Republican fold and even win a state Senate seat." "Rep. Allen's life has been marked by comebacks".

"The nation's biggest battleground state" sits it out

"Florida Democrats have been warring with the Democratic National Committee since the state advanced its March presidential primary to Jan. 29, flouting a party rule that says only Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina can vote on presidential nominees before Feb. 5. Voting will still take place in Florida in January. But because the DNC has refused to recognize the primary, it will be a nonbinding beauty contest lacking the sizzle of the delegate-selection fight once envisioned for the nation's biggest battleground state." "Primary feud bedevils Dem leader".

Carl Hiaasen writes today, "face it. A non binding election is about as compelling as a non binding Lotto drawing, without the ping pong balls."

It seems increasingly likely that Florida's 2008 Democratic presidential primary will mean absolutely nothing, causing shorter-than-usual lines at the polls.

The Democratic National Committee hasn't budged from its threat to strip the state of its 210 convention delegates as punishment for advancing the date of the vote to Jan. 29.

At first, the dispute looked like a fiendishly clever ploy to make the party leadership appear self-destructive and incompetent, thereby lulling Republicans into a sense of complacency.

Now it's obvious that the DNC really is self-destructive and incompetent, stubbornly insisting on perpetuating the charade that allows only Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada to hold nominating contests before Feb. 5.>

Florida Leads the Way

Betcha didn't know that "Florida, with many uninsured and transient residents, has emerged as a key start-up area for walk-in clinics in retail stores. "

Some doctors argue that they lose touch with patients who go to retail clinics, that most clinics are run by advanced-trained nurses working alone, that they promote superficial care without follow-up and that they bring sick people near healthy shoppers.

Say Anything

"A grass-roots petition drive intended to give citizens morecontrol over development in their cities and counties is being challenged by a campaign funded by big business and developers. The business group, called Save Our Constitution, was created by some of Tallahassee's finest [sic] political operatives, and is using a new law to target asignature-petition group called Florida Hometown Democracy." "Anti-petition drive targets Hometown amendment". See also "Business-backed group says Hometown Democracy will destroy Florida's 'scenic beauty'" ("Barney Bishop, president of the powerful Associated Industries of Florida, is its chairman. But Friday, he was at a loss to explain how the amendment would hurt the environment.")

Please Try Again

"On Monday, counties, cities and schools are set to ask the Florida Supreme Court to rehear and clarify its ruling from earlier this month that has local governments uncertain and unsettled." "Cities, counties worried about bonds".

Priorities

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board:

Lawmakers seeking guidance as they head into their special session Oct. 3to cut $1.1 billion in state spending ought to embrace Gov. Charlie Crist's idea to set priorities rather than cutting across the board. Problem is, he's setting the wrong priorities.

From 10,000 feet looking down, the governor's plan makes sense. Cut the budget, but spare some spending on public projects to jump-start the construction industry.

But here on the ground, Mr. Crist's cuts to universities and community colleges would do great harm to the economic growth he covets. His spending suggestions are aimed at bailing Florida out of a tough budget year rather than making the long-term investment needed to grow a diverse economy.

Silly

"To hear the government tell it, Narseal Batiste and six followers were a budding homegrown terrorist cell determined to launch a spectacular strike that would rival the Sept. 11 attacks by toppling the 110-story Sears Tower in Chicago."

Batiste, the Miami leader of an obscure religious sect, viewed this as the opening salvo in a "full ground war" that would eventually replace the U.S. government with an Islamic regime, according to federal prosecutors.

"I want to fight some jihad," Batiste said in a 2006 conversation taped by the FBI. "That's all I live for."

But defense lawyers and supporters of the so-called "Liberty City Seven" tell a different story. They say the alleged terror conspiracy was driven by a pair of paid FBI informants - one claiming to be an al-Qaida emissary - and that members of the group from a blighted urban area never sought to hurt anyone.

Aside from a few knives, machetes and one 9mm handgun [and paint guns], the group never obtained any explosives or military weaponry necessary to pull off such a grandiose operation.

DCF

"Improving home studies, staff training and children's attendance at hearings are some of the common goals that officials across Florida have set for enhancing child dependency procedures." "State officials set goals to improve child dependency procedures".

Gambling Man

"Despite the governor's anti-gaming pledge, gambling options are increasing in Florida and will expand again if a deal is reached with the Seminoles." Meanwhile, "Republican leaders in the state House of Representatives have also seized on the issue, using it to stoke their conservative credentials and distance themselves from the more moderate Crist." "Crist defends hedge on gaming as way to stanch budget cuts".

It's The Teamsters, Stupid

The scabby Orlando Sentinel editorial board takes shots at unions at every opportunity:

Using unfounded safety worries as a cover for protectionism and Mexico bashing, the Senate voted this past week to shut down a pilot program allowing trucks from south of the border on U.S. highways. ...

Taking their cue from the Teamsters union and its 100,000 long-haul truckers, program foes in the Senate raised the specter of killer trucks from Mexico. But the program imposes the same safety, insurance and licensing requirements that apply to all U.S. truckers. Those requirements are to been forced with federal inspections on both sides of the border.

