Photo left: Citizen opposition / Photo right: Rainmen Horner & Marchetti

By George Niemann
PoHo contributor, R-LAND, UCAN & Amendment 4 activist
Views expressed are my own & might not be shared by the organizations of which I am a member

A rezoning request from a developer in Valrico that is moving quickly through the process begs the question above. If you want to understand why Hillsborough currently suffers from a plethora of overdevelopment with no supporting infrastructure, take a look at this local case to see what happens when a developer wants to build something the community is dead set against. It sheds light on how a local community struggles to achieve self determination in a system that, more often than not, overrides what the citizens want for what a developer needs.

On Monday November 16, 2009 a request for a change in zoning was officially presented to Steve Luce, Hillsborough County’s Zoning Hearing Master.

The parcel is 19.2 acres and until recently was a working citrus grove. The owner is Dr. Gregory Henderson, an internist that specializes in eye surgery, as well as, land development, land speculation, and helicopter pads. It’s currently zoned as 1 acre residential but, as we all know, there’s a lot more profit in building higher density and/or mixed-use commercial, so Dr. Henderson has decided that this strictly residential section of Valrico needs a strip mall. In anticipation of problems with community acceptance, he hires two land development experts to pull off the “sting” (please put on some Scott Joplin piano music while you read the next part of this story). They are skid-greasers Vin Marchetti and Mike Horner. Vin and Mike are the crème de la crème for approval of horrible projects, each in their own right, but team the two together and they are invincible. Marchetti is well connected with some members of the county commission and they bend over backwards to give him every accommodation, so the owner of this property joins a long list of developers that want to improve their odds of passage by bringing in these heavy hitters. Read the rest of this entry »

By George Niemann
PoHo contributor
Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners:
It appears likely that you are going to ask us to approve a 1% sales tax increase in November of 2010 to fund a long range multi-modal transportation package which is highlighting the introduction of light rail to the Tampa Bay region.

At Wednesday’s Regular BOCC meeting it was revealed that, although the referendum’s top billing will be “light rail”, only 37% of the proposed tax will end up going toward an inter-city light rail system. The balance will go toward other forms of transportation, as well as road improvements that are long overdue.

The big question is this – are you going to give voters all of the hard facts surrounding this proposed referendum? And will you incorporate this into your referendum campaign? I know that it will be tempting to take the soundbite approach without providing detail because, as you know, the devil is in the details. Considering that a good portion of this tax would be used to fix infrastructure problems that were created by approving sprawl, how do we know that you’ve learned your lesson? Or that you won’t come back to us 10 years from now and say we need an additional 1% on top of the first 1% because we couldn’t help ourselves from approving more sprawl without getting the money for the infrastructure?

Read the rest of this entry »

By George Niemann
PoHo contributor and R-LAND and UCAN activist
The views expressed are my own, and not necessarily those of the organizations that I belong to

You may have read the report in Saturday’s Tampa Tribune about the Ethics Commission moving forward with a full investigation of County Administrator Pat Bean and County Attorney Renee Lee. As the one who filed these complaints, I can provide more details as to how it originally became a news story and why it’s so hard to go after officials that might be ethically challenged.

My complaint charges Bean and Lee with using the power of their positions in Hillsborough County government to corruptly gain a benefit for themselves that was inconsistent with the proper performance of their respective duties. In effect, they circumvented the approval process to give themselves a salary increase in 2007. They violated what the statute calls a misuse of public trust. But saying that a complaint has been filed is meaningless until the Ethics Commission determines that it is “legally sufficient” to proceed forward. Once legal sufficiency is satisfied and the commission feels that there is enough evidence to indicate a possible violation of statute, it then proceeds to a full investigation. And once it gets that far, it must go through the entire vetting process, including a probable cause hearing. So even though the Bean/Lee case has been in the news in the last couple weeks, the fact that the Ethics Commission has now agreed to investigate it is an important new milestone in this saga.

Ever wonder why you don’t often hear of ethics investigations? You’d think there would be a whole slew of them, considering how many state, county and local government workers and elected officials we have in Florida, right? The reason you don’t see the volume that you’d expect is that the complaint process is complicated and lengthy, as well as, very tricky for the filer. Many people give up on the process when they find out how tough it is to actually get a case investigated. In addition, the cases are confidential and the press is not given access to any information until the whole process has been completed. Typically, if a citizen tells the press that they filed ethics charges against an official, the press will not report it because they have no way of corroborating the facts.

