Calling the billing a mistake, Rubio said in a written statement that he will repay the party about $3,000 to cover the flights because the trips in 2007 were for state business, not politics.

On Wednesday, in response to questions from the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald about his party credit card, Rubio said the GOP paid for all travel when he served as speaker in 2007 and 2008. But records released to the Times/Herald on Thursday afternoon show that eight flights from South Florida to Tallahassee were also billed to the state.

"Billing the party was a mistake which needs to be fixed," Rubio said in the statement. "So, out of an abundance of caution, I am personally reimbursing the party for the cost of all eight flights."

"I'm the most frugal cheap guy you'll ever meet," Crist told about 350 people at the Charlotte County Republican Party's Lincoln Day dinner on Friday night. "I'm not in this for money. I'm not in this to enrich myself or get a nice haircut somewhere."

Heaven help us

"Rubio claims 57 of his 100 ideas were made law".

Meek seeks traction

The New York Times: "Representative Kendrick B. Meek, the leading Democratic candidate for Florida’s open Senate seat, listened quietly last week to tales of woe: a college student who nearly ended up homeless because her mother had lost her job; a laid-off mother who paid for health care with credit cards; an electrician struggling to get unemployment benefits."

In a state dominated by expensive news media markets, Mr. Rubio is still behind in fund-raising, with $3.37 million collected, according to state records, compared with $4.96 million for Mr. Meek and $8.99 million for Mr. Crist.

The challenge for Mr. Meek is that he is generally unknown outside Miami. According to the January poll by Quinnipiac), 72 percent of all those surveyed, and 60 percent of Democrats, said they did not know enough about him to form an opinion.

Many of his supporters say this can be solved by Election Day. They praise Mr. Meek as a methodical campaigner who is building his organization and visiting small gatherings all over the state.

The contrast between the parties’ candidates looked particularly stark last week.

That's it?

"Estimated reserves in Florida waters would provide the United States with less than a week’s worth of oil and have no discernible effect on prices at the pump or U.S. reliance on foreign oil, says a report released Friday as part of a state Senate review of whether a ban on offshore drilling should be lifted." "News-Press: Report says oil supplies in Florida waters negligible".

"A prescription for trouble"

Steve Bousquet: "It's a prescription for trouble."

In an election-year legislative session, the lame-duck governor is running for U.S. Senate. The Senate president is campaigning for a Cabinet post. The leader of the House is called the "accidental speaker" because he fell into power after Ray Sansom's ouster, but has no higher political goal. And dozens of other legislators are running for higher office — in some cases against each other.

The question is, with so many politicians in the Capitol distracted by their own ambitions, who's in charge?

The answer should be Gov. Charlie Crist, Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul. All three Republicans get along publicly, and agree the session's highest priority is creating jobs while they try to plug a $3 billion budget shortfall.

But it's not that simple.

Peace River + phosphate

The Saint Petersburg Times editors: "A dramatic new phase of phosphate mining along the Peace River in Southwest Florida is in the works, raising concerns about whether government will effectively protect the source of drinking water for 700,000 Floridians." "Protect the Peace River".

"Welcome to the NFL", Marco

Charlie gets all high and mighty:

"What matters to me is that the people have the right to know how people spend their money, how they comport themselves, how they conduct themselves, before they put themselves up for public office,'' said Crist, who did not have a party card. "It's happened to the speaker. He apparently doesn't like it. That's too bad. Welcome to the NFL.''

The IRS limits tax-exempt organizations like political parties to spending money only on influencing elections. Rubio did not make monthly payments to American Express and made no contributions to the bill during one six-month stretch in 2007, records show.

Miami attorney Ben Kuehne, an election law expert who has represented the Florida Democratic Party, said some of Rubio's expenses "sound incredibly personal, not political.''

"This is party money. Not the elected officials' money,'' he said. "The person using the card shouldn't be the one who determines whether it is business or personal. From a legal point of view there are red flags all over the place.''

Democrats in Washington and Tallahassee pounced on Rubio's credit-card use. The Florida Democratic Party called on Crist to name a special prosecutor and for McCollum to use his authority as attorney general to investigate.

"Never once in my public life did it occur to me that simply because my car was parked at a party event that if something happened to it my reflexive reaction would be to turn it over to the party to pay for it,'' said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston. "I know most Floridians wish they could get a deal like that.''

Almost

The Tampa Tribune editorial board writes "instead of recommending a total ban on the retail use of the bags, as originally it contemplated, DEP has suggested lawmakers take steps to 'discourage' people from using them in favor of relying on the 'reusable' bags growing in popularity today." "DEP right to bag proposal".

"Is Crist bereft of new ideas?"

"In 1994, when a young Charlie Crist was seeking re-election as a state senator from the Tampa Bay area, he ran on the "four E's" — the economy, education, ethics and the environment."

Here we are 16 years later, and Gov. Crist is highlighting the same four points entering Tuesday's opening of the 2010 legislative session.

Is Florida really that static a place? Or is Crist bereft of new ideas?

Same old, same old

Steve Bousquet: "For the third straight year, the Legislature confronts some painful choices as it writes the state budget, and those decisions are likely to be felt by every man, woman and child in Florida."

The state's debt level of $24 billion is precariously high. A growing Medicaid caseload now swallows more than 25 percent of the entire budget. And billions of federal stimulus dollars will soon flame out, leaving a gaping hole of unfunded programs on the horizon.

Even unadjusted for inflation, today's budget is about $7 billion less than it was a few years ago. After wave after wave of cuts, and an infusion of $5.5 billion in stimulus money this year alone, lawmakers say they must cut more.

Haitian struggle

"Even before the earthquake, the poorest of Miami's Haitians were struggled to send money to relatives in their poverty-stricken nation." "In Miami, Haitian workers struggle to send money home".

Laff riot

The union haters on the The Sun-Sentinel editorial board have the temerity to accuse the teachers' union of "lowering the level of dialogue into the gutter".

Class size

"Florida's class-size battle heats up".

"Party-pooper"?

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "In an interview Friday with The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board, Gov. Crist not only was eager to defend Florida's acceptance of $15 billion in stimulus money from the Obama administration, he wouldn't throw President Obama under a bus festooned with Tea Party bumper stickers."

Asked whether he agreed with the labels some Tea Partiers have plastered on Mr. Obama — communist, fascist, tyrant — Gov. Crist said, "I don't think any labels are justified." Asked about criticism that, as governor, he hasn't done enough to bring down unemployment, Mr. Crist said he's doing everything he can, including taking the stimulus money, which he said had saved 87,000 jobs in Florida. Gov. Crist extended the same courtesy to Mr. Obama, declining to blame the president for high unemployment rate. He said Mr. Obama is doing the best he can.

