Tomorrow night at 8 p.m. comes round two in the great Saturday night votes on health care reform.  Unlike Nancy Pelosi’s effort, even if Harry Reid wins tomorrow, it still ain’t over.

Florida’s Department of Community Affairs Secretary is sounding mighty upset about the controversial growth management bill S.B. 360 that passed the legislature and was signed by Governor Crist earlier this year.

And the Tampa City Council comes up big in voting solidly to give protections to transgender individuals in their human rights ordinance yesterday.  And we have an update on this story here.

Download the report here.

Reports surfaced yesterday that Florida’s trust fund for unemployment benefits is depleted, and employers will have to now pay much higher taxes to refill it.

As the Times reports:

The minimum annual rate — charged to an employer with a solid history of retaining employees — will jump almost twelvefold, from $8.40 per employee to $100.30, revenue officials said Wednesday. The maximum rate, currently $378 per employee, would rise to $459.

A serious situation no doubt, and it’s allowing state Democrats to chide state Republicans “I told you so.”

Told them what?

You’ll remember when the stimulus bill passed in February?  Several GOP Governors (many coincidentally considered to harbor possible Presidential ambitions, such as South Carolina’s Rick Sanford, Alaska’s Sarah Palin and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal ) publicly discussed rejecting some of those funds, because of various reasons (such as Republicans simply didn’t like the bill). Read the rest of this entry »

During this year’s legislative session there were many concerns expressed before and after the passage of Senate Bill 360, the growth management bill sponsored in the state senate by Bradenton’s Mike Bennett.

The bill exempts many areas from a requirement that says builders must pay for road improvements if traffic generated by their projects exceeds the local capacity, other wise known as transportation concurrency.

Florida DCA Secretary Thomas Pelham

Several municipalities around the state opposed it, as did Hillsborough County, who through Commissioner Mark Sharpe sent a letter to Governor Charlie Crist after the session to please veto it.

Supporters like Senator Bennett said it would streamline the permitting process in Florida – which even some environmentalists like Denise Layne agreed needed some tweaking – and that it would aid development and construction jobs, which the state hasn’t had a lot of due to recession the past couple of years.

But Layne and others said at the end was that the legislation went far awry from what was needed to address current growth management problems.

Layne said what the Legislature and governor have done is thrown away a flawed system, and put very little in its place.

Florida’s Department of Community Affairs Secretary Thomas Pelham had various things to say about the bill when it was being debated, but he’s extremely critical of it now, based on his comments at the University of Florida last night.

The Gainsville Sun reports Pelham as saying, “I don’t think it speaks very well of us that we can’t deal with issues of this magnitude in a more rational manner than we have been doing.”

The paper also reports that DCA must submit a plan by next month to legislators for a new mobility fee to replace concurrency requirements, but:

He expressed skepticism that the fee would be embraced in the next legislative session, which comes during an election year, and suggested such a plan should have been crafted before scrapping the concurrency requirement.

“It was ‘let’s throw the baby out first and come up with a replacement later,’ ” he said.

If you’ll recall, Governor Crist was heavily pressured to veto the bill.  And because of his (at the time) rather strong environmental credentials, it was thought that he might do so.  But this was also the period in which the guv began backing away from that green reputation, as he realized it wasn’t playing well with the base as a man named Marco Rubio began snipping at him.

The Lakeland Ledger reports this morning that Lakeland GOP State Senator (and now gubernatorial candidate) Paula Dockery  is not backing down at all after Governor Charlie Crist and Senate President Jeff Atwater said they want  a special session to reconsider the SunRail commuter train deal with CSX.

As Dockery told CL two weeks ago, she has yet to see any new information that would allow her to drop her opposition with CSX, which for 2 years has said that it needs to be held harmless for any accidents in exchange for selling the rail lines for the commuter system.

As the Miami Herald reports, senate leaders are considering allowing local government to impose a new $2 rental car surcharge, which in South Florida, would help pay for their rail system, Tri-Rail.  In Central Florida, it would help pay for SunRail.   But the impetus of course is having the Legislaturer prove to the feds that Florida is serious about providing state funds so that federal funds would come from Washington for high-speed rail.  From the Herald:

Crist, Senate President Jeff Atwater and others say that such a tax could offer proof to the federal government that Florida is serious about transit, which might help the state qualify for up to $2.5 billion for a high-speed rail line. The line could ultimately connect SunRail, Tri-Rail and even a new transit line along the Florida East Coast rail corridor in the heart of South Florida’s urban areas.

