The demand for the meeting is the strongest sign so far of internal fractiousness in the party, which has been linked mainly to the U.S. Senate primary between Crist and former House Speaker Marco Rubio. ...

Rubio, appealing to conservatives, has mounted an unexpectedly strong challenge to Crist, a moderate, for the Senate nomination. Among Rubio's supporters are party activists and officials who are often more conservative and ideological than rank-and-file Republicans.

Crist supporters denied that the demand for a meeting, contained in a letter sent to Greer by members of a party governing committee, was caused by dissatisfaction with Greer.

"I am calling for the governor of the state of Florida to ask our chairman, Jim Greer, to resign," Steele announced during a Thursday afternoon news conference in Viera.

"I think it's in the best interest of the Republican Party of Florida," he said. "I think it's in the best interest of all of the people that are involved in Republican politics. And I think it's very imperative that it be done as quickly as possible."

Steele said he believes Greer and other state-level party leaders secretly orchestrated the "Twittergate" scandal. Earlier this year, an imposter using the Twitter account JasonSteele31 issued derogatory messages about torpedoing the GOP, bankrupting the Brevard Republican Executive Committee, drinking alcohol during morning hours and other topics.

Isaac ... you're out

Paul Flemming: "Erin Isaac, communications director for Gov. Charlie Crist, is leaving her six-figure job to pursue the ever-popular 'other interests.'"

She took the job in June 2007 as a 29-year-old who'd worked as press secretary in the governor's office and before that on Crist's gubernatorial campaign.

The job description includes a bright, red target that must be worn on the back at all times, and Isaac has had her share of arrows slung her way. I had only a couple of differences with Isaac that escalated to full-scale antagonism.

"Crist has embarrassed himself"

The Tampa Tribune editorial board asks "What's with Charlie Crist?" "The self-styled 'people's governor,' one of Florida's most popular political figures and certainly one of its most likeable, seems to have lost his touch."

Polls show him still leading in his campaign for U.S. Senate, but he's losing ground to rival Marco Rubio, the former House speaker, who has picked up grass-roots Republican support from party activists most likely to vote in the primary.

And so Crist, who has governed from the center to the frustration of his party's conservative base, is now lurching to the right - trying to prove his conservative bonafides and making a spectacle of himself doing it.

In the last few weeks Crist has embarrassed himself by being less than honest with constituents.

Daily Rothstein

"FBI doubts Rothstein's scheme a 'one-man show'".

PSC

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "More 'robust' is the aim of the energy goals that the Public Service Commission is expecting now."

For some time, the PSC has been stalling in the matter of getting electric utilities to reward customers for using less energy through incentives such as rebates on purchasing solar water heaters, and through more education.

The board, an independent quasi-judicial appointed body, has been putting off a decision on updating the Energy Efficiency Conservation Act even in the face of the Legislature's uncharacteristically requiring much stronger energy efficiency standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The stalling this time — the official postponement of its vote until Dec. 1 — was a good thing, however.

Herald says union endorsements "problematic"

"There will be a runoff Tuesday for the next commissioner to serve Miami's District 4, a seat held by Tomás Regalado before he was elected mayor ... Mr. Suarez is right to point to Mr. Reyes' union endorsements as problematic." "Miami runoff".

Oh really? Support from working people speaking through their duly elected unions is "problematic"? This "editorial" statement from an anti-union editorial board that never fails to bring us corporate journalism at its worst? Recall when The Herald's endorsement "of President Reagan for a second term prompted the newspaper's editor to resign because The Herald's publisher had overruled an editorial board decision to endorse Walter F. Mondale"?

Not a lot of resigning going on these days. The editors know their place.

More anti-union garbage from The Herald

The Miami Herald editorial board: "That Mr. Timoney's leadership produced a vote of no confidence from the police union speaks to the chief's wise focus of putting public safety ahead of any union-run popularity contest." "Miami's new mayor signals a new day".

Rubio in Seminole County

Scott Maxwell reports that Seminole County was "the scene of a Marco Rubio fundraiser this week. Among those who attended the event Tuesday night at the Oviedo home of lawyer Ben Newman (who estimated a haul of more than $15,000): State Reps. Sandy Adams and Scott Plakon, Orange Property Appraiser Bill Donegan and former U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney.".

Eating their own

"Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman has dumped the head of the party in Miami-Dade, claiming he tried to shake down local candidates for money and browbeat staff members and elected officials."

Thurman immediately replaced B.J. Chiszar with Miami attorney Richard Lydecker, who served as Manny Diaz's finance chairman during his 2001 mayoral campaign in Miami. Lydecker has not been active in the local party and said he was sworn in as a member of the executive committee less than one week ago.

Chiszar's ouster came just days after he called for Thurman's resignation in a widely circulated screed against the party's leadership.

2012 dreaming

"Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is on course to tick all but one of the Gulf Coast states off his travel list between this Friday and next April. Pawlenty traveled to the seaside Florida city of Naples for a speech Friday." "Pawlenty checks more states off his travel list".

How many wingnuts can you fit in a band shell?

"Conservatives jammed Lake Eola Park on Thursday night as the Tea Party Express ended its national tour in Orlando. They repeated familiar themes: Higher spending, government intervention and President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul are an affront to American values."

On the last stop of a national bus tour that began Oct. 25 in San Diego, more than a dozen speakers excoriated Obama's policies. It was at least the fourth time this year that frustrated taxpayers have staged a tea-party event in Orlando. ...

"Homemade signs bobbed in the sea of an estimated 4,000 enthusiasts*, including "This change is unconstitutional," "We are not your ATM," "Stop socialism," "Cash for clunkers — Trade in your congressman" and " Glenn Beck for President."

Cruel and unusual punishment?

"Does the Constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment mean the state can't imprison someone with psychiatric problems when mental treatment is available?" "D'Alemberte argues for mental-health treatment".

Water conservation

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "Recent years of rain-stingy skies have taught Florida a vital lesson: No longer can the Sunshine State afford to indulge its water guzzling ways. We've found out the hard way that water is not the infinite resource we've long treated it as, so conservation is the best way to ensure adequate supplies for future generations." "Water conservation a must in Florida".