Gov. Crist is running for the Senate. His main Republican opponent, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, has been rising in the polls on the strength of Tea Party and conservative Republican support, based largely on Mr. Rubio's opposition to the stimulus. Gov. Crist's answers in the interview did not reveal a candidate who has decided at this point that to win the primary he must run far to the right.

West Miami

"Suspended West Miami Mayor Cesar Carasa officially filed paperwork this week for the April 13 mayoral election, despite facing charges he exploited his official position related to alleged abuse of his city-issued cellphone." "Suspended West Miami mayor files for former seat".

Gangs

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Good news: Attorney General Bill McCollum notes that Florida is making progress against gangs. Better news: Community commitment to curbing the growth of gangs in our area hasn't ebbed with the passage of time." "Our Opinion: Part of the solution".

Marco Rubio. Or so Sansom says.

Why should a powerful state legislator use political contributions to shop at the neighborhood wine shop, visit a tony Miami barbershop and repair the family minivan? That is the question former House Speaker Marco Rubio should be answering rather than whining about how his profligate spending became public.

Hold on

"The January statistics for Florida were supposed to come out March 5, but on Thursday that was shoved back to March 10." "Florida's new unemployment rate is on hold". Related: "Fla. Gov. Crist: Priority 1 is jobs, jobs, jobs" and "With hands tied, Florida struggles to carve new jobs".

"Warmed over"

"Fla. lawmakers dining on warmed over issues".

Rubio vs. Crist "Messier by the day"

"The fight between Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio over the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate promises to get messier by the day." "Rubio's credit card expenses spark latest intra-party barrage".

Rate increase?

"Blue Cross of Florida Asks For Up to 14% Rate Increase".

Scandals in waiting

Mark Lane writes that, "the resignation scrubs Sansom from the daily news cycle while most voters still have no idea who he is. Whew."

But lest everybody put this behind them, the conditions that created the Sansom scandals remain unchanged. It's a situation just waiting for a player with a little more sophistication to repeat it on a grander scale.

"The best Republicans can do?"

Daniel Ruth: "This is the best Republicans can do? Really?"

Speaker-to-be Chris Dorworth's finances are such a mess he makes Ralph Kramden look like Bill Gates. And yet Dorworth's fellow House Republicans recently elected him to be the leader of the chamber come 2014, assuming he isn't living in a box down by the Wakulla River by then.

Or put another way, Republicans in the House have opted to elevate an individual to one of the three most powerful political posts in the state who is facing foreclosure of his $1.2 million home, a $2.7 million legal judgment against him and even had his driver's license temporarily suspended and failed to pay highway tolls.

This is the party of financial restraint, fiduciary responsibility, balanced budgets?

Yee haw!

"Republican officials to visit Tampa convention facilities".

Rivera jumps

"State Rep. David Rivera on Thursday became the first candidate to jump into the District 25 congressional race in Miami to replace U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who is running for the seat being vacated by his brother, Lincoln. Rivera is expected to be followed by Sen. Alex de la Portilla, a fellow Miami Republican. Four others are considering running, which would make it one of the most crowded contests in the state."

A poll conducted by Hill Research Consulting indicates of 300 people surveyed, Diaz de la Portilla has 67 percent name recognition, whereas Rivera has 41 percent.

However, a poll by Dario Moreno Inc. of 600 likely Republican voters had Rivera with 44 percent name recognition and Diaz de la Portilla with 41 percent.

The Hill poll also tested name recognition of the others who have expressed interest or rumored to be considering running for the seat:

• Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez, 68 percent (one point higher than Diaz de la Portilla).

• Carlos Curbelo, state director for U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, 32 percent.

• Miami-Dade Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, 29 percent.

• Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi, 22 percent.

The Moreno poll also asked about state Sen. Alex Villalobos, who was recognized by 31 percent of those surveyed, and Curbelo, recognized by 11 percent.

"If only it were that easy"

"Spurred by state unemployment soon expected to top 12 percent and a political agenda keen on kick-starting a long-stalled economy, Florida lawmakers insist job creation is a priority in this legislative session. If only it were that easy." "Florida struggles to carve out new jobs".

"Republicans want this seat back. Badly"

Scott Maxwell: "Florida Republicans have had a lot of problems lately. But gathered inside a tiny art gallery near Winter Park on Wednesday night was an example of something they got right."

It was an assembly of five conservatives who have stepped up to take on Democrat U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas.

And collectively, they constitute the strongest pack of contenders in quite some time — which is just what this party needs in this high-profile race.

Their candidates' backgrounds are as diverse as their demographics. There's a city commissioner, a state legislator, a former CEO, a general contractor and the profession that seems to be mandatory whenever two or more politicians gather: a lawyer. The group includes two women, one black man and a mix of establishment players and rabble-rousers.

In other words, Republicans will have real choice.

Republicans want this seat back. Badly. They feel as though it was designed for them because, well, it was.

Sink piles on

"Amid a backdrop of recent political scandals, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink on Thursday joined the chorus calling for sweeping ethics reforms in Florida."

Sink, the leading Democratic candidate for governor, outlined an 11-point plan designed to restore trust in government "after a never-ending slew of continued scandals.''

"The people of Florida -- it's easy to see they've lost faith in government, so I believe it's past time to change the rules,'' she said.

The proposals take aim at the culture of corruption on display in the last year -- from the resignation and indictment of former House Speaker Ray Sansom and the financial calamity at the Republican Party of Florida to the guilty plea of Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, who cut big checks to Sink, the Democratic Party and numerous GOP officials that were later returned.

Seizing on the controversy surrounding the GOP credit cards, Sink called for full disclosure of all party statements. Republican Party officials are refusing to release them.

Texts and tweets

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "As the 2010 Legislature opens for business, the texts and tweets will be flying fast and furiously. And they're not private, regardless of how discreet and personal social-networking seems to be." "Tweet-tweet".

Senate candidate Marco Rubio said he reimbursed the state GOP for expenses put on an American Express card given to him by his party.

"I was as diligent as possible to ensure the party did not pay for items that were unrelated to party business,'' Rubio said in a written statement. "There was no formal process provided by the Party regarding personal charges.''

Party spokeswoman Katie Gordon said the card was not supposed to be used for personal expenses. "The RPOF American Express card is a corporate card and is meant to be used for business expenses.''

Donations to parties must go exclusively toward influencing elections under IRS rules.

Records show Rubio sent payments to American Express totaling $13,900 for his personal expenses during his tenure as House speaker. But those payments were not made monthly. He made no contributions to the bill during a six-month stretch in 2007, records show.

Charges covered by the party as political expenses include:

• $765 at Apple's online store for "computer supplies.''

• $25.76 from Everglades Lumber for "supplies.''

• $53.49 at Winn-Dixie in Miami for "food.''