A big local proponent of high-speed rail is the Tampa Bay Partnership, who also argue that there should be a special session soon.  Yesterday CL obtained an e-mail written by Sarah Hardy, a Legislative aide to Senator Dockery to Stuart Rogel with the Tampa Bay Partnership.  Hardy was writing in response to Rogel’s claim that the $2.5 billion in federal funding for high-speed rail was in jeopardy if there were NOT to be a special session.

Read the rest of this entry »

For your Friday the 13th editions, two people prominently mentioned as possible 2012 GOP Presidential candidates will be visiting Florida in the next few weeks. Minnesota’s Tim Pawlenty tonight, and Sarah Palin later this month.

Some say Charlie Crist could be considered Presidential material (now that he’s married).  But will he even make it to the Senate?  The Tampa Tribune says the Governor is coming off looking weak recently.

And Harry Reid is contemplating taxing wealthy seniors on Medicare to help pay for more low-and-middle income people on the health care issue- but Tampa area Congresswoman Kathy Castor and the AARP says the just passed bill in the House will be extremely beneficial for Florida seniors.

Download
the report here.

No, this is not the latest email salvo from the Marco Rubio camp (though if you’re on the list, you might think so).

Today the Tampa Tribune blasts our governor in their lead editorial, titled “Crist has lost his invincible touch.”

The op-ed chronicles his recent comedy of errors, in which the man famously known for never letting them see him sweat (because he always has a fan blowing on his face in public appearances) has acted completely unnerved in recent weeks, even though he still holds a solid 15-point lead over his GOP Senate challenger in the most recent Quinnipiac Poll.

As the Trib writes, a lot of Crist’s problems come from his inability to man up on supporting Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan, which has been derided not just in conservative circles, but more and more in some parts of the mainstream press as ill-advised.

Crist seems to have grown weary of trying to defend his indefensible statement on CNN a week ago that he did not endorse the stimulus, telling the Palm Beach Post yesterday that:

“I support it. I think it was important to take it. All of my fellow governors did so….

“We would have had to let go 20,000 school teachers if we didn’t have that. My belief always has been that Florida deserves her fair share. And it’s helping our economy. Without those additional funds we would have a much more difficult time maintaining not only our economy but job growth and job retention.”

Asked if he would have voted for the stimulus bill if he were a senator, Crist replied: “I would have voted for a different form. But I think it’s pretty clear I supported the concept.”

Obviously in a fight with the conservative wing of the Florida GOP, which despises the fact that Crist appeared with Obama in Fort Myers in February, Crist has been playing politics of the worst kind: the kind that shows that you’re acting political.  The stimulus has best worked in this withering economy as a social safety net for a host of services, and that certainly includes education.  Obviously the support of the stimulus will not be as huge a factor if Crist can survive his primary and face (probably) Kendrick Meek next November.    It’s obvious that he’s not confident he can do that, thus the pandering on the issue.

Meanwhile, political reporters from across the state today are reporting  on Crist’s good buddy, GOP State Chair Jim Greer, and the conference call he held yesterday to try to stem off calls for his head. The story in the St. Pete Times/Miami Herald includes this money quote on why issues with Greer matter:

“I think it’s already having an impact on Bill McCollum and the governor’s race, because it’s becoming impossible to raise money with all these things hanging over your head,” National Committeewoman Sharon Day said of the assorted controversies under Greer’s leadership. “He’s traveling to every fundraiser with the governor and traveling all over the country. … He should be here at the helm of the party getting our candidates elected.”

In our current story on Paula Dockery , the Lakeland State Senator told CL that part of her impetus in running was essentially as a retort to Greer, who tried to clear the field in the primaries for both Crist and Attorney General Bill McCollum, to an extremely negative reaction by the GOP base.

Although the U.S. Military is cautioning about making judgments about Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the American-born Muslim suspected of killing 13 and wounding 29 others at Ford Hood last week, Joe Lieberman calls the shooting a ‘terrorist act.“

Two Florida Democrats were among the 39 who voted against the health care bill in the House Saturday night.  So was Ohio’s Dennis Kucinich.