Promises, promises ...

"Orlando tech firm predicts bonanza of high-paying jobs".

Crist leaving Floridians an "economic disaster"

"Florida is among nine states barreling toward an economic disaster similar to California's ongoing fiscal crisis, a new study warns." "Report: Florida among 10 states facing budget disasters".

"Florida ranks near the bottom of a think tank's list of the states' financial health, and its battered real estate sector may take even longer to recover than California's." "Florida lags in financial fitness".

"A near-mutiny among party activists"

Adam Smith: "Republicans should have the wind at their backs this election season with President Barack Obama's poll numbers dropping and independents turning away from Democrats."

But many Florida Republicans increasingly see a significant obstacle to success: Jim Greer, the most controversial and polarizing Florida GOP chairman in decades. He has become a lightning rod for infighting, distraction and distrust, and gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum could be a casualty.

Greer and his main benefactor, Gov. Charlie Crist, are fending off a near-mutiny among party activists, elected officials and fundraisers fed up with what they see as inept political operations, dirty campaign tactics, unfair treatment of candidates like U.S. Senate hopeful Marco Rubio, dubious fundraising practices and lavish spending.

Weak bench

TPM: "The Republican efforts to find a candidate against the fiery liberal Democrat Alan Grayson continue -- with a focus on finding someone else besides the current de facto frontrunner, 28-year old real estate developer Armando Gutierrez. So what exactly is their problem with him?"

Gutierrez, who comes from a politically well-connected family in the Miami Cuban community, has picked up some decent endorsements so far, including Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL), several state legislators, and George P. Bush, the son of former Gov. Jeb Bush. However, other candidates could still get in -- state Rep. Kurt Kelly says he might get in if nobody better opts for it, and Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, who previously shied away from the race, now says he's staying out "for now."

A Republican source told us that local GOPers aren't accepting Gutierrez, due to youth and inexperience, and the fact that he is seen as having moved into the Orlando district from Miami to buy the nomination.

"Rolling the dice"

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "A compact with the Seminoles or a free market for gambling — which one should Florida pick? Legislative leaders would do well to think this one through before rolling the dice." "State lawmakers mull gambling options.".

"Go-slow"

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "A truism in politics (as well as in romance) is that the power of saying 'no' is greatly enhanced by the possibility that you will later say 'yes.'"

So when Senate President Jeff Atwater earlier this week said not exactly "no," but more like "whoa!" to the matter of opening up Florida waters to offshore drilling, skeptics speculated that it was a maneuver.

If Mr. Atwater slows down this particular march to the sea now, he will be in a position later to insist upon certain terms and conditions — regulations, permitting, revenues — in exchange for his "yes" when the time is right, when negotiations with the house are running hot and heavy.

Because Mr. Atwater is also running for the statewide post of chief financial officer, if he wins, he'll be on the Florida Cabinet. Those three elected officials, and the governor, would have the power to issue oil- and gas-drilling leases in state waters if legislation now on the table passes and the 20-year ban is lifted.

So there are many ways to look at the North Palm Beach Republican's declaration that he wants to wait for more significant scientific and economic research before moving forward with drilling as close as 3 nautical miles to our prized Gulf beaches.

Y'all come back now

"National Tea Party Express makes local stop".

Boyd

Bill Cotterell: "Florida doesn't fire members of Congress unless they really mess up."

Rep. Mark Foley had that House page thing, and the guy who beat him, Tim Mahoney, gave the seat back to the Republicans with a scandal of his own. Republicans Tom Feeney and Ric Keller lost in the Orlando area because of personal miscues — Feeney's ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Keller's reneging on a self-imposed term limit of eight years.

The last time North Florida fired a congressman was in 1990. Bill Grant could still be in Congress if he hadn't switched parties back when being a Republican seemed plausible around here.

Boyd's problems are small by comparison.

He has a ton of money, and he's using it early. A new TV ad about combatting Internet predators just went up, on the heels of spots crediting Boyd for legislation aiding veterans and the region's economy. He's challenging the Food and Drug Administration over Gulf Coast oysters and, in Panama City, a contingent of Sallie Mae employees turned out to thank him for opposing a bill they said would jeopardize student loan-processing jobs in Lynn Haven.

And consider Boyd's political track record.

SunRail

"Legislators close to SunRail deal".

Unionized employer raking it in

"Profits at the Walt Disney Co. leapt 18 percent during its fourth quarter, the media-and-entertainment giant reported this afternoon." "Disney profits up 18% in 4th quarter".

"Bad press"

"Crist's longtime communications director is leaving -- the latest shake-up involving Crist's administration and U.S. Senate campaign staff."

Shane Strum, Crist's new chief of staff, on Wednesday characterized Erin Isaac's departure as a resignation in favor of "other opportunities.'' Isaac did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

In recent weeks, there were whispers that Crist's inner circle was unhappy with his public image and press coverage.

The news comes just days after Crist announced that Andrea Saul, former spokeswoman for Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, would be his U.S. Senate campaign communications director -- a job once perceived as possible for Isaac.

"Life term at 14?"

Mike Thomas: "Life term at 14? That's an injustice".

Figures

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Council should avoid local preference".

Whatever

"The Board of Governors has ordered Florida's 11 state universities to develop work plans that identify their 'unique missions.'" "State wants unique 'missions' from colleges, universities".

Daily Rothstein

"The suspected Ponzi scheme run by a high-profile South Florida lawyer is likely to exceed $1 billion and involved thousands of investors in the U.S. and abroad, a top FBI official said Thursday." "FBI: Fla. lawyer's alleged fraud over $1 billion". See also "Feds seek investors with Lauderdale lawyer Scott Rothstein".

Labels: Crist leaving Floridians an "economic disaster"

Look at almost every statewide race and you'll see contests for the Republican nomination.

• U.S. Senate: Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio is making life increasingly difficult for Crist, who had expected a cakewalk.