• $68.33 at Happy Wine in Miami for "beverages'' and "meal.''

• $78.10 for two purchases at Farm Stores in suburban Miami.

• $412 at All Fusion Electronics, a music equipment store in Miami, for "supplies.''

Rubio's campaign could not find records to explain many of these expenses Wednesday night. But Rubio stressed that GOP staffers also may be responsible for some expenses because they also had access to the credit card.

Rubio said he tried to pay all his personal expenses, at least some ended up on the party ledger, records show. Three payments to a Tallahassee property management group, which Rubio described as personal, were paid by the party, totaling $1,024, state and the credit-card records show.

Rubio also booked six plane tickets for his wife using the card. It was unclear how many, if any, of those trips his wife actually took; in some instances, she did not fly and Rubio was credited by the airline.

"A funhouse-mirror U.S. Senate race"

"Leave it to Florida to offer a funhouse-mirror U.S. Senate race. The two Republicans battling for their party's nomination are positioning themselves as much in reaction to Obama as the 2008 Democratic candidates pivoted off George W. Bush."

"Gov. Charlie Crist, 53, plays the Hillary Clinton role, the early favorite among party insiders, awash in campaign money and ready to depress the cruise control button. Until. Marco Rubio is you-know-who." "GOP race may hinge on history".

Herald coddles its right-wing readership

The Miami Herald editorial board: "Stop coddling Cuban dictatorship".

Rubio closing in money race

Adam C Smith and Constance Humberg: "Crist leaves no doubt he intends to spend a lot of money telling Florida Republicans that Marco Rubio is not all he says he is."

Certainly the fundraising numbers released by the Republican campaigns - $7.5 million in the bank for Crist at the start of the year, compared to $2 million for Rubio - look pretty daunting for former House Speaker Rubio.

But a closer look at their finance reports shows Rubio is not so out-gunned in financial resources. Crist actually has about $5 million available for the primary compared to roughly $1.9 million for Rubio, according to a St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald analysis.

That's because donors can give only $2,400 per election, and Crist has relied heavily on big check-writers who gave money both for the primary and the general election.

If Crist loses the primary he will have to refund at least $2.5 million in general election contributions. Crist as of Jan. 31 had 2-½ times more money on hand than Rubio. That's a big money lead, but a not nearly as huge as the 5-to-1 advantage Crist had over Rubio three months earlier.

Given Rubio's momentum- consistently leading in the polls, loads of national media attention, more than $800,000 raised in recent online "money bomb" solicitations - Rubio is likely to have closed the gap still further by the end of this fundraising quarter. He also has national conservative groups like the Club for Growth ready to spend money on his behalf.

Watch the GOPers put a hold on this one

"President Barack Obama nominated Miami native Wifredo Ferrer as the new U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida Thursday." "Obama nominates Hialeah-born lawyer Wifredo Ferrer for U.S. attorney".

Sansom

"Sansom said Wednesday he was hounded out of the Legislature by a partisan Democratic attack — aided by a Republican rival chairing a special committee that investigated him." "Sansom blasts House members over his exit".

Bill Cotterell: "If Sansom had waited a couple of years to take the developmental vice presidency at the college, instead of landing a six-figure job on the same day he became speaker, no one would have been suspicious about the money he had helped steer to the campus. Appropriations chairmen and speakers-designate always put pork in the budget for their districts, and Sansom's largesse to NWFSC was similar to the generosity shown by many of his predecessors."

You don't question stuff sought by the budget chairman, not if you ever want to fund something of your own. And governors don't line-item a relatively small project wanted by a speaker-designate, who will control everything that moves in the House for the next two years.

What Sansom did really was business as usual, in that sense, just more egregious. And, in that sense, he was taking care of his constituents who use the college or need a staging area at the airport during hurricanes or other emergencies.

That two of those constituents were Odom, a major Republican donor, and Richburg, who hired him, are just happy coincidences.

As Florida's economy nose dives ...

... "Area lawmaker seeks abortion ban".

It might have something to do with gerrymandering, Mike

Mike Thomas observes that "in Florida, there is an inverse relationship between Democratic numerical advantages and Democratic election victories. Consider the following statistics:"

There are about 4.7 million Democrats and 3.9 million Republicans, meaning the Democrats outnumber them by 800,000.

Yet Republicans outnumber Democrats 26-14 in the Florida Senate.

They outnumber Democrats 77-42 in the Florida House.

They outnumber Democrats 3-1 on the Florida Cabinet.

There are about two Republican politicians for every Democratic politician in Tallahassee and Washington.

Actually, there wouldn't be any Democrats at all, but the Republicans let them win the occasional race to avoid having to file for an antitrust exemption.

They can afford losing a few because Democrats are a harmless bunch. You can put a few Republicans in a Democratic Legislature and they'll gum up the entire works. But in Tallahassee, you don't even know the Democrats are there.

Bill holds a press conference ...

"McCollum sees progress on Fla. gangs". Related: "Florida a growing gang capital".

... so does Alex

"Alex Sink pushes ethics reform".

Anti-McCollum ad

The Saint Petersburg Times takes a

look at an anti-McCollum response ad aired by the Florida Democratic Party. The ad begins with footage of McCollum telling reporters, "I'm proud of my record of having been a congressman."

A voice-over continues, "Really? Well, Bill McCollum, you cost the rest of us billions. He voted four times to raise his own pay. $51,000. Our tax money pays his congressional pension. Over $75,000 dollars a year. The national debt skyrocketed. $4.7 trillion. McCollum voted for debt-limit increases five times. Bill McCollum. Just another Washington politician Florida can't afford."

In a footnote to the advertisement, the Florida Democratic Party provided bill numbers and dates showing the votes that enabled congressional salaries to increase. We checked the four votes — in 1989, 1997, 1999 and 2000 — with roll call records and confirmed that McCollum did vote yes in all four cases.

As for the amount of the salary increase, the ad actually understates it. Before the 1989 vote, congressional salaries were $89,500. On Jan. 1, 2001 — two days before McCollum's final term officially ended — congressional salaries went up to $145,100. That's a difference of $55,600 — higher than the $51,000 stated in the ad.

The McCollum campaign points out that on several of these votes, a majority of Florida's Democratic congressional delegation voted the same way McCollum did, and we think that's fair context to add. But looking specifically at the Democratic ad's charge, this part of the claim is accurate.

Rate increases

"Key Florida lawmakers are drafting legislation that would essentially allow additional property insurance rate increases and reduce fraudulent claims and discounts that can drive up insurance costs." "Bills would allow property insurers to raise rates in Florida".

Tractor pull attendance at an all time high

"Too few Floridians are earning college degrees, new study shows".