And on Bay News 9 yesterday, Governor Charlie Crist tried to walk back his denial of supporting the stimulus bill by talking about why he supported it.  Really.

Download the report here.

A year before Floridians go to the polls to vote for a new governor and U.S. Senator,  the St. Pete Times/Miami Herald released a series of polls this weekend that could have serious implications on how state policy evolves over the next year.

Among the most revealing: By a 47 to 40% margin, Floridians are against a government-run public health care insurance option.  But that sentiment is completely divided along party lines, perhaps evidence why Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink is so anguished over expressing her opinion on the manner.

According to the poll:

Democratic voters were overwhelmingly in favor of the public option, 62-24 percent. But Republicans opposed it by an even bigger spread, 74-16 percent. Independent voters, who ultimately decide elections in Florida, tended to side with Republicans in opposing the public option, 46-38 percent.

CFO Sink has been ridiculed by Attorney General and potential GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum for not coming out with a position on the much-discussed public option, going so far as to ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi  to ascertain Sink’s position last week when the San Francisco Democrat was in Florida.

Another major result in the survey that also splits along party lines but has heavy Republican support is on offshore drilling.

The poll shows 54% of voters supporting drilling off Florida’s coast, and 40 percent opposing it.  The story accompanying the poll results reported “Republicans overwhelmingly supported drilling, independents backed it by a double-digit margin while Democrats were opposed. “

You can bet the farm that these numbers will be repeated ad nauseam in the coming months by offshore drilling proponents leading up to the legislature convening next March, in which a vote on repealing the 1990 law banning drilling off the coast will come up for a vote.

The Times/Herald/Bay News 9 poll released on Sunday highlighted the fact that, not surprisingly considering the avalanche of negative publicity regarding Governor Crist (much of it self-inflicted), now “just” 42% consider Crist to be doing an excellent job. However, only 16% consider him to be doing a poor job.

The poll also shows Crist with a substantial lead over his challenger for the GOP nomination for Senate next year, 50 to 28%.  That’s a damn good lead, considering all the good publicity Rubio has been generating in recent months.

The poll shows Alex Sink essentially tied with Bill McCollum in a mock matchup which has a full year to develop if it actually occurs.  “If” is issued here based on the possibility that Lakeland GOP Senator Paula Dockery can somehow knock off the much better-financed and -known McCollum, if, as rumored, she announces her candidacy for the GOP nomination this coming week.

Regardless, on these two major public policy issues, public sentiment in Florida has swung to the GOP side of things.

The Times gets a third front page story out of their poll in Monday’s editions, which indicates that if state Republicans asked in this survey could vote tomorrow between Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist for Governor, the former two-term governor celebrity would squash the current incumbent, 71 to 22%.

Why does this matter? The theory goes that if Jeb decides to endorse Crist’s GOP Senate opponent, Marco Rubio, it would be game over for Charlie in his Senate race.  Would Bush do that, though, since that could theoretically tear apart the party?  He might.  But endorsements only go so far.  The Times/Herald/Bay News 9 poll conducted over the weekend indicates that despite all of his momentum, Rubio could benefit from some major development, considering that he’s still down by 22% points.

Charlie Crist has a number of critics inside the Sunshine State, and a growing number outside as well.

Fodder for those critics was shelved out on Monday when Forbes columnist Reihan Salam penned a column called “America’s Worst Governor?”

Salam is the co-author (along with NY Times columnist Ross Douthat) of Grand New Party, an acclaimed look at the problems within the current Republican Party.

In his Forbes piece, Salam attacks Crist for being guilty of “free-lunchism”:

One can argue about the virtues of federal borrowing to stimulate the economy. Because state governments are obligated to balance their budgets, there is a solid case for having Washington offer a temporary countercyclical boost to cash-strapped states. But the notion that the federal stimulus plan gives state governments carte blanche to permanently ratchet up their spending levels while cutting taxes defies logic. Florida’s Constitution requires that the state government can’t use one-time funds, like windfall from privatization or federal stimulus dollars, to pay for more than 3% of recurring expenses.

Incredibly, Crist demanded that Florida use one-time funds to pay for 12% of the state budget.

Salam credits two embattled Democratic governors in the northeast (New York’s David Patterson and New Jersey’s Jon Corzine) for cutting more social programs than Crist has done in his tenure as governor.