The Bean and Lee cases, however, got into the news even before it was known whether or not the Ethics Commission would investigate the alleged charges.

Here’s what happened. Mike Deeson, the 10 Connects reporter, somehow obtained a copy of my complaint against Lee. With that in hand, 10 Connects TV decided to report on it. Deeson had called me to tell me it was going to be on the 6 o’clock news. I was dumbfounded as to how he could have gotten his hands on my complaint. The Ethics Commission keeps the matter confidential but does send copies to the defendants, which in this case would have gone to the County Center. My guess is that he must have a “mole” in the County Attorney’s office…a county employee that hates the County Attorney enough to leak the evidence and get the story out there. I tried to tell Deeson that it was too early to do a report on it because there was no way of telling if the case would go anywhere. He acknowledged that it might be premature to report on it but the decision had already been made, and it was going to appear on the evening news.

According to Deeson, Lee was absolutely livid when she discovered that someone, possibly a person that reported to her, secretly provided him with a copy of the complaint. As soon as Lee got the call from Deeson on October 9th, telling her the story was going to be on 10 Connects TV news and that the document was going to be posted on their website, she sent a terse, accusatory email (below) to the county commission staff. Basically the note warned everyone that whoever leaked the story to Deeson was going to be caught and punished. I think it’s safe to say that the mole who leaked this story should not expect to receive any (secret award) raise money at the end of the year.
Read the rest of this entry »

Will you stand? Comment what you’re standing for here locally in Tampa bay.

Dan Gelber and Dave Aronberg are two prominent South Florida Democrats in the state Senate.

Originally, Gelber announced he was running for the party’s nomination for U.S. Senate in 2010, where he certainly would have been engaged in a tough battle against Congressman Kendrick Meek.

But when Charlie Crist got into the Senate race on the GOP side, Gelber bailed, and announced he’d be running for Attorney General, a position he is certainly qualified for, based on his work as an Assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami.

A slight problem for state Democrats who prefer an uncontested Primary was that Senator Aronberg had already announced his candidacy.  He too, has impressive credentials for the gig, having worked under the last Democrat to hold the state wide position, Bob Butterworth.

In their first formal debate Sunday morning at Disney’s Yacht Club Convention Center, Aronberg milked his association with Butterworth throughout the hour long forum, prompting one Gelber advisor to mutter to press row if Butterworth was actually on the ballot.

The two colleagues stressed throughout their discussion how they were friends and would not engage in the politics of personal destruction, but Aronberg did end the bonhomie when he accused Gelber of distorting his stance on private school vouchers, saying, “I’m used to running in tough races.  Republicans have spent over a million and a half dollars attacking my record.  But I’ve never had a Democrat distort my record. ..I’ve NEVER voted to increase the voucher system.”

(The Palm Beach Post reported that Aronberg DID vote this past year for a bill to continue an existing program of tax credits to businesses that contribute to programs providing vouchers to low-income students. Aronberg told the Post after the debate that the bill neither created nor expanded vouchers.)

Being Attorney General means being the state’s top law enforcement officer, which means these Democrats certainly want to prove their toughness.  They did that when discussing child predators.  Both referenced the situation that exists in Miami at the Julia Tuttle Causeway, which over the past two years has become a colony for homeless sexual predators.

Aronberg said he couldn’t imagine a “less safe situation than having an army of homeless, angry sex offenders roaming the streets. This is dangerous.  This is putting everybody at risk,” he said.

Gelber was equally uncharitable, saying he recently checked out the camp, “because they all claim to be ‘Romeo-and- Juliet’ cases”(that is a teenager over 18 having sex with somebody under 18).  “Almost every single one  of them was a 40 or 50 year old guy who has done something absolutely unspeakable to a child under the age of 11.  That’s who they are.”

The candidates also different on using cameras on traffic signals to detect red light runners.  Gelber supports such a bill, which failed to get through the Legislature this past year but is expected to be revisited in 2010.  Aronberg said he had some civil liberties issues about using them.