Entrepreneurs in action

"An angry state senator now wants a law that would force Metro Orlando's main blood bank to be more open about its finances and executive compensation because he doubts the nonprofit really intends to change as promised. ... Anne Chinoda, who runs Florida's Blood Centers ... eventually revealed she had received a 13 percent raise, or $71,000, in 2009, bringing her total compensation to $605,000." "Senator: Law should force blood-bank openness on Anne Chinoda's pay".

His house is facing foreclosure.

His multimillion-dollar business venture failed.

He was successfully sued, leaving him struggling to pay the $2.7 million judgment.

And just last week, we learned that the Lake Mary Republican's drivers license was suspended for insurance problems, while the Department of Transportation was breathing down his neck for not paying tolls.

So how did Dorworth's legislative peers respond?

By electing him speaker of the House!

Lew Oliver, an investor in the deal and then-Republican Party chairman in Orange County, filed the suit to recover the $1.7 million invested by his company, TG&O Holdings.

Dorworth and partner Jim Stelling, then-former Seminole County GOP boss, never repaid the money, so Oliver went back to court. In June 2009, the judge ordered them to pay $2.7 million, court records show.

Stelling declared bankruptcy, so Dorworth owes the bulk of the judgment. As part of the deal, Oliver took control of Dorworth's company, state incorporation records show.

Crist gets nasty

"Republican Charlie Crist’s campaign sent out its second missive in two days trying to saddle primary opponent Marco Rubio to the mess left by former Speaker Ray Sansom’s resignation."

Sansom was Rubio’s hand-picked budget chairman while Sansom was tucking controversial deals for a local college into the budget. And while its fair to question about how much Rubio knew about what was going on, Crist’s tactics ignore that the governor had final say on line items in the budget and did not veto the project.

Crist has demanded Rubio "release all emails and documents between Rep. Sansom, yourself, and your respective staff." ...

[Yesterday], Crist’s campaign [took] a different approach, implying that Rubio not only should have known about Sansom’s budget dealings, but similarly may have used his influence to feather his own nest as speaker.

Attack ads

"On Tuesday, the Republican Governors Association — the gubernatorial campaign arm of the national GOP — fired a shot at Alex Sink, the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida. The RGA, which is backing Republican Bill McCollum, took aim at Sink's career as a top executive at Bank of America and its predecessor in Florida, NationsBank." "Republican Governors Association blasts Sink's record, compensation as bank executive".

"The television ad war in the governor's race kicked off with two attack ads, one criticizing Democrat Alex Sink's banking career and the other saying Republican Bill McCollum voted four times to raise his own salary while the national debt soared." "TV war starts in governor's race with 2 attack ads".

Scientology vs. the St. Pete Times

"After decades of digging into the Church of Scientology, reporters and editors at the St. Petersburg Times are accustomed to being denounced by its leaders."

But they find it unsettling that three veteran journalists — a Pulitzer Prize winner, a former 60 Minutes producer and the former executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors — are taking the church's money to examine the paper's conduct.

While the journalists have promised an independent review, the Times has refused to cooperate, saying their work will be used to fuel the church's ongoing campaign against the Florida paper.

The Sansom story

The Miami Herald editors: "Former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom finally resigned his seat in the Legislature, more than a year after he should have stepped down."

The ex-lawmaker had been in trouble from the day he was sworn in as speaker in November 2008, when it was learned that he was taking an unadvertised $110,000 job with Northwest Florida State College. Then it was reported that while serving as chairman of the House budget committee, he had quietly steered tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to the school.

As it turned out, this sweetheart deal was just the tip of the iceberg. Mr. Sansom had also used his power to funnel some $6 million to the college for an airport building that a private developer -- who happened to be a Sansom friend and major Republican donor -- wanted to use for his corporate-jet business.

Mr. Sansom was indicted for the airport deal and still faces grand-theft charges. Under public pressure, he stepped down as speaker last year but held onto his job as a legislator until Sunday, on the eve of public hearings by a legislative panel that would have aired all this dirty laundry.

His resignation makes those hearings moot, but it doesn't let lawmakers off the hook. This scandal is about much more than abuse of power by one individual.

Wingnut whinge

See "Jeb: Crist's stimulus endorsement "unforgivable"" and "Crist responds to Jeb's 'unforgivable' remarks".

"Cruz cruises"

"Democrat Janet Cruz cruises to victory in state house election".

Food or medicine?

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "In Florida the costs of health care have far outpaced workers' wages, jeopardized the survival of businesses, and led more people to lose their insurance."

According to a recent Families, USA state-by-state analysis, if we don't pass health reform soon: 632,000 Floridians will lose health insurance by 2019, 4,265,000 will be uninsured; the average family insurance premium will increase by $8,549 at a time when the five biggest for-profit health insurers saw a combined $12.2 billion in profits in 2009; and 565,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Florida will continue to hit the "doughnut hole" or gap in Medicare Part D drug coverage -- forcing them to choose between food or medicine.

Class size

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "Proposal to ease class-size requirements makes lots of sense".

Tea-baggery

The incompetent who left Florida in a financial and social disaster claims that President Obama's economic policies are "not American", that Obama is "imperil[ing] our future" and has surrounded himself with "political hacks". "Jeb Bush: Obama Charts 'Dangerous Course,' His Policies 'Not American'"

RPOFer doublespeak: "not a permanent promise"

"Two House members announced plans Tuesday to make all state employees, including legislators, pay for health insurance."

The proposal could save the state about $56 million a year. Nearly 35,000 employees in upper and middle management, legislative and other payroll classifications now receive paid-up coverage as a job benefit.

The bill by Reps. Marlene O'Toole, R-Lady Lake, and Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, would rescind the state-paid coverage of about 17,000 state employees who were forcibly removed from a premium-paying job category eight years ago. But O'Toole said the tradeoff made at the time — losing job security in return for no-cost health coverage — was not a permanent promise.

Frankel

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel apparently believes that the city won't be able to live without her. She wants voters to change the rules so she can run for an unlimited number of terms." "No Mayor-for-Life Frankel: She's rigging system to get around term limits".

PSC rules

"Regulatory hearings on Florida Power & Light's proposed $1.4 billion rate hike were a bust not only for the utility, but also could mean tougher rules for state regulators and their staff." "Regulating the regulators? Tougher PSC rules pushed".

From the "values" crowd

The Orlando Sentinel editors write that, "with lawmakers looking for ways to fill a $3 billion budget hole, [Guardian ad Litem programs] faces a potential double-digit cut even though the thrifty program serves about 23,000 kids using 14 trained volunteers for every paid staffer. Legislators would be foolish to again gut such a cost-effective and badly needed program. Doing so would rob thousands more disenfranchised kids of an adult voice to speak up for them." "".