Salam also chides some of the journalism about Crist’s race against Marco Rubio, using this week’s Joe Klein column as example A of an analyst superficially looking at the race:  that is, as a battle between the moderate Crist and the more ideologically conservative Rubio.

Klein writes that Crist’s future depends in part on the economy improving.  I’m not sure if I get that.  And I certainly don’t get this comment from Crist’s ally, state Party Chair Jim Greer, sounding like a paragon of rationality:

“Lord, save me from the purists,” says Jim Greer, the state’s Republican Party chairman and a Crist supporter. “If the party keeps going in this direction, all we’ll have left will be three people sitting around a table. They’ll be absolutely pure, but none of them will be holding office.”

That’s sort of humorous, as Greer and Crist appeal to the Washington-based Klein that they are the adults in the GOP big tent that’s been dominated by the Joe Wilsons and Marco Rubios.  Except who was it who accused Barack Obama of trying to indoctrinate socialism into children last month?  Oh, yeah, Jim Greer.

Meanwhile, Politifact weighs in on the governor’s recent claims in a new radio ad that proclaim he has cut government spending by 10% since he took office.  The fact-finding group lists the claim as “barely true,” writing that with revenues down and the requirement that he turn in a balanced budget, it was either cut spending or raise taxes.

This reporter was at the latest Bill Foster/Kathleen Ford debate last night in St. Petersburg.  Not a whole lot of news being made, with the exception that Foster now says he supports domestic partnership benefits.

Very interesting new poll numbers are out in Florida’s Senate and Gubernatorial races this morning.  The big news here is that even though Marco Rubio is still down by double digits to Charlie Crist in their race for U.S. Senate, Rubio has made up 14% from a similar poll conducted two months ago.

Download the Report here.

Perhaps feeling massive guilt, Commisioners Kevin White and Al Higgenbotham plan to unveil a new plan on finding housing for the homeless at today’s Hillsborough County Commission Board Meeting.

Interestingly enough, Commissioner White, who has been under fire after he was found guilty of sexually harassing his aide back in August, has had a number of supporters come out for him at this morning’s meeting.

The Going Green Tampa Bay Expo created a lot of buzz on the USF campus last Friday. Cars fueled by compressed natural gas were parked in front of the Marshall Student Center, while other sustainable energy exhibits and workshops were set up inside. Energy experts from all over the state came to share their green wisdom with the public.

One of the topics up for panel discussion was High-Speed Rail. Nazih Haddad, Manager of the High-Speed Rail Program at the Florida Department of Transportation, said that demographics, geography, and growth management needs create a perfect niche for high speed rail technology.

Florida attracts millions of visitors each year, and its major population centers are relatively spread out. The state also has flat terrain, an aging populace, as well as an economy in need of a boost. All of these factors would encourage utilization of HSR, and frequent usage would provide fringe benefits for the economy and the environment. Haddad noted that high-speed rail would mainly rely on electric power, thereby reducing fossil fuel consumption.

Haddad explained why high-speed rail has yet to take hold in Florida, saying that the “Bigger reason for not being able to do this….was the lack of a federal program for funding a high-speed rail program in the U.S.” That obstacle disappeared, however, with the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of October 2008. Even more federal money was made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of February 2009.

At the beginning of this month, the Florida Department of Transportation submitted a high-speed rail funding application to the federal government with the hope of tapping into the stimulus money. 23 other states had the same idea, and so far $50 billion in HSR applications have been received. That amount constitutes more than six times the money designated by the stimulus package.

Florida’s high-speed rail proposal involves two separate tracks, one from Orlando to Miami and one from Tampa to Orlando. Haddad is confident that the bid will be approved, saying that the Tampa-Orlando project is “ready to go, ready to begin production within the next year.” Many notable figures have added statements of support to the HSR application, including Governor Charlie Crist. The decision will be announced in late December or early January.

Steve Polzin of the USF Center for Urban Transportation Research pointed out that Florida’s high-speed rail system would “interface with other public transit systems” such as light rail and commuter rail, helping to maximize utilization and reduce the state’s overall environmental footprint. Polzin went on to say that Florida may tax drivers in order to supplement the cost of building a high-speed rail system.