• Attorney general: Normally a sitting lieutenant governor would be the overwhelming favorite, but Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp has drawn a challenge from former state Rep. Holly Benson of Pensacola. Tampa prosecutor Pam Bondi probably will jump in soon.

• Agriculture commissioner: U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, was going to walk into this seat, conventional wisdom had it. But state Sen. Carey Baker of Eustis had other ideas and seems to keep racking up significant endorsements from the likes of the Association of Professional Firefighters and the Fraternal Order of Police.

• Governor: Dockery may be unknown to most of the state, but with a personal fortune at her disposal and a message that paints McCollum as a career politician, she has the potential to become a serious threat.

"Not something to be proud of"

The Miami Herald editorial board: "It is no coincidence that the cases before the [SCOTUS] came from Florida, because this state leads the nation in the number of criminals serving life sentences for crimes they committed while juveniles in which no one was killed. Out of 106 such prisoners, 77 are in Florida. This is not something to be proud of." "Teens and jails". The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "When life is too long a sentence".

Delightful

"Elderly and disabled residents of Sunshine Village could lose their homes." "Wal-Mart may oust Palm Springs mobile home park".

Crist's pants on fire

"Crist touts his tax-cutting record over and over, in news releases, political speeches and in the first radio ad for his U.S. Senate campaign. The line is good politics. But is it true?" "Crist's tax claim doesn't add up".

"Crist surprised many by saying he did not know President Barack Obama was in Jacksonville recently to visit with U.S. troops. But newly obtained e-mails show Crist's aides in Washington and Tallahassee were notified of the trip." "Crist aides knew of Obama trip".

Alan who?

"U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd’s much-awaited, much-debated Panama City town hall came and went Tuesday night. And if attendance is any indicator, then, much like Tropical Storm Ida, the show did not live up to the hype." "Turnout low for Boyd town hall".

Dockery kick off

William March: "Paula Dockery kicked off her insurgent campaign for governor Tuesday night, delivering what campaign aides billed as her first major speech."

She rattled off a list of recent scandals involving Republicans and said such misconduct has become business as usual. "Credit card abuse, free trips to Europe on the dime of donors, and a refusal to let Republican voters decide their own nominees," she said.

Dockery said she's the antidote to all that - "a conservative, common-sense Florida Republican," anti-abortion, pro-gun rights but also pro-environment and opposed to "sweetheart deals or corporate subsidies."

Citizens hike

"The state's insurance regulators sharply questioned Citizens Property Insurance officials Tuesday, challenging a proposed rate hike for high-risk policyholders with wind protection." "Citizens pressed over hike request".

Twittergate slime rolls uphill

"Steele says Nungesser told him GOP executive director Delmar Johnson had been aware of the fake account, which the party denies. Nungesser has not returned calls. Now another witness, Melbourne attorney Richard Torpy, says he also heard Nungesser say Johnson had been aware of the fake account." "Witness ties Twittergate to Delmar Johnson".

Registry reality

Mark Lane: "Between 2006 and 2008, the Census Bureau characterized 5.9 percent of Florida households as made up of "unmarried partners" -- 5.2 percent are opposite-sex couples and 0.7 percent are same-sex couples." "Registry reflects realities".

"Party hacks"

Scott Maxwell:

Democrat Suzanne Kosmas may have irritated her liberal base when she voted against Nancy Pelosi's health-care bill. But she also backed the National Republican Congressional Committee into a corner … at least she would have if the party hacks had any shame or integrity.

For months, the NRCC had been sending out releases, asking whether Kosmas had the courage to do the right thing (in its mind anyway) and stand up to "Pelosi's health-care takeover."

Well, she did. She voted against it.

This apparently confused the simpletons at the NRCC, who don't know how to do anything but gripe. So now, they are continuing to bash her on the topic, saying: OK, she may have done what they wanted — but not for the reasons they wanted. So they still hate her.

Southern poll

"Nearly 72 percent said they favored new government programs to create jobs. Meanwhile, 63 percent said the federal government needs to give aid to states in serious financial trouble. Those positions were strongest among Democrats and independents, while Republicans were narrowly opposed."

"President Barack Obama mostly faired well in poll, with 84 percent saying he was good communicator, 76 percent that he was warm and friendly and 54 percent that he was trustworthy, a question that broke sharply along partisan lines. More than 61 percent said Obama "cared about like people like me," including 51 percent of white males." "Poll: Southerners want federal help, fear for jobs".

Something's gotta give

"Bear shot twice in north Florida".

Tea Party wingnuttery

Eugene Robinson: "The tea party people have made clear, however, that logic doesn't count — and that this is just the beginning."

The next target, now that they've made the world safe from Scozzafava, seems to be Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the Senate. Crist committed the unforgivable sin of supporting Obama's stimulus bill, and must face a conservative former state legislator, Marco Rubio, in the primary.

[Erick Erickson, editor in chief of the Web site RedState.com] wrote that "if Crist wants to own the mantle of 'GOP Establishment Candidate,' let's tie it around his waist and throw him in one of Florida's many lagoons."

I guess Florida lagoons are a substitute for Siberian tundra.

More Citizens

"Regulators challenge Citizens' request to raise rates for wind-only policies".

Brown-Waite "back in the fringe-light"

Scott Maxwell writes that Brooksville Republican Ginny Brown-Waite

seems to be steadily drifting away from the mainstream and into the fringe-stream.

It started back when "Freedom fries" and France-bashing was all the rage. Brown-Waite actually suggested digging up the bodies of American soldiers in French cemeteries, shipping the corpses back to the U.S. and re-burying them in "patriotic soil."

Now she's back in the fringe-light, teaming up with Ron Paul and Cliff Stearns to demand that President Barack Obama ask permission from Congress before accepting the Nobel Prize.

Brown-Waite says she'd grant Obama permission to accept the award. She just wants him to ask first, because the three think they've spied a passage in the Constitution that requires it.

The award was over the top. Even the president called himself undeserving. But really, don't you guys have anything better to do?

Besides, what kind of Freedom-fry-and-American-soil-loving patriot tries to tarnish her own country's Nobel Prize?