GOPers and their golf carts

One of Florida's problems is the influx of a certain class (think upper-middle) of retirees from certain regions of the country; these folks don't give a damn about Florida's education system or pretty much anything else except the absence of an income tax (or an intangibles tax). These folks for the most part have little interest in the state's future, and they vote. They have to live somewhere:

''It's a beautiful day in The Villages,'' the decidedly chipper receptionists tell callers to Florida's fastest-growing retirement community, no matter the forecast.

For Republican candidates, the sloganeering rings true. In the Central Florida development that sprawls over three counties and two Zip Codes, Republican voters outnumber Democrats roughly 2-1. Turnout in Sumter County, where the bulk of the community lives, was among the highest in the state in the 2004 presidential election.

''It's safe to say that the road to the White House is through Florida, and the road to Florida is through The Villages,'' said Richard Cole, president of the largest of the community's four Republican clubs. ``We're a substantial political force.'' ...

It was former Gov. Jeb Bush who put The Villages on the political map. He saw that one of the fastest-growing developments in the nation would be a treasure trove of votes, not to mention campaign cash. Developer Gary Morse was one of the top donors to Bush and his brother's presidential campaign, and he gave $500,000 -- the single largest donation -- to the Republican Party of Florida last year.

Visitors know they are getting close when they come upon golf-cart retailers that resemble South Florida's banner-draped car dealerships. Most residents motor around in the carts, which merit special parking spaces at the nearby Wal-Mart. The community has a train-set perfection, with grass that looks more sculpted and carved than mowed and weed-whacked.

Freddie A Regular Laff Riot

"Courting Miami Cuban-Americans on Radio Mambi on Friday in Little Havana, Fred Thompson was adamant about his approach to Fidel Castro's Cuba: 'We definitely would maintain sanctions, would maintain the embargo.'"

So we were curious about a Weekly Standard article noting "box upon box" of cigars from Havana in Thompson's office.

In a Political Connections interview airing today on Bay News 9, Thompson brushed off the apparent contradiction between the embargo and his fondness for Cuban stogies. "If I have a friend that occasionally passes me a cigar, I don't check its heritage," he said. "You know, if it's good, I smoke it."

Miami-Dade Democratic chairman Joe Garcia questioned whether law-and-order voters will embrace a candidate "who smokes something illegal."

Not Ready For Prime Time

"Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson walked through rows of assault rifles, pistols and other firearms, signing autographs and greeting voters at a gun show Saturday, but some of the gun advocates weren't convinced he was completely on their side."

"I was all for him until I started reading the votes," said gun dealer Ken Strevels, standing at a table line with machine guns, including an enormous .50 caliber rifle held up by a tripod. "I'm not sure now. He's flipping on the vote. It's like he's working both sides."

Good Luck

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Make Florida's insurers pay for diabetes testing".

Left Out

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board:

In Jacksonville last week, Gov. Charlie Crist spoke at a benefit for the United Negro College Fund at Edward Waters College, saying, "What matters to us in Tallahassee today is if you are a Floridian and if you need help."

He added again, as he has been heard to say many times in the capital city since his election, party affiliation is not important. His larger meaning is no doubt what most great governors come to discover sooner or later, that the job is bigger than either party and that it needs the voices of both - and all - sides to fully frame and begin to solve big problems.

Gov. Reubin Askew, during his eight years as chief executive, put it another way, saying frequently, "It is one thing to run for office, but quite another to govern."

Sometimes this wisdom is underestimated, as appears to be the case in the behind-the-scenes work leading up to the special budget-cutting session that is now expected to convene on Oct. 3, running through Oct. 12 if necessary.

The Legislature has exempted itself from the Sunshine Law, so its negotiations are going on behind the scenes quite legally, if frustratingly, for the minority party. Chief negotiators for the two chambers, Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Osprey, and Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, are working with Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, and House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, and the leadership reports "significant progress," though no details.

Meanwhile, however, Democratic Party leaders are largely left out of the discussion and have, as their only option, the ability to vote "no" to a budget document they have no hand in crafting.

"This is not a dream job"

"For Floridians, the stakes are huge. For the candidates, condolences are in order. This is not a dream job. Making kids in Florida smarter and more successful would be tough even if everybody were rowing in the same direction. But in Florida, post-Jeb, it's not even clear which way the commissioner's bosses are headed, or who the bosses are, exactly. And really, how far can the commissioner row anyway if we're talking, again, about budget cuts for schools?" "One will stand at the head of the class".

"Bush's Mr. Cellophane" Flip-Flops

"Immigration advocates are hoping to push a small part of the failed immigration package forward, but they're unlikely to have one of the package's biggest champions in their corner."

Sen. Mel Martinez, who came under withering criticism from the conservative wing of his Republican party for playing a key role in backing an immigration overhaul, said Friday he's not inclined to support the DREAM act, legislation that would help the children of illegal immigrants stay in the U.S.

Martinez's office said the Florida senator - who doubles as general chair of the Republican National Committee - does not support "adding immigration-related amendments'' to the defense bill - and that's exactly what DREAM Act sponsor Sen. Dick Durbin plans to do.