Speaking as they were at the State Democratic Party’s Conference, the inevitable ‘red meat’ was delivered throughout the hour long session, moderated by USF’s Susan McManus.  Gelber began in his opening statement by listing a variety of state woes, and who deserves that blame, saying, “We have the worst high school graduation rate, the highest mortgage foreclosure rate, 4 million without health care, we have one of the worst crime rates”.  He then paused before laying the blame on Republicans who have dominated state government over the past decade, adding, “They have driven this state into a ditch.  And just like any responsible parent, it’s time for us to say, your driving privileges have been suspended – hand over they keys.”

Aronberg said one difference between the two major political parties was that the GOP is motivated by hate, but Democrats are motivated by passion.  He also stressed how much he wants the position, blasting the current previous AG’s (Bill McCollum and Charlie Crist) as using the job as a temporary station before moving on to greater pastures.

Several Democrats interview by CL before the debate said they liked both men and were uncertain who they would support come Primary time late next summer.    As they cracked on Republicans for showing a lack of civility in politics, it will be interesting to see as the stakes get higher whether these two high caliber politicos will be able to maintain their cool in the coming year.

After finally viewing the entire October 1st 2009 St. Petersburg City Council meeting regarding the now infamous Baywalk sidewalk issue, I have noticed many interesting details that are worthy of mention. With just over a month to go until the City election, I found some interesting dynamics displayed. I must admit, the results did not follow my original expectations.

Jeff Danner, voted during the first hearing to give the sidewalk away. Then Danner  flip-flopped and voted against the idea at the last meeting. Could this be because his opponent in the District 8 race, Leonard Schmiege has been speaking out against giving the sidewalk away since the beginning?

Video after the break
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Has the Florida GOP Senate race now changed?

The Marco Rubio campaign announced today that they will be able to officially report soon that they have raised “almost a million dollars” in the last financial quarter, ending last Wednesday.

Spokesman Alex Burgos told Creative Loafing that the campaign is encouraged by the numbers, but still expect to be dwarfed by Charlie Crist when he releases his fundraising numbers (perhaps by tomorrow?).

Rubio has become the darling of the national Republican Party, with encomiums flowing from establishment conservatives like George Will and The National Review, in recent months.

And he’s been kicking the Governor’s booty when it comes to straw polls taken at local GOP party events.

Burgos said he knows this news will excite those “who view the race through the prism of money.  But we’ve also felt that we come out on top on ideas.”

Crist will no doubt be able to surpass Rubio on the financial front, but for enthusiasm, it’s no contest.  That was before the Governor took a notable turn rightward to try to stave off the insurgent, but this race should only get juicer in the coming months.

I got a fundraising e-mail from Charlie Crist the other day. It was a pretty good hoot the way Charlie “have it two ways” Crist is trying to paint himself as a Conservative. But hey, he’s starting to show some bravado – he’s even got the nerve to quote Ronald Reagan!Each paragraph of Chuckles’ original letter is shown below along with my version of what his letter would read like if he were to tell the truth.

What it should have said is in italics:

Read the rest of this entry »

The 14th annual ASES Solar Home Tour this Saturday, October 3rd will be the first time tour conducted in Tampa. Don’t miss the opportunity to see some demonstrations, learn how solar photovoltaic installations work and how to save money by using energy efficient systems in your home.

In my last post, the energy savings I mentioned weren’t all that’s available for those of you who want to harness some of the sun’s power and claim it for yourself.  Unfortunately, there seems to be a little placating going on between the citizenry’s desire to move our state toward renewable energy and our legislator’s desire to make us think that they are on our side. Last November, Florida voters passed Amendment 3. What? You don’t remember Amendment 3? Not many people do, but then again, it seems there’s not much of a reason to.

What you may remember about November 2008’s ballot: the long lines for a voting booth, media hype and all of those pesky Constitutional Amendments. One of them, Amendment 3, was placed on the ballot under the authority of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission; a gubernatorial appointed board that meets once every 20 years. Every 20 years – really? One of the ideas they managed to place on the ballot was amazingly clearly worded, but honestly, I don’t think it was the renewable energy part that prompted so many Floridians to vote for Amendment 3. Authors cleverly name amendments to attract attention, and often word them to confuse the general public, designed for a pass or fail depending on which outcome they prefer. Remember the “Florida Marriage Protection Amendment”? In the case of Amendment 3 it was the storm protection component that played to fear-stricken Floridians: fear of not only hurricane force winds, but fear that they’d improve their homes to protect themselves, and then get taxed. It passed. Couldn’t have been because of the renewable energy, there’s already an exemption on the books for that, but who knew?
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The big news internationally today is President Obama, along with Gordon Brown and Nicholas Sarkozy, accusing Iran of building a secret underground facility to manufacture nuclear fuel.