Daily Rothstein

"Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein is suspected of defrauding client Ed Morse, the South Florida auto mogul, of up to $57 million -- yet another accusation against the lawyer under investigation for allegedly running a massive Ponzi scheme. " "Rothstein accused of $57M swindle". Background: "Rothstein raised funds for Crist, Florida GOP".

Never mind

"State utility regulators postpone a decision to set energy-saving goals for Florida utility companies." "PSC delays decision on energy-conservation goals".

Contractor wins one

"EVAC, a private nonprofit company, has provided emergency medical transport services countywide for the past 27 years under contract to the county. And over the years, county officials have repeatedly denied cities' requests to take over the service in their jurisdictions." "Emergency services bills set aside after debate".

The Miami Republican, challenging Crist for the U.S. Senate nomination, drew about 400 people Monday night to a meeting of the Pinellas Republican Party. In January the group will hold a "straw poll'' on whether local activists prefer Rubio or Crist as their nominee. While officially meaningless, a Pinellas victory for Rubio, a former Florida House speaker, would be especially stinging coming from the Republican activists who know Crist best.

the Club for Growth and similar organizations that are responsible for trying to enforce conformity on GOP representatives and governors. Either they launch primary challenges against representatives who are better-suited to their districts, and end up losing the district all together, or they force candidates to hew to such a strict line that they reduce them to carbon copies of one another and deprive them of the flexibility and adaptability they need to advance local interests. The more uniform the movement and party become, the less resistance there will be to uniform and centralist national policies aimed at imposing a top-down “conservatism” that exists to secure conservative control over the Court and pays less and less attention to the Country. That doesn’t make Crist preferable or desirable as a candidate for Senate, but defeating Crist will be a hollow victory so long as the movement conservative alternative to the Crists of the party seems increasingly pre-packaged and crafted by national activists who are oblivious to and uninterested in local conditions around the country.

Not nuts enough?

"As an underdog U.S. Senate candidate courting the GOP's conservative wing, Marco Rubio takes a hard-line position against illegal immigration: no amnesty."

But as the powerful speaker of the Florida House, presented with a slew of bills aimed at curbing illegal immigration, he didn't put a single proposal up for a vote.

"A lot of us are mad at him because he did block those bills,'' said David Caulkett, a founder of Floridians for Immigration Enforcement. "Rubio claims to be anti-amnesty, but the question is, 'Do we trust him?' .''

Rubio says he hasn't wavered in his opposition to granting citizenship to illegal immigrants but that the issue should be dealt with by the federal government, not the states. The Legislature was focused on tax and insurance reform on his watch, he said.

Oil

"Senate President Jeff Atwater hinted Monday that he might not consider opening up Florida waters to offshore drilling in the next legislative session, his last before term limits force him to step down." "Atwater in no hurry on drilling". Related: "Nelson says Gulf drilling could curb military training".

"A long and undistinguished record"

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board:

The National Rifle Association has a long and undistinguished record of advocating for gun rights ahead of all other rights, including the right to life, safety and free expression. It is more important to the NRA, for example, to defend the right of a gun owner to have that gun than to ensure that the gun has trigger locks. It's more important to the NRA that gun dealers have the right to sell weapons than to license those dealers to enable background checks, which is a boon to arms traders and criminals. And as Ormond Beach Mayor Fred Costello found out, belonging to an advocacy organization such as Mayors Against Illegal Guns -- which, like the NRA, is a lobbying organization -- may get you publicly smeared by the NRA's considerable membership.

Add this new twist to the NRA's radicalism for guns: Gun ownership's secrecy is more important to the NRA than the safety of children.

"A pattern of losses, laxity, closeness and coverup"

Howard Troxler: "Over the past year my colleagues Sydney Freedberg and Connie Humburg have documented a pattern of losses, laxity, closeness and coverup."

Freedberg and Humburg also have reported:

• Wall Street firms and others with a stake in the game lavish Florida politicians with campaign contributions, either "bundled" in batches from their employees, or disguised through third parties.

• Florida lost $250 million in a failed Manhattan real estate deal. Auditors also had repeatedly warned Florida about real estate risk for years. For months the state refused requests for public records of the deal.

• Florida is unusual in that its attorney general also is a trustee of its investments — creating a difficult conflict of interest since the attorney general cannot investigate himself.

• Major developments have been kept from the public, and sometimes even from Crist, Sink and McCollum, such as the State Board of Administration filing of a claim for $682 million against now-defunct Lehman Brothers.

• Reviewing thousands of e-mails and other records, Freedberg and Humburg found a pattern of stonewalling or even deception to representatives of local governments and other investors. One city was so upset that it asked the FBI to investigate.

• In all of these matters, both Sink and McCollum have frequently refused to be interviewed — even though Sink, a Democrat, and McCollum, a Republican, are running for governor. How are they fit to be governor, then? ...

Florida needs to ask whether the state's top three politicians, and especially its attorney general, are really the people to be overseeing the state's investments.

Where's Charlie ...

... now that his friend needs a friend?

"Federal prosecutors accused a high-profile South Florida attorney of concocting a Ponzi scheme that lured millions of dollars from investors with promises of big payoffs from legal settlements that never existed, according to court documents filed today."

The civil complaint, seeking forfeiture of eight pieces of property owned by lawyer Scott Rothstein, marks the first time prosecutors have leveled fraud allegations at him— even though criminal charges have yet to be announced. It was filed the same day FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents seized luxury cars, boats, bank accounts and other possessions of the once high-flying Rothstein. The forfeiture complaint put the value of the real estate at more than $18 million.

In the complaint, prosecutors claim that Rothstein operated the Ponzi scheme since 2005 using his law firm, Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler. Investors were promised fat profits of 20 percent or more by paying lump sums to people who had won legal settlements that would supposedly pay out larger amounts over a longer period.

Charlie dodges Scott

"Crist has canceled his second fundraiser in Palm Beach County in four days due to a state emergency." "Tropical storm keeps Crist away from fundraiser with Scott Rothstein ties".

"Vulnerable"?