The final panelist, Ed Crawford of ConnectUs, said that a detailed analysis of high-speed rail is less important than the realization that society is moving forward. He believes that “Innovations…represent a leap to a different kind of mindset, a different kind of technology” and that “there’s going to have to be an adjustment in society.” Crawford also emphasized that Florida is very close to achieving high-speed rail. The website for ConnectUs is www.lifeat128mph.com.

USF’s 4^th Annual Campus and Community Sustainability Conference and Expo was free and open to the public.

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 »

Charlie’s lack of conviction on the issues is catching up with him

By Chris Ingram

It hasn’t taken long, but there is trouble in Tallahassee for the Charlie Crist campaign. It seems Chuckles the clown, er, governor is starting to take some heat from within his own tent for lacking any conviction or serious plans for the challenges facing our country.

Apparently some Crist supporters actually do have a brain, a heart, and a concern for the legacy we leave to our children and grand children.

There is an e-mail floating around from Michael Pinson who up until now has been a big supporter of the tan man.  In his e-mail to Greg Truax (a Crist apologist and publisher of the Crist propaganda website called FrontPageFlorida.com – which I used to contribute to), and Andy Graham (a Tampa attorney seemingly attached to the hip of Truax), Pinson raises the point readers of Irreverent View have read countless times, ”Our sitting Governor remains SILENT with no leadership” Pinson complains. Pinson raises other deep concerns including Chuckles’ support of ACORN, SEIU (a labor union), his failure to condemn Obama (hard to do with those pictures), anti-capitalism, pro-immigration, and more. It’s a good read. Really good! I was waiting for Pinson to blame Chuck for his wet newspaper following the downpour we had in the Tampa Bay area last night.

In any event, Pinson dings Charlie on all the important issues of the day — and then some. Michael, when you’re ready to get off the sinking S.S. Charlie Crist, I’d love to have you write some columns for Irreverent View!

Read the rest of this entry »

A pro-healthcare reform rally on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Photo by Doug Hickman.

Earlier this month — actually, September 12th (or “9-12” in Glenn Beck parlance) — conservative Tea Parties were again held across the country, essentially to bring like-minded folks together to decry excessive federal spending — at least when Barack Obama is doing it.
In Lakeland, a crowd estimated to be around 2,500 people showed up at Lake Mirror Ampitheatre despite a steady rain. (That’s what the Lakeland Ledger reported — though it looked to this observer to be maybe only half that that amount). It was at least the third major such event that I’ve attended in 2009, and was again a stark reminder that in opposition, conservatives have found their voice in a way that John McCain was unable to articulate for them in 2008.
Though it’s debatable how representative these protesters are in the body politic, it is undeniable that their protests — at least in the arena of health care reform — have had an impact. Because protests and street activism can make a difference. Liberals were united in the latter parts of this decade against George Bush and his egregious war in Iraq. Joined by disaffected independents, they came together in harmony last year, first battling each other (in their epic Democratic primary race), before coalescing behind the brilliant campaign of Barack Obama last fall.
That same energy wilted for much of the just concluded summer, but the Democrats seem finally to be getting it. 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 »

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 »

Welcome to On the Radar, where we preview up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s edition is a new play at Club Nautico, where “all are welcome.”

If you’re looking for a place to avoid Ronda Storms (or maybe run into Charlie Crist), I’d put my money on Gypsy Productions’ new show, Questa – which promises to offer poignant insight on sexuality, spirituality, love and loss. After Paul, the victim of an attempted gay bashing, kills (perhaps accidentally) his attacker, he’s overcome with guilt. He seeks redemption and solace by secretly following his victim’s mother, hoping to ease her pain. (Pictured: Daniel DiPiazza and Daniel Harris in Questa. Photo by Brad Minus.) Through Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sun., Club Nautico, 4900 66th St., St. Petersburg, $20, nauticostpete.com. – Franki Weddington

By Kelly Cornelius
PoHo contributor & R-LAND; activist

Photo credit: tom.arthur at Flickr.com

Good news: Not only do we NIMBYS and concerned citizens think that Commissioner Kevin Shovel-ready White should pack his bags, but both the Tribune and the Times are also calling for his resignation. If that doesn’t happen, then they think the governor should at least consider removing him.