What this means for the immediate future is uncertain;  the U.S. was prepared to begin talks with Iran next Thursday.  Do those talks continue now?  Conservative critics will have a “told-you-so” field day, but short of going to war, what’s the best strategy going forward?

For better or worse, the rest of the world looks to the President of the United States for answers.  For many of us, we’re happy it’s Barack Obama who will be providing the answers in this case, and not George W. Bush.  But as Joe Biden said during the general election campaign, crises are bound to happen that will test the mettle of this 47-year-old man.

Speaking of Obama, some interesting new poll numbers came out of the CBS News/NY Times poll released last night.

First of all, POTUS’ approval ranking is at 56 percent— that’s higher than other recent polls that show him right at the 50% mark.

Download the report here.

But more interesting  is the public’s show of disfavor with Obama’s stance on  Afghanistan, which at this moment is actually unclear: We don’t know if he’ll go along with the recommendations of General Stanley McChrystal to increase troop levels in Afghanistan.

The other interesting parts of the poll indicate strong support for a government public option in health care reform.  But in both this poll and an NBC News/WSJ survey, a lot of folks still don’t understand what the plan actually is.

That same poll shows that if health care doesn’t happen, the American public is prepared to blame Republicans for that failure.

Locally, I attended a fund-raiser for Miami Beach State Senator Dan Gelber, who is running for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General next year.

I spoke with former Tampa area Congressman Jim Davis.  Now working as a lobbyist for the Tampa law firm Holland & Knight, the former U.S. Representative, who had been in public office for much of his adult life until losing to Charlie  Crist for governor in 2006, confessed that he may get back in the political arena soon.

I always admired the late Tim Russert, but he always annoyed me when he would ask his guests at the end of his program, “Are you going to be running for president?”  When it was somebody like Condi Rice, the question always just seemed silly.

But I went into that mode at the end of our conversation last night, asking Davis if he was thinking of running for office.

Yes, he admitted, he was.  With one son in college and another about to enter university life, he admitted to feeling a bit of empty nest syndrome.

What about Tampa Mayor in 2011?  “I’m not ruling it out.”

Speaking of Tampa, the City Council debated converting wastewater into potable water again last night.

The effort is being led by Charlie Miranda, who went over the top in classic fashion raising the specter of tainted water, arguing in support of “your river water.”

(Listen to WMNF’s audio story here.)  Mayor Iorio clarified her position after the meeting by saying that, although she does believe the public needs education on the volatile issue, she does believe it is possible to treat reclaimed water to drinking water standards.

Miranda wants the issue on the 2011 March ballot (when voters will decide on Iorio’s replacement).  That’s a year and a half away.  That should give everyone in the city plenty of time to discuss the pros and cons of the issue.

Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena has previously said that such an important issue should be decided by the Council, and not the public.  But it’s not like voters won’t have any time to weigh in.  In politics, a year and a half is an eternity.  Let’s have the debate.

And Florida Senator Bill Nelson’s amendment to require pharmaceutical companies to give bigger discounts to Medicare on drugs given to seniors with low incomes went down to defeat, when the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee , Montana’s Max Baucus, joined two other Democrats and all of the Republicans to quash it.

Eight years ago today, nearly three thousand lives – the majority of which were civilians – were taken in a despicable act of terrorism.

It is likely a day that will not be forgotten by anyone who witnessed the events unfold, or the countless lives that were affected by the tragedy. It is a day when all Americans, regardless of race, sex, religion or politics, join in solidarity for the victims of what many consider to be the darkest day in American history.

Just as Washington, D.C. and New York City host formal ceremonies in remembrance of those lost, students from colleges and universities all over America take part in the 9/11 Never Forget Project. Co-sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation, the Project’s goal is to publicly display thousands of American flags – one for each victim of the attack. I had a chance to partake in the event at Florida State University. Read the rest of this entry »

As if to provide a visual demonstration of “comforting continuity” — the dubious benefit afforded to St. Pete voters by mayoral candidate Bill Foster, according to the St. Petersburg Times‘ endorsement — Foster assembled 19 past and present community leaders on City Hall steps yesterday to herald their support of his candidacy.