Absolutely, 100% not guilty

"The Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance has denied that it misspent about $81,000 called into question by a state inspector general." "Workforce agency denies money was misspent".

FRAG

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Given the state's budget crunch, it will be tempting for lawmakers to slash the Florida Resident Access Grant, which helps Floridians attend private universities and colleges. The program is viewed by some as a diversion of funds from state universities. The reality is FRAG eases the burden on public universities at a bargain price for taxpayers." "Keep college access".

"Boogeyman in Florida politics"

"The brutal killing of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford five years ago today fueled the creation of a boogeyman in Florida politics: the sex offender." "Florida's tougher sex-offender laws revisited".

Political Director Pablo Diaz, one of the first people hired by Crist to run his Senate campaign, is departing at the end of the month for "a new opportunity.'' Sean Doughtie, a new media consultant who had worked with Crist for years, stopped working for the campaign at the end of January.

"The campaign was going in a different direction,'' Doughtie said.

Sansom blames the bloggers

Get this. Sansom's "attorney, Gloria Fletcher, said he resigned because the proceedings were unfair." She

complained that "bloggers" were now deciding who serves in the Florida House. She also commented on revelations in the press that Eric Jotkoff, spokesman for the state Democratic Party, had in fact drafted the complaint that a private citizen had filed against Sansom, which had sparked the House probe.

"I thought the Constitution was by, for and with the people," she said. "Call me politically naïve, I had absolutely no idea that bloggers determined who served and who didn't. I thought it was we the citizens."

Asked for an explanation of her comment about bloggers, she said the depositions in the case made clear how and which bloggers played a role in Sansom's downfall. "It names names, and it names blogs."

Crist "is trying to get his mojo back"

Mike Thomas writes that Crist "is trying to get his mojo back." You should go read it all, but here is a taste:

The rapid rise of Marco Rubio hit the normally unflappable governor like a left hook from the blind spot.

Charlie based his career on pleasant populism, on style over substance, on just getting along with everybody. And now nobody wants to get along anymore, particularly the kind of people who vote in low-turnout Republican primaries.

Dazed and confused, Charlie stumbled badly as Rubio applied the pressure. ...

Apparently, the Crist campaign has regrouped, come up with a coherent message and is ready to join this battle anew.

Forget Charlie as the wonk-less opportunist with little interest in actually governing. Now he is an all-business chief executive busy running the state. He has budgets to balance, jobs to save, schools to fund and an economy to rescue. He can't go scampering around the state groveling for votes, like some people. ...

Charlie has decided to double-down on practicality and civility, except when it comes to his opponent.

He will pound the former House speaker as a spendthrift who sent Charlie a budget packed with $459 million in pork barrel spending. This included $800,000 to put artificial turf on a football field where Marco played in Miami-Dade.

In the four years before Charlie became governor, state spending went up $15 billion. He inherited a bubble economy and a bubble budget. Both burst, leaving him to deal with the mess, overseeing $7 billion in budget cuts. ...

Charlie's campaign has been passive and unfocused, while Rubio's campaign is relentlessly on-target. The message is simple and blunt. When confronting Obama, moderation is surrender.

Charlie shrugs it all off. He will win regardless. This campaign hasn't even begun. People have yet to receive a critical introduction to you-know-who. That is coming.

I don't know if he's optimistic, delusional or just knows something I do not.

Counting HS graduates

"Until 2008, Florida counted students who received standard diplomas, special diplomas for disabled students and people who earned high school equivalency certificates as graduates. That method tended to inflate graduation rates compared to many other states, which tended not to count recipients of special diplomas or equivalency certificates. ... Beginning in 2012, Florida plans to switch to the federal uniform rate of measuring how many students graduate from high school. Only those students who earn standard diplomas will count as graduates." "Rules for counting graduates about to get tougher".

"Daffy" congressional hopeful Allen West

Rubio is commended by The New Republic’s John Judis for not calling

his political opponents socialists. [Rubio] didn’t describe the White House as followers, as one daffy speaker put it, of Marx, Engels, Che Guevara, Hugo Chavez, and Saul Alinsky."

The unnamed "daffy" speaker was South Florida Republican congressional hopeful Allen West.

One in five Floridians lack health coverage

"Few states have as much at stake in the health care fight as Florida, a state where one in five residents lacks any health coverage, where what coverage is available for the poor is breaking the bank, and where a large percentage of people — seniors — have government­-provided health care that they're keen to protect." "Last-ditch effort carries high stakes for Florida patients".

"Perilous times"

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "School districts across Florida face perilous times."

Their revenues from property- and sales-tax collections have been driven down by the recession, and they are burning through federal stimulus cash meant to make up the difference. Orange has lost $87.5 million in state funding for its budget over the past two years; Seminole about $40 million.

Now they also are confronting the cost of a strict cap this fall on the number of students in each classroom where core academic subjects are taught, the final stage of a constitutional amendment that state voters passed in 2002. The amendment imposed its limits — 18 students in grades K-3, 22 in grades 4-8, and 25 in grades 9-12 — based first on a district average, and then on a school average. Lawmakers extended the school average approach into the current year.

But meeting class-by-class caps is expected to add at least $350 million a year statewide to the bill for public education. It would force districts to hire more teachers and create more classrooms, or take other costly steps to redistribute their student loads.

Given the fiscal free fall looming for schools, it's only responsible for state lawmakers to put before voters a plan to incorporate some flexibility into the original class-size mandate. Such a plan would preserve precious dollars that should be invested elsewhere in education, like for good teachers.

Bad unions

The Miami Herald editorial board establishes its union hating bona fides today, whining about "trimming outrageous union benefits", and puffing about "Finally, leaders of four Miami-Dade County employees' unions have agreed to revised contracts based on today's Great Recession reality -- a concept all public unions in South Florida must recognize as budgets shrink." "Miami-Dade unions take a reality check".

Surely these dopes know that under Florida's public sector bargaining law, when a public employer and a union can't reach agreement, the public employer has the power to unilaterally set the terms of the contract.

Thank you, Mr. Obama

"State officials recently announced that $1.28 million is now available for organic producers in Florida as part of a nationwide initiative to assist certified organic producers and those making the transition to organic production." "Fed money available for organic producers".

Rubio dodges a bullet, Legislature off the hook

The Saint Petersburg Times: "Ray Sansom's resignation neatly solved a problem for Tallahassee: The House can wash its hands of the indictment of it own former speaker and a critical grand jury report that cast the entire Legislature in a harsh light." "Legislature is off the hook". More: "Sansom's resignation leaves key questions unanswered" and "Sansom leaves Floridians in dark".

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "When former House Speaker Ray Sansom announced Sunday that he would resign from the Florida Legislature, the sighs of relief across the state were almost audible."