"The Democratic National Committee said today that it will target 'vulnerable' Florida Republicans C.W. Bill Young and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for voting against the House health care plan despite Barack Obama winning their districts in 2008." "Democrats 'target' Young and Ros-Lehtinen".

Duval GOPers "run out of salads"!

"Speculation of a 2012 run for Romney already has begun. The Republican Party of Duval County expected 700 to show for Monday's cocktail party and dinner at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel, but that number was exceeded as staff set up extra seats and murmured that they may have run out of salads." "Mitt Romney highlights Republican dinner".

Enough already

"Florida's tough prison sentences for juveniles came under scrutiny at the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, with justices appearing divided about whether locking up teenagers for life constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Attorneys for two Florida teenagers who are serving life in prison with no opportunity for parole told the justices that such sentences in cases that don't involve a homicide are unjust to teenagers, who often outgrow their felonious ways." "Justices divided on tough juvenile sentences". See also "High court looks at life sentences for juveniles".

Background: "Attorneys for Florida juvenile 'lifers' present case to Supreme Court".

Buchanan 'fraid Dems wanna kill grammy

"U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan told a Sarasota audience Monday that he voted against the health care reform bill because he thinks it will lead to rationed care and the government 'pulling the plug' on grandmothers to save money." "Buchanan explains his 'no' vote".

"Stimulus stutter-step"

Aaron Deslatte: "Crist's stimulus stutter-step comes at a crucial time for fellow Republican U.S. Senate opponent Marco Rubio, who is attempting to follow up a solid fundraising quarter and continue to prove he is a legitimate rival to Crist. Rubio has hammered the governor repeatedly for taking the money (which, had Crist not, about 20,000 teachers maybe have lost their jobs)." "Crist still doing stimulus cash dance".

PSC

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "The Florida Public Service Commission should set the bar high today in enacting new conservation targets. The state's power companies need a push to wring more efficiencies from the system and to invest in cleaner technologies." "Energy efficiency gains can't wait".

"PSC to debate utilities' energy-saving goals".

"Florida's run of political as well as climatological good luck"

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "As Ida moved along in the Gulf yesterday, being reduced from possible hurricane status to a tropical storm or maybe just a big storm, Florida's run of political as well as climatological good luck had apparently, mercifully, been extended." "Insurance chaos".

Same-sex registry

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "The Hollywood image of the nuclear family -- with Mom vacuuming in pearls, Dad presiding over the grill and a marriage certificate lovingly tucked into a brocaded album -- is inviting. But real relationships can be more complicated. Some couples -- particularly retirees -- have been together for years but shun marriage because one or both partners would lose pension or other benefits. And Florida, like most states, specifically denies marital status to same-sex couples."

Despite that legal provision, an increasing number of Florida counties and municipalities have created domestic-partner registries, giving couples the opportunity to legally declare a contractual obligation to one another. The registries have been instrumental in helping unmarried partners obtain insurance benefits and visit each other in hospitals or correctional facilities. And when challenged in court, the registries have been upheld -- as long as they didn't attempt to create any marital relationship or rights.

Crist's buddy Rothstein cowering in "undisclosed location"

"Fort Lauderdale lawyer Scott Rothstein, who returned from a trip to Morocco last week to face a federal fraud investigation, said he was in good spirits Sunday."

Rothstein, who is cooperating with investigators, is under federal surveillance at an undisclosed South Florida location.

Authorities could arrest him with evidence collected so far, the sources said, but they are trying to build a conspiracy case around Rothstein and possibly others who participated in his alleged investment scam under the mantle of his law firm. ...

Meanwhile, a receiver appointed last week by a judge to examine the law firm's finances will be back in court Monday for an update.

On Friday, Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey Streitfeld gave Toronto Dominion Bank -- where Rothstein kept dozens of his investors' accounts -- until noon Monday to turn over financial records related to him and his law firm. Streitfeld will hold a hearing one hour later with the receiver, retired Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Herbert Stettin.

Those investors [in Rothstein's allegedly fabricated employment-discrimination settlements] will assert they are creditors and should be allowed to block Rothstein's law firm from collecting any recovered money -- including its donations to charities and political candidates. ...

The life of the high-profile lawyer who donated lavishly to charitable causes and politicians including Gov. Charlie Crist began to unravel in late October, when investors did not receive expected payouts and contacted federal officials.

Entrepreneurs in action ... with Billy's help

Jim Stratton: "The news release from April 2008 issued a steely warning to rogue and abusive debt collectors. The state, it announced, had just won a $1.3 million verdict against a Jacksonville company that harassed people and lied to them while trying to collect."

"This case," said Attorney General Bill McCollum "should put similar operations on notice" authorities will not tolerate unscrupulous individuals who victimize our citizens in potentially difficult financial situations."

But the numbers suggest that's not always true.

McCollum's office has received thousands of complaints about debt collectors this year, but it has not opened a single case. Saying it has little authority over collectors, the office has referred every complaint about questionable and abusive practices to other agencies.

Stealing "our right to good government"?

Bill Cotterell: "The notion that honor should be prized above worldly wealth is a lofty ideal for government. Now, state Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, wants to make it a law."

A former federal prosecutor running for attorney general as a reformer, Gelber has a bill that values the good name of government service in ways that could prove problematic.

His bill (SB 444) would broaden Florida's fraud statutes to include "theft or deprivation of honest services." That means taxpayers have a right to the best work of public employees and, if workers deliver anything less, they're stealing not only their hourly pay but our right to good government.

We're not talking about error or routine failure here. The nursing home inspector, Highway Patrol trooper or food safety worker who makes a mistake is, nonetheless, exercising his or her best judgment under the circumstances. Screwing up should get you fired, not prosecuted.

But the child protective services worker who falsifies home visit reports, or the office worker who wiles away hours on Facebook and YouTube, would be committing a felony under Gelber's bill. That could include private vendors or contractors supplying shoddy goods and services, too.

Yee haw!

"You might call it pleading the 10th."

Northeast Florida lawmakers, alarmed at the increase in the size and power of the federal government, have joined a movement aimed at asserting states' rights based on the 10th Amendment.