And, in comfortingly continuous fashion, the Times’ report on the  gathering echoed Foster’s own campaign lingo: Read the rest of this entry »

By George Niemann
PoHo contributor and R-LAND and UCAN activist

NIMBY Slayer Patrick Slevin rode into Tampa Sept. 3 looking for action, but there was no shootout to be had. He gave an instructional presentation to developers on how to deal with pesky NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) that get in the way of development projects. The presentation was sponsored by the Urban Land Institute and held at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. It was titled,

“America Loves Progress…But Americans Hate Change”
A Conversation on Civic Engagement, Hometown Democracy and NIMBYism

Slevin markets himself as a modern-day Paladin (from the old TV series western). His approach is aggressive — the only good NIMBY is a paved-over NIMBY. Read the rest of this entry »

“I think you’re drunk,” Governor C. whispered to me as I sat on the king-sized bed in a hotel room at the Tampa Airport Marriott.

There I was, sitting on top of the covers, eating Oreo cookies and sipping rosé, watching Jurassic Park with the governor of my home state, the governor I had enjoyed getting to know and spending time with for the past few weeks.

“I think you’re drunk,” I replied, giggles rising through me like the tiny bubbles in the glass of Rosa Regale C. had poured for me.

“You’ve had enough,” C. said as he leaned forward and took the glass from my hand. As he sat up, he looked into my eyes. “Destiny. Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?” he whispered , leaning in to kiss me.

Read the rest of this entry »

As Bill Foster and Kathleen Ford celebrated primary wins last night, the losing eight mayoral candidates wrapped up election parties and drove home. But their roles in the mayoral election are not finished. Over the next few weeks, Foster and Ford will jockey for the remaining 47 percent of voters who didn’t choose them tonight, and attempt to turn former opponents into friends.

That won’t be easy. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m attempting to hit every candidate’s election night event for insight, great political theater and free food. My first: Kathleen Ford.

Where: Red Mesa Cantina

Mood: Upbeat and relaxed, like a cocktail party (well, except for the guy on the right). About 25 Ford supporters sip large margaritas and chat. Although reserved, Kathleen Ford is sharing the latest mail-in ballot votes that put her at 27 percent and toe-to-toe with Bill Foster. “It’s still too early,” she says.

Who’s Who: Ford’s husband, some friends, some Bay News 9 reporters, a group of St. Petersburg firefighter union members and representatives from the Service Employees International Union. “With the financial shape that the city is in and shared across the this state … we think that we will be able to work well with Kathleen Ford,” says Van Church, communications director for SEIU’s Florida Public Service Union.

Free Food Factor: None. Only Cantina Red Mesa’s menu and full bar.

Well, we won’t know who the two winning candidates will be until after 7 p.m. when the polls close. But I already know who the loser is (besides Paul Congemi): St. Petersburg.

I don’t have to look at the latest voter turnout results to say St. Pete citizens have abdicated their duties as an electorate. After visiting precincts on the north, south and west sides of town, I can see that voters largely stayed home from this mayoral primary.

But the numbers back me up, too. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s the day St. Petersburg voters put their long, looooooong primary out of its misery. Once all the votes are counted, we’ll have narrowed ten mayoral candidates down to two, with the final outcome to be determined by the general election November 3 — unless one of the ten gets more than 50 percent of the vote, in which case we’ll have a winner (highly unlikely). We’ll also have a clearer picture of who the final contenders (or winners) will be in three City Council districts, and a yes or no on a City Charter amendment deeming that the Pinellas County Canvassing Board canvass all St. Pete elections instead of the city (which could be a money-saver for St. Pete).

After the break, a full list of candidates. To find your polling place, go to the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections site. And here’s a link to past Creative Loafing coverage of top contenders in the mayoral campaign.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

IMPORTANT: If you received a mail-in ballot but have decided to vote today instead, BRING THE MAIL-IN BALLOT WITH YOU to the polling place so the elections officials know you aren’t trying to vote twice. Otherwise your vote today will be treated as provisional — counted only after its validity is confirmed, which likely won’t happen till after all other votes have been tallied. Read the rest of this entry »

George LeMieux (right) will be Florida’s next (un-elected) United States Senator, following the announcement of Florida Governor Charlie Crist yesterday.