The announcement derailed the work of a special committee set up to investigate Sansom's 2007 actions in steering more than $30 million to a community college that would later (briefly) become his employer. The committee's witness list included powerful ex-lawmakers who let pass Sansom's inclusion of a $6 million classroom/ "emergency response workforce center" for Northwest Florida State College, located at the Destin Airport. The building -- never constructed -- matched almost precisely the description of an airplane hangar that Sansom supporter Jay Odom had sought to have funded previously. Sansom also wrangled a far- greater share of state construction funds for the college than it, otherwise, would have received, at the expense of others in the community-college system.

But it was the job that tripped the greed meter. The same day he became House speaker in 2008, Sansom accepted a $110,000 position at the college. The position had never been advertised and had poorly defined duties.

Sansom's resignation ends the House's jurisdiction over him. But it shouldn't end lawmakers' quest to eliminate the blind spots that allowed the blatant money grab.

There are rumblings that Mr. Sansom felt political pressure to resign and end the investigation. Indeed, Marco Rubio — House speaker when Mr. Sansom was the budget chair — was among those subpoenaed for the hearing.

Gov. Charlie Crist, running against Mr. Rubio for the U.S. Senate, wasted no time sounding the alarm: "It is essential," he said in a news release, "that the Republican primary voters and the people of Florida understand the role that a potential U.S. senator might have played in matters that are now under investigation."

But what really should concern Floridians well beyond election-year rhetoric is whether the Sansom spending spree has been and continues to be business as usual.

Ray Sansom's resignation Sunday night from the state House, just hours before a House committee hearing was to begin on ethics charges against him, delays but may not eliminate the potential embarrassment for Rubio and other Republicans of having to testify in Sansom's case.

Although Rubio seems to be the one with the most to lose, his opponent in the U.S. Senate primary, Gov. Charlie Crist, also could be touched by the scandal, as could others.

Still, Crist indicated Monday he's willing to open the Pandora's box.

His campaign issued a statement to Rubio calling Sansom "your handpicked budget chief" and calling on Rubio to make public all his e-mail and correspondence with Sansom, though such correspondence already is a public record.

Several Republican legislators and former legislators were subpoenaed for the hearing Monday, but Rubio may be the one closest to the matter being investigated.

"Fallout from Florida's history of botched elections"

Aaron Deslatte: "Even a decade after the 2000 presidential recount, the fallout from Florida's history of botched elections is still playing out in Tallahassee."

Legislators are pushing to delay a requirement that county election supervisors buy $45 million in optical-scan voting equipment for the disabled from 2012 until 2016.

As part of complying with the 2002 federal Help America Vote Act, Florida replaced punch-card ballots with paperless electronic voting machines. But those machines – actually, the ballot design – were blamed for thousands of non-votes in a 2006 Sarasota congressional race. So Gov. Charlie Crist and others demanded a statewide switch in 2007 to optical-scan equipment that uses verifiable paper ballots.

But disabled voters continue to use touch-screen machines that leave no paper trail. Now, a new Senate bill (SB 900) would delay buying modifications to those machines that would create paper printouts of votes.

"Staggering unemployment"

"Staggering unemployment during an election year means the pressure on state leaders to spur job growth couldn't be greater." "State leaders say 'heat is on' to create jobs".

"Medicare loophole"

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "The number of long-term acute care hospitals has exploded in the last 15 years because they are able to exploit a Medicare loophole. These facilities, which in 1993 billed the government $400 million, are expected this year to bill $4.8 billion. Yet there are serious questions about the quality of care given patients. A New York Times investigation suggests these hospitals deserve far greater scrutiny by regulators and a change in the rules regarding the way they are paid. There are 23 long-term care hospitals in Florida". "Long-term care hospitals deserve close scrutiny".

"The standard of decency"

"A legislator who has travelled the world as a Baptist minister wants Florida to ban abortion — inviting a U.S. Supreme Court rematch over law, morality and medicine."

Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights, cites the state and federal Constitutions, as well as the Declaration of Independence, in asserting that all people are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that the first among these rights is the right to life." Nearly one-third of his Florida for Life Act is devoted to legislative "findings," including statements that life begins at conception and that the high court's 1973 and 1992 rulings legalizing abortion were wrong.

The bill also states that about 50 million abortions have occurred since the Roe v. Wade ruling 37 years ago. It contends that "the standard of decency of the people of this state has evolved" since then and that the people want the ruling reversed.

Same old, same old

"Young says he will seek re-election".

"Jobs, jobs, jobs"

"Florida legislators will enter the 2010 session repeating the same thing as politicians all across the country: 'Jobs, jobs, jobs.' But hobbled by a severe budget crunch, the question is just how much Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature can do to help curb the state's chronic unemployment, where more than 1 million people are now out of work." "Florida lawmakers want to encourage hiring".

"Need for the Legislature to do more"

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Florida learned the hard way in the 2000 presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore that a uniform statewide election system is needed to ensure the accuracy of balloting, results and recounts."

With different procedures in place throughout the state, Florida became a laughingstock, with images of squinting canvassing board members trying to figure out who was selected on the paper ballots.

In the years since, the Legislature has taken steps to prevent a repeat, including banning the punch-card voting machines that caused many of the problems. But a recent state Supreme Court ruling in another election dispute points out the need for the Legislature to do more.

"The pain management industry"

"Despite new rules targeting the pain management industry, unscrupulous clinics that supply narcotics traffickers and addicts will keep spreading across Florida unless lawmakers enact tougher restrictions immediately, according to a top state medical official." "Health official: State lawmakers must 'take some action' to curb growth of pain clinics".

"The latest fad"

Bill Cotterell: "The latest fad in personnel budgeting is elimination of vacant positions, most likely those that have been unfilled for at least six months."

It was reported last week that the current budget contains about $150 million for about 5,500 vacant job slots — and that the money "can" be sidetracked to cover pay raises and other agency expenses not budgeted by the Legislature.

Well, yes, agencies can use the money for that. They also can take it out on the Capitol steps and set fire to it. But they're not.

Nearly 2,000 of those vacancies were in the Department of Corrections, mostly for correctional officers. The prison system starts officers at $28,093 a year. The Bradford County Sheriff's Office, not far from Florida State Prison, starts deputies at about $28,500.

In Brevard County, a raw recruit starts at about $36,000 a year as a jailer or deputy. In Hillsborough County, deputies start at $44,300 in the jail and $44,900 on patrol.

This illustrates the fallacy of assuming that a long vacancy in a position is evidence the job isn't needed. Maybe many of them aren't. Maybe an agency has priorities that change unforseeably, maybe a federal program doesn't come down as expected or some anticipated growth at the local level fails to materialize, so some salary and benefits money gets left in the pot.