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people," says the amendment, the last one adopted as part of the Bill Rights.

Drawing on that language - which has been a flashpoint in conflicts between the federal and state governments almost since its adoption - the resolutions being proposed would serve as "a notice and a demand to the Federal Government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, from issuing mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers," in the words of a resolution in the Florida House.

"It's basically saying to the federal government, 'You've overreached your bounds; you've gone too far and its time for you to obey the Constitution,' " said Rep. Lake Ray, R-Jacksonville and one of the main sponsors of the House measure.

The resolution would be nonbinding, meaning it would have no practical legal effect. Supporters, though, say it's important to send the message.

"It certainly wakes the Congress up that the fourth-largest state in the Union is concerned about their overreaching arm," said Rep. Jennifer Carroll, R-Fleming Island.

Pasco

Pasco County's annual GOP Reagan Day dinner,

held just before the annual National Rifle Association dinner, comes five months after Pasco's Republican Executive Committee held a straw poll that went almost unanimously for Rubio over Crist.

Republican leaders in other counties have held informal polls with similar results, an indication that Crist could have his work cut out for him.

Pasco Republicans attending Rubio's fundraiser said Crist failed to get homeowners insurance under control, appointed a liberal judge to the state Supreme Court and endorsed a federal stimulus package that they believe is a failure.

In short? They said the country is headed in the wrong direction — and they consider the governor part of the problem.

"Juvenile 'lifers'"

"Lawyers for two Florida men who were sentenced to life without parole as juveniles will argue to the U.S. Supreme Court Monday that the penalty is cruel and unusual." "U.S. Supreme Court to review Florida juvenile 'lifers'".

"Choo-choo train to nowhere"

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "Twice, the Legislature has rejected a commuter rail system for metro Orlando, saying its benefits for the local population don't justify its cost to the entire state."

Now, however, the Legislature's close to acknowledging the state can't afford to do without it because its benefits reach beyond Central Florida.

And more of its members are appreciating that a failure to embrace it could imperil some of their political futures.

Take Al Lawson, the Senate's Democratic leader, who hails from Tallahassee. Mr. Lawson previously ridiculed the 61-mile SunRail project, calling it "a choo-choo train to nowhere."

Because he didn't wish to offend the Democrats' organized labor constituency, which fears losing some union rail jobs should SunRail get approved, Mr. Lawson went so far as to say that SunRail's "not going to generate any money."

But listen to him now. Last week he said he shares a "sense of urgency on this matter. Florida leads the nation in the number of residents unemployed. ...

Fortunately, some South Florida Democrats who wish to funnel more resources to Tri-Rail — but who, like Mr. Lawson, opposed SunRail because of their ties to unions — are sounding like they want to reach an accord.

Lawmakers like Ted Deutch. And Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber, who also happen to be running for state attorney general. ...

SunRail's leading saboteur, Sen. Paula Dockery, who now also is running for governor, keeps attacking it. But others running for statewide office see that it's far more beneficial to the state — and their candidacies — to get behind it. That's why Gov. Charlie Crist, who's running for Senate; Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum, who're running for governor; and Senate President Jeff Atwater, who's running for chief financial officer, all are working to pass it.

The last chance for that probably will come next next month in a special session. Its supporters mustn't fumble it.

Why does this deal include hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses for CSX to improve its own freight facilities, facilities that have nothing to do with the proposed commuter-rail line and its operation? These bonuses to the CSX company have needlessly inflated the cost of this deal.

Why does the CSX company insist on forcing all liability for accidents onto the backs of taxpayers — even if it is found to be at fault for gross negligence? Will local governments really be able to pick up the high price tag for operation when the state turns it over to them? We want commuter rail, but we also want schools that are adequately funded, critical services for our seniors and a state budget that is fair to the taxpayers.

Wylie also asserts that the Florida AFL-CIO's goal "appears to be the forced unionization of all of the workers on the new SunRail." He knows, as do most Floridians, that union membership is always voluntary in our state.

The Florida AFL-CIO has supported rail projects in Florida for decades and has the record to prove it. We want the people of Central Florida to have a rail line, but we want to make sure it is funded in a way that is responsible and affords its workers the same basic federal protections that rail workers have enjoyed for generations. Wylie's attempt to use this issue as a platform for another anti-union rant that creates false divisions between union and non-union workers is disingenuous at best and yet another attempt to cloud the facts on this important issue.

"Bad debt"

"Bad debt continues to pile up at most Southwest Florida banks, even as failures, mergers and acquisitions reshape the banking landscape." "SW Fla. banks hit hard by bad debt".

Pedestrian

"Study ranks Orlando worst in nation for pedestrians".

Toll booth safety

The Miami Herald editorial board: "People on the go in Miami-Dade use the SunPass to avoid stopping at toll booths and paying more. It's working, too, more than eight in 10 toll-road drivers use SunPass to zip by while other drivers' cars stack up in line to pay at the toll booth. The convenience and cheaper tolls with the SunPass transponder that drivers attach to windshields is wildly popular."

There's another paramount reason to get rid of all cash toll booths: safety.

Deadly crashes at narrow toll plazas can be prevented as cars and trucks can keeping moving on the toll road with the overhead electronic scanner debiting their SunPass account. The removal of toll plazas at six turnpike locations has reduced the crash rate by 58 percent.

After running flawless campaigns against Republican Tom Gallagher and Democrat Jim Davis, Crist was transformed into a universally acknowledged political genius. The man with perfect political pitch. A new-model Republican.

This reputation continued through a remarkable Era of Good Feeling in the first year of his term. A time when, just for exercise, he would start his day by running rings around then-House Speaker Marco Rubio. A time when his approval rating, a measured by the Quinnipiac University Poll, was reliably in the mid-60 percent range but spiked to a superhuman 73 percent.

But that was long, long ago.

Because over the past month, Crist has become, by political and media acclamation, The Man Who Can Do Nothing Right.

Charlie's "Marco-itis"

Howard Troxler: "Charlie is thinking: Darn that Marco! How did he get to be more conservative than I am? How did I get a job approval rating of 42 percent? I invented cheap populism and poll ratings! People have loved me better than the other candidate my whole career!"