As readers of my column know, in February I predicted Mel Martinez’ resignation and expected Crist to appoint himself to the position — given his decades-old yearning for the U.S. Senate. I held onto this minority view until the end. Readers may remember I pledged to eat a can of Star Kist Tuna (you know, the brand with the “Sorry Charlie” moniker) if he didn’t pick himself.

I maintain picking himself would have been a brilliant move because Chuckles could have gotten out of Dodge before any bad hurricanes hit this season (which have the potential to bankrupt the state), and before the state of our economy and real estate markets further tank.

I think he picked LeMieux because he didn’t want me to be right! (Just kidding, of course.) Read the rest of this entry »

Charlie Crist’s delicate task of making everyone in the GOP happy and yet finding someone to appoint to a caretaker role in the US Senate now that Mel Martinez has quit in mid-job continued yesterday, with one fewer candidate for the position: Congressman C. W. Bill Young, a Republican from Indian Rocks Beach.

The Times reports:

Young was among 10 people, including former U.S. Rep. Mike Bilirakis of Palm Harbor, the governor had summoned for interviews about being appointed to fill out the remaining 16 months of Mel Martinez’s Senate term. But in this case Young, a Tampa Bay political icon who has been Crist’s U.S. representative for most of the governor’s life, was clearly the man in charge.

Surprising the governor, Young told Crist he’s not interested in applying to be appointed as an interim U.S. senator.

“I have the best job in the world now, and I work for the best people in the world. I would not want to leave in the middle of a term. I’m not a quitter,” Young, 78, said after emerging from a private meeting with Crist at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. “Truth of the matter is, I can do far more for Florida and Pinellas County where I am than if I took a different job.”

The race for the title of Greenest Politician in the Bay area is neck and neck so far, with Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena of Tampa just two votes ahead of Councilman Karl Nurse of St. Petersburg. Behind them are Councilwoman Mary Mulhern and Rep. Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg; Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Gov. Crist bring up the rear of this race.

(Editor’s Note: Ralph Nader and Al Gore are not residents of the Bay area, thus not qualifying for this race – so please don’t bother voting for them again.)

Who do you think should take the title? You have less than a week to vote (the poll ends Aug. 31). Vote now!

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

There was a whole lot of hot air at the Gaylord Palms resort in Orlando this weekend as the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) conducted its quarterly meeting.

Charlie Crist was there looking all tanned, smiling, and talking as though he is a conservative (really Charlie, you don’t have to be conservative, just stand for something).

Bill McCollum the likely GOP nominee to replace Chuckles the Clown was there, too. While McCollum is a good man who has solid conservative credentials and actually believes in something, I’ve been told from numerous sources that in private, McCollum responds to the “why are you running?” question with an answer of “because it’s my turn.” I guess that makes him the Bob Dole of the Florida GOP. Without a vision for Florida’s future, and probably among the worst public communicators in America, Republicans better start getting used to the idea of saying Gov. Sink, the likely Democrat nominee.

Read the rest of this entry »

An open letter to Charlie Crist

Dear Governor:

As you are no doubt busy traveling the state putting on this charade that you are going to appoint someone as a caretaker to Mel Martinez’ Senate seat (you and I both know you will appoint yourself), I would like to remind you you will be in Orlando this weekend for the Republican Party of Florida’s quarterly meeting.

In an effort to promote your ideas “for the people,” explain all the solutions you have proposed to fix Florida’s insurance crisis you largely created, solve the property tax mess you screwed up with Amendment 1, and explain your support of the Obama, Pelosi, Reid “stimulus” package that hasn’t stimulated anything, I encourage you to challenge Marco Rubio, your Republican primary opponent, to a debate at the quarterly meeting.

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“I’m not interested in taking it from the seniors and giving it to somebody else.”

That is Sarasota Congressman Vern Buchanan’s statement about health care coverage from his town hall meeting on Thursday night at Braden River High School in Bradenton. Of course, Vern doesn’t tell them that they are ALREADY paying for other people, through their taxes that reimburse hospitals for the uninsured at exorbitant rates. Better to let uninsured folks get reallll sick (expensive sick), after all, than have health coverage that provides preventive and well care at lower, more affordable costs.

Here’s video of the towner from PoHo correspondent Robin “Roblimo” Miller, after the jump. It gets testy when a pro-Obama speaker gets up at about 4:20 in:

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