But very often, the reason jobs are vacant for six months or more is not that there are too many positions, but that you can't fill them at that salary — at least not with an experienced, qualified person — even in this economy.

As GOPers sit on their hands ...

"More than 20,000 Floridians each week will see their unemployment benefits run dry starting in March unless Congress acts to extend their aid. In response to cries for help from South Florida and around the nation, the Senate this week plans to vote on a jobs bill that would give a tax break to employers who hire those who have been out of work for at least 60 days." "Thousands in Fla. to lose jobless benefits without Senate action".

FRAG

The Miami Herald editors: "There's no better bargain today in higher education than the Florida Resident Access Grant, or FRAG. It helps high school graduates attend the state's nonprofit independent colleges and universities as part of a financial aid package. It's a bargain for the students -- and for Florida taxpayers." "Worth every penny".

"Confronting the worst failures of Florida's court system"

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "In 2008, the Legislature passed a law intended to end the exhausting, humiliating debates over compensation for the wrongfully convicted. The legislation promised $50,000 a year for every year that an innocent person spent behind bars, plus college tuition and help transitioning back to society."

But the new law is laden with roadblocks. A process that should be easy, even automatic, is instead laborious -- so much so that the state just last week paid its first compensation under the law. Leroy McGee of Broward County, who spent 3 1/2 years in prison for a robbery he did not commit, delayed signing the agreement to accept $179,000 compensation because of injustices in the statute, he said last week.

Even though he was acquitted in 1994, McGee had to prove his innocence all over again to claim the reimbursement and receive approval from the court where he was originally convicted. To do that, he had to find an attorney -- and despite the complex requirements to claim compensation, the new law doesn't provide for attorney reimbursement, or even court costs. ...

It gets worse. The compensation law is crippled by a so-called "clean hands" provision, which denies compensation to anyone with a prior felony conviction, even a minor one. Under that provision, Crotzer -- who, as a young man, once stole beer from a store -- would have been denied any compensation for the quarter-century he spent locked in a Florida prison. Instead, the Legislature approved $1.25 million in compensation for him. ...

Until they repair the flaws in the compensation bill, legislators will be confronting the worst failures of Florida's court system. But the people who suffer the most will be those innocent people who have already paid a high price for the state's mistakes.

But in Florida, chaos in the state party is making it difficult for Republican activists to partake in the confidence surge that is sweeping the party nationally.

At a time when Republicans should be preparing for victory in the fall, top activists were being summoned to Orlando for an emergency meeting Saturday to choose a new party leader who will have to manage the GOP through a mindfield of potentially explosive financial and ethical controversies over the next nine months.

Even with John Thrasher chosen as the chairman Saturday, party regulars still face serious inner turmoil, worries about what they will find on secret credit cards the previous chairman handed out and concerns over the list of Republican witnesses former House Speaker and fellow Republican Ray Sansom has threatened to bring before an ethics panel scheduled to start Monday.

Already, the credit cards, which as many as 60 Republican leaders may have had, have shown lavish spending on meals, travel and golf outings. ...

While some GOP activists want all of the credit card statements opened to the public to get to the bottom of the budding crisis, others fear opening them will be embarrassing for elected officials who had the cards.

Baby Jebbie comes to Rubio's rescue

"Jeb Bush Jr. [has written, or has had ghost written (who knows)] a letter to The Miami Herald in response to a biting column by Carl Hiaasen about U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio" "Herald Blog: Jeb Bush Jr. comes to Rubio's defense".

RPOFer head calls Florida's 4.7M Dems "the enemy"

"After weeks of angst over lavish spending and secret deals, Florida Republicans turned to a GOP stalwart [State Sen. John Thrasher, a 66-year-old former House speaker from Clay County ] Saturday to help lift the cloud of financial scandal hanging over the party." "Florida Republicans elect Thrasher to lead state party, root out scandal". See also "Thrasher to lead RPOF" and "State Sen. Thrasher is new state Republican Party chair".

"Our enemy is the liberal media and the Democrats," Thrasher told the committee."

It was a secret ballot, and Thrasher said he would make no effort to find out who supported him, Day or Cross.

"Folks, the fractioning of our party stops today," he said. "There is going to be no more leadership versus membership, no more 'electeds' versus grassroots, no more Legislature versus rank and file."

Lawson issued a statement saying he was "very concerned" by Thrasher's comments.

"In his comments, Sen. Thrasher referred to voters that register with the Democratic Party as his enemy," said Lawson. "John Thrasher's language is beyond the pale and offensive to the nearly 4.7 million voters who identify themselves as Florida Democrats."

Did the Republican Party of Florida just go from bad to worse? When Jim Greer stepped down as chairman amid charges he treated the party’s piggy bank the way the Duvaliers treated Haiti, activists in the GOP base shouted with glee. Greer was not just a guy with caviar tastes and an uncontrollable fear of President Obama’s mesmerizing power over schoolchildren. He was also BFFs with Charlie Crist, the dreaded HUGGER OF OBAMA.

So, the qaida demanded that the party not just anoint another insider fat cat, but rather, that they listen to the voices of "the people" — and choose someone approved of by the grass roots.

Problem: the fat cats, apparently including Jeb Bush, wanted State Sen. John Thrasher (Jebbie helped him win his Senate seat just last year), and so today, it’s Thrasher they got. Funny thing about that though … Thrasher (who was already interim chairman) doesn’t seem like much of an improvement, if by "improvement" you mean the appearance of better ethics.

Sansom

The Palm Beach Post editors: "Former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom, R-Destin, and two co-defendants face grand theft charges in criminal court. Rep. Sansom has argued that to protect his legal rights, the House should postpone misconduct hearings against him until the criminal cases are finished. That's nonsense. The House Select Committee on Standards of Official Conduct has a duty to proceed." "Start judgment of Sansom: No reason to delay ex-speaker's ethics hearings".

RPOFers called on political stunt

"A back-to-school sales tax holiday supported by the governor and legislative leaders is a bad idea that will have little impact on the state's struggling economy. That's not the opinion of some liberal group bashing the policies of the Republican leadership. Instead it's a tart assessment from the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C., research group known for its conservative fiscal policies." "D.C. group blasts Florida sales tax holiday".

Laff riot

Klein can relax if this is the best the GOP can do: "Republican congressional hopeful Allen West makes a splash at CPAC".

Amendment 4

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board doesn't "want to see Amendment 4 pass, which is why it's so mystifying when governments keep repeating the mistakes that gave birth to this bad idea. Defeating Hometown Democracy isn't as hard as they might think. Here are a few suggestions that will go a long way:"

Stop approving the very type of development that residents hate [and] Strengthen growth-management laws instead of gutting them. There's still time in their upcoming session for legislators to pass a bill that requires local officials to muster a voting super-majority to alter their land-use plans. That surely would reduce the 8,000 to 10,000 times that city councils and county commissions now try to modify them.