Last week in Virginia and New Jersey, they elected Republican governors. The official explanation favored by conservatives is that conservatives are good and Obama is bad. On the other hand, the Republicans lost a race for Congress in New York, where the conservatives made a big deal out of driving a Crist-type candidate out of the race so a "real" conservative could run. But you should just forget that loss. Remember the main point: conservatives, good, Obama (and non-conservative Republicans) bad.

A level-headed person, not made giddy by Marco-mania, might remember that Charlie has $1 zillion in the bank and is trouncing Marco in the election polls and it will still take a miracle, or at least a nuclear intervention by Jeb Bush, for that to change.

Nonetheless, the current story line is that Marco has the big mo. So Charlie is off his game. He is acting goofy and saying pants-on-fire things.

He is trying to out-Marco Marco. But really, all he has to do is out-Charlie Marco.

Tea-Baggery

William March: "Republicans say it's not a problem that they lost a New York special congressional election last week that was widely compared to Florida's U.S. Senate race. But Democrats, and even some GOP moderates, suggest it's a sign of divisiveness that could damage Republicans' chances in 2010." "New York GOP rift may be Fla. omen". Last week: "Tea Party Express Tour pushes Orlando stop to Thursday".

Gary Fineout: "Florida's Republican Party has splintered over everything from philosophy to questions over how the party is being run."

The divide goes beyond former House Speaker Marco Rubio's challenge to Gov. Charlie Crist in next year's primary for the U.S. Senate. There are also divisions over party leadership and party message that have resulted in the unusual sight of contested primaries in five statewide contests. Those factions include Crist loyalists, allies of Bush upset with Crist, as well as some who are loudly critical of Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer.

While tensions have simmered since Crist veered onto a moderate, and occasionally populist, path starting from nearly his first day as governor, it was Crist's decision to forgo a second term and seek the U.S. Senate that has helped move these battles out into the open.

Mirroring a national debate, Florida's GOP is split over whether to move further to the right, embracing its conservative roots, or to expand its tent to reach more moderates and independents.

"Look out, Florida lawmakers"

The Miami Herald editorial board: "Look out, Florida lawmakers, four former governors are conducting a full-court press to convince you to resume funding the state's farsighted land-conservation program, Florida Forever. Legislators should heed the governors' call. Floridians need all the open space we can get." "Florida (gone?) Forever".

"'We got rid of Feeney for this?'"

"They carried signs that said, 'Kosmas is a traitor,' and 'We got rid of Feeney for this?'"

The decision of U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, to vote against the health care reform bill proposed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi brought more than 60 people to the intersection of City Center Parkway and Dunlawton Avenue on Saturday afternoon with protest signs.Many claimed to have been her supporters for years -- since she was first elected to the Florida House in 1996 and, especially since her unlikely victory unseating Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Winter Park.

"I'm shocked and disappointed," said Paul Weiss, 64, of New Smyrna Beach, a Democratic precinct captain. "She's a disgrace to the Democratic Party." ...

Jack Wrightington, a member of the Southeast Volusia Democratic Club, said he's supported Kosmas for the past 12 years. But not any more.

"Some badly needed leadership"

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum provided some badly needed leadership when he broke with fellow Republicans to file a lawsuit against online travel firms shortchanging state and local governments on hotel taxes. McCollum recognizes there is an enormous difference between enforcing the tax code fairly and raising taxes. It's too bad Gov. Charlie Crist and legislative leaders haven't acknowledged that distinction." "Standing for tax fairness".

Rail wars

"Orlando's $1.2 billion SunRail commuter train is grabbing headlines, but there might be another big winner as a special session on transportation issues becomes more likely: Tri-Rail, South Florida's 20-year-old train system." "SunRail momentum in Capitol could also float troubled South Florida rail system".

About Rothstein

"Records show that since 1996, Rothstein and his law firm contributed at least $924,000 to 60 state candidates and state political committees and causes. He co-chaired fundraisers for President George W. Bush and several U.S. senators, including John McCain and Mel Martinez."

At political functions, Rothstein was larger than life, said Broward GOP chairman Chip LaMarca. He held a fundraiser for Crist earlier this year on the massive deck of his home overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.

Rothstein describes himself on his website as a "close friend and advisor'' to the governor, who appointed him to his Chairman's Council, a group of 25 business leaders. Last week, Crist also called Rothstein a "friend.''

Boyd

"Boyd’s war chest brimming with health care cash".

"Anti-Charlie commercials write themselves"

Carl Hiaasen: "Senate candidate Marco Rubio, once a distant underdog to a popular governor with a huge war chest, suddenly finds himself contemplating something he didn't have two months ago: A chance."

The former state speaker of the House has always been a darling of the Republican right, but polls show that he's making inroads even with Charlie Crist's moderate base.

If you were running Rubio's campaign these days, you could practically sit back and let the anti-Charlie commercials write themselves.

The first would be a montage of headlines about the governor's tainted fundraising.

There's Scott Rothstein, of course, the flashy Fort Lauderdale attorney who's now under federal investigation for running an alleged Ponzi scheme out of his law office. ...

This year Rothstein and his circle already raised roughly $80,000 for Crist's Senate campaign. The governor said he'll return only $9,600 given directly by Rothstein and his wife.

Crist says he has no special relationship with the lawyer, yet he attended Rothstein's wedding reception. Try donating $50 and see if Charlie shows up at yours.

Then there's Harry Sargeant III of Boca Raton, a college fraternity brother of Crist and the once-finance chairman of the state GOP.

A prolific political money pump, Sargeant shrunk from the public view in February after his initials turned up in a federal indictment accusing a Jordanian national of illegally steering campaign donations to Crist and three U.S. presidential candidates. ...

Last but not least is Alan Mendelsohn, the Broward ophthalmologist recently indicted on 32 counts for allegedly trying to peddle inside access to top lawmakers. ...

[L]ike Rothstein and Sargeant, he enjoyed a tighter relationship with Crist than Crist is eager to acknowledge. ...

Crist showed his gratitude by appointing the eye doctor to his gubernatorial transition team in 2007. When Mendelsohn's son applied to the University of Florida medical school, Charlie wrote a letter urging that the young man be admitted.

Crist's "nightmare scenario"

Randy Schultz: "In this business, you always get suspicious when the answer doesn't fit the question. For example:"

Gov. Crist went through a media interrogation last week about Scott Rothstein, the lawyer/con man who may have been Broward County's Bernie Madoff. He allegedly bilked investors and the firm's clients out of as much as $500 million. Rothstein liked to spend money on houses, cars and politicians. He helped raise nearly $700,000 for Gov. Crist's 2006 campaign.

When any campaign nears the edge of Earth's orbit on spending, the potential for embarrassment also becomes stratospheric. With limits on individual contributions, the real money people are the "bundlers" who raise small fortunes from many donors. Hillary Clinton had Norman Hsu, who pleaded guilty to swindling investors out of $20 million.

Scott Rothstein was one of Gov. Crist's "bundlers." Bad as last week's story was, though, Gov. Crist could have had an easy answer:

"The reports are shocking. I didn't know anything about these allegations. Even the co-founder of their law firm says he didn't know Mr. Rothstein might have been misusing the money.

"If these allegations are true, Mr. Rothstein should be punished. I hope the victims get their money back. Speaking of money, I intend to return not just all the money I got from Mr. Rothstein, but all the money he raised for me, to avoid any perception that the money came with favors. I urge all other candidates and parties to do the same."

That would have been damage control with credibility. Everyone knows that fat-cat political patrons get special treatment, such as big appointments. If the people are qualified and no ethical or legal lines get crossed, no problem. Instead, during an interview with The Post's Michael Bender, Gov. Crist gave nothing like that answer. He said that he would return only the money from Rothstein, not the bundled contributions. He came off as defensive, which is the worst vibe to give off when dealing with bad news. Sure, the governor acknowledged, he attended Rothstein's wedding, just as Rothstein attended his wedding. But, hey, the governor didn't go to Rothstein's ceremony. He just went to the reception.

Here, though, was the telling exchange. Mr. Bender asked the governor if he would provide phone records to confirm that he was no closer to Rothstein than other state politicians. "Why would I do that?" Gov. Crist asked. "I told you. You can believe me." Mr. Bender is asking for the records. ...

why would Gov. Crist, through an off-key answer, invite speculation that there's more to the Rothstein story? One theory is that there is more. Gov. Crist usually says that even mega-donors get only "a thank-you note and good government." That wasn't the answer we heard last week.

Not long ago, Charlie Crist was the Republicans' future, a moderate with bipartisan support in a key swing state that President Obama carried. Gov. Crist had it all planned: an easy trip to the Senate, from which he would ponder his future while his successor made the unpopular hard budget choices Gov. Crist wants to avoid. Now, though, the governor has to worry about the nightmare scenario, in which Jeb Bush campaigns openly and often with Mr. Rubio. Mr. Bush made the former Florida House speaker the keeper of the Bush policy flame.

Jebbie's education legacy

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Overall, Florida is near the bottom in high-school graduation rates, ranking 45th in the nation, according to the organization KidsCount, which measures an array of public policies relating to children, and lower by various other measures."

Bud Chiles, founder of the Worst to First Foundation, said in an Op-Ed piece earlier this year that in Florida we "invest far more in prisons than in high schools and colleges. Our pay for teachers, our pupil-teacher ratios, our funding for early education, after-school, K-12 and higher education is an embarrassment compared with any state."

"'Pill mills'"

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "State legislators may have thought that they had done enough to stop the abuse of prescription painkillers. They haven't, so during the regular session that begins in March they should close loopholes that allow convicted felons to operate pain clinics." "Shut down the 'pill mills'".

Tea Bagger alert!

Beth Reinhard: "As an underdog U.S. Senate candidate courting the GOP's conservative wing, Marco Rubio takes a hard-line position against illegal immigration: no amnesty. But as the powerful speaker of the Florida House, presented with a slew of bills aimed at curbing illegal immigration, he didn't put a single proposal up for a vote. " "Rubio's immigration stance faces scrutiny".

Remembering Manny

Myriam Marquez: " Come Wednesday, we won't have Manny Diaz to push around anymore. Not that Miami's outgoing mayor ever allowed himself to be pushed anywhere he didn't want to go." "Diaz changed Miami for the better".

"New financial burdens on students in economically dismal times"

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "Young or old, college students are slammed with onerous out-of-pocket expenses that exceed the out-of-pocket health costs of most working-age adults. The reason: textbooks."

The university system is getting the message. Without affordable textbooks, Florida's already diminishing claim to being one of higher education's more affordable states is further eroded. Textbook publishers defend their exorbitant prices the way pharmaceutical companies defend theirs. They say that high-quality, specialized products are expensive to research and produce, so the markup must be high. But just like pharmaceutical companies, textbook publishers charge much less for the very same product depending on where they sell it. The same textbook sold in, say, Mumbai or London will fetch a much higher price in a Daytona Beach college store.

But Florida's university system is at loggerheads with the state Legislature. Bright Futures scholarships used to cover the full tuition of high-performing students and provide an additional $600 a year for textbooks. Lawmakers started reducing that amount several years ago to save money, eliminating the stipend altogether last year for the unremarkable saving of $12.5 million. Lawmakers also have approved a plan by the state's 12 universities to add a fat tuition surcharge every year of 6 to 8 percent on top of regular tuition costs. Students must pay the surcharge whether they have a Bright Futures scholarship or not. It all amounts to considerable new financial burdens on students in economically dismal times.

"Through no fault of their own"

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "Legislature must fix foreclosure proceedings to help tenants".

Butterworth

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "At this point, Florida Power & Light apparently will pay $500 an hour to have Bob Butterworth state the obvious: Over the past few months, through a series of clumsy moves, the state's largest investor-owned utility damaged its reputation and almost certainly its chance for a $1.2 billion rate increase." "Helping FPL see the light".