Big talk ... where's the cash?

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "New Florida, which has the backing of the Council of 100 business group, seeks to double the state's university system budget to roughly $4 billion by 2015. The plan calls for investing half the new money in producing degrees and research in the fields most closely associated with knowledge-based economies: science, technology, engineering and mathematics." "'New Florida' offers new hope".

Bad unions

Media company employee Fred Grimm wants you to know that teachers unions (you know, the teachers democratically selected by other teachers teachers, to represent them viz. their employers) are bad: "Teachers union's smear campaign misses target".

Innocence commission neeeded

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board observes that, "in recent years, a string of high-profile exonerations -- some sparked by DNA testing, others by dogged investigation -- have forced policymakers to confront the ugly reality."

Innocent people are being sent to prison. Not many, but one is too many -- and Florida has seen 11 cases overturned by DNA evidence, with more in the pipeline. State leaders should ask why. Examining overturned cases reveals common elements. Other states have launched innocence commissions to systematically study wrongful convictions, and suggest changes to the criminal-justice system.

He can't get enuf'

"Young will run again".

Bad company

"Days after his CPAC speech, Rubio will appear with Karl Rove at a dinner Sunday for the Legacy Political Fund, a PAC that supports candidates who 'embrace a compassionate conservative ideology.'" "Rubio and Rove to share stage in D.C.".

Tea-baggers in a dither

"For the first time in years, the nation's 1 million or so farmworkers will get a real measure of fairness in how they are hired, paid and treated on the job."

Last week, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis outlined new rules for the temporary immigrant farmworkers program known as H-2A for the type of visa that foreign workers are issued. Solis said these changes would boost wages and tighten protections for American and foreign laborers.

With these changes, growers will be required to prove they first tried to find American workers to fill jobs that routinely are given to migrants. In the past, they could claim they looked for American workers. They now must prove they conducted legitimate job searches. To this end, the Labor Department will establish a national electronic registry of farm jobs.

Growers nationwide are fuming over the new rules, calling them cumbersome and costly.

Soft on corruption?

"Critics for years have labeled Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz as soft on public corruption."

"Public corruption is his underbelly, his soft spot," said longtime defense attorney Hilliard Moldof. "It's not on his radar."

But what does the record show?

An extensive public records review by the Sun Sentinel reveals that in the past 10 years, a special anti-corruption unit in Satz's office has filed cases against 218 defendants for alleged acts of official misconduct, bribe-taking, theft and other abuses of positions of trust.

Only 13 of the accused have been sitting politicians. Most of the criminal charges have been against rank-and-file public employees or law enforcement officers, lawyers and other licensed professionals. In some cases, the alleged crimes might seem minor — stolen library DVDs, embezzled turnpike tolls.

Hiaasen on "the party that snuggles up to Big Business"

Carl Hiaasen: "The U.S. Supreme Court has made it infinitely easier for candidates to sell themselves to special interests, who in return will peddle those candidates to voters."

Here in Florida, where oil companies are pushing hard for offshore drilling, the Supreme Court's decision opens bountiful opportunities to incumbent officeholders and newcomers alike.

Although coastal drilling remains an unpopular concept in most beachside communities, any candidate for federal office who supports it could probably count on Exxon-Mobil or Shell to come up with some slick and persuasive commercials, which would be blared over and over and over . . .

The old campaign-finance laws had holes as wide as the Holland Tunnel, but there were limits. Now it's a free-for-all.

The reason is no mystery -- the Republicans have traditionally been the party that snuggles up to Big Business, and they stand to gain the most from this opening of the floodgates. ...

Two Democrats, Sen. Charles Schumer of New York and Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, are leading an effort to pass a new campaign finance law in advance of the November elections.

They want to make corporations tell shareholders what they're spending on political races, and they also want top executives to appear in campaign ads being funded by their companies.

Knowing who paid for political commercials would definitely make them more informative, but neither the corporations nor their stooge candidates will be eager to advertise the cozy relationship. ...

If you thought the airwaves were polluted during the 2008 campaign, just wait until the fall. Political ads will be even more deceptive, nasty, insulting and abundant -- all the free speech that big money can buy.

That's dreary news for voters, but good news for a certain breed of politician.

Grubbing for wingnuts

Scott Maxwell: "Last week, the state stepped up its taxpayer-financed fight to prevent a South Florida woman from adopting one of her own relatives."

It didn't matter to Charlie Crist's Department of Children and Family Services that the 1-year-old boy at the heart of the case is thriving in the home of his 34-year-old cousin, who he calls "Mama."

It didn't matter that everyone who studied the case — from a child psychologist to the state-appointed guardian ad litem — testified that staying with his Mama was "in the best interest" of the child.

All Crist's DCF officials cared about was that Vanessa Alenier was gay.

So last week, they stepped up their efforts to block the adoption, appealing the ruling of a judge who said every single piece of evidence presented suggested the adoption should proceed.

The family is obviously distressed.

But for Crist, the political benefits could be plentiful.

Our governor, after all, is in the midst of a brutal primary race, desperate to prove to his base that he's no namby-pamby social moderate.

Daily Rothstein

"Bankruptcy lawyers handling the financial fallout from Scott Rothstein's mega Ponzi scheme are taking issue with the way federal prosecutors are dealing with the convicted felon's multi-million dollar properties."

Of particular concern: Rothstein's wife Kimberly is still managing some of the houses and is living rent-free in one of them, the attorneys wrote in court filings Friday.

"It has recently come to the attention [of the lawyers] that the government has apparently delegated its duty to properly manage and safeguard certain of the property subject to forfeiture to Scott Rothstein's wife – Kimberly Rothstein," wrote Paul Singerman, one of the attorneys handling the case for the bankruptcy trustee.

"More specifically, the [lawyers] have learned that the government has permitted Kimberly Rothstein to live rent free in one of the forfeited properties and to continue to rent out other properties to tenants," Singerman wrote.

Overpayment?

Mike Mayo: "Did Davie overpay for powerful Forman family’s land?".

"Federal water grab"

Mike Thomas: "The great federal water grab is on."

At stake is the right of states to turn their lakes and rivers into snot.

Florida, which has been doing this for decades, has become the test case for what would be a major expansion of Washington's power as the feds plan a pollution crackdown.

If the intervention here succeeds, the Environmental Protection Agency will invade other states.

This is all part of a pent-up demand for green power from Washington, stifled under George W. Bush and now unleashed by Barack Obama.

The EPA already has moved on air pollution with proposals to regulate carbon dioxide and increase limits on ozone.

It has conquered the air and now comes the water.

Call it socialism.

Call it cleaning up the place.

Call me conflicted.