White has cost taxpayers a fortune already since the county was also named in his sexual harassment suit. I heard back from the County Attorney’s office and was shocked to learn that the county was paying $250 an hour for their defense in this case. I don’t know what hookers make, but let’s just say they make the same as attorneys. By my calculations taxpayers could have bought Commissioner White a hooker for an hour a day for an entire year and still come in well under the $100,000+ that taxpayers are on the hook for so far. 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.”

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

In spite of pleas from environmental groups, local governments and bashings from editorial boards, Gov. Charlie Crist signed SB 360, effectively repealing Florida’s growth management, minus the usual ceremonial signing hype. Makes us wonder where he hid to sign the offending legislation … was it in a bathroom stall somewhere?

[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!]

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwalk628/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Back by popular demand, WMNF presents a screening of Academy Award-nominated director Kirby Dick’s documentary Outrage, about the secret life of politicians who lambaste the LGBT communities to which they secretly belong — including our own hometown hero, Charlie Crist (pictured). You can check out Joe Bardi’s review here. Proceeds benefit WMNF. Visit wmnf.org for more info. Weds., Aug. 12, 7 and 9 p.m., The Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg, $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

I will refrain from saying bad things about the mainstream-friendly Dave Matthews-fronted jam band because the fivesome does have musical chops, even if said chops are only appreciated by teenage girls, duty-bound jam fans and loyal radio listeners from the past dozen years. If you like DMB, anything else I write will offend you; if you don’t like them, then you’re probably not even reading this. Wed., Aug. 12, 7 p.m., Ford Amphitheatre, 4802 US 301 N., Tampa, $40-$75. – Leilani Polk

This month’s selection for Real Lives Movies (a monthly film series with a focus on Jewish culture, history and achievement) is The Jewish People: A Story of Survival. The PBS documentary by journalist Martha Teichner  examines rare photos and documents, and features interviews with noted historians about Jewish history, in a revealing look at a culture that has survived and thrived despite slavery, oppression and anti-Semitism. Visit gmkjc.org for more info. Wed., Aug. 12, 12 p.m., Golda-Meir/Kent Jewish Center, 1950 Virginia Ave., Clearwater, free.

Sex offenders sell: After two months on the App Store, ThinAir Wireless’ “Offender Locator” has worked it’s way into the top ten best selling paid iphone applications. The company offers a $.99 and free version of the sex offender application, which lets users view registered sex offenders in their neighborhood. On Sunday, August 2, 2009, the application was number three on the top paid apps list.

+1 for Offender Locator: On Wednesday, a 50 year old South Carolina man was charged with having sex with a horse. Rodell Vereen was caught by the horse’s owner Barbara Kenley at shotgun point, after Kenley observed Vereen having his way with her 21 year old horse, Sugar. Last year, Vereen pleaded guilty to having sex with Sugar. He was sentenced to three years probation and placed on the state sex offenders list. This time around, Vereen was slapped with trespassing and buggery charges, and faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Read the rest of this entry »

When I began dating C., he was still a bachelor. It was only the second year of his first term, in the spring of 2008. The heat of the presidential election had yet to reach its scorching high, its searing flames leaving only the charred remains of innocent lives in its wake.

No, in the beginning of our relationship, things were blissful, exhilarating, and amazing, all at the same time. Our first clandestine date turned into a second date, and that second date turned into a third. Suddenly, I was the governor’s girlfriend. Or at least, that’s what it felt like. I didn’t dare use that word, fearing that uttering it might make everything we had, whatever it was, disappear. I was hesitant to fall in love with him, knowing who he was and what he was, but I would catch myself slipping, often, and when I did, I didn’t care. It was fun. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Living with the land: Florida’s first Earthship (video) – Eric Stewart gives a firsthand look at Florida’s first Earthship in Manatee County, and gets his hands dirty while helping out.

Not getting a million-dollar bonus this year? Think local stimulus- Scott Milinder shows us a real stimulus package that will work for us: we all commit to “Buying Local First.” According to recent economic studies, shifting your buying habits to locally owned businesses creates more circulation of money, more economic activity and more jobs in the local economy.

Eco-friendly summertime fashion accessories- Are you searching for a unique and beautiful purse to enhance your summer wardrobe? Then why not consider one of these recycled handbags that are made from recycled items that help to promote a cleaner and healthier world, reports Jen Meier.
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Florida, in light orange-yellow on the Dept of Energy map, above, joins some other states without renewable portfolio standards to require renewable energy production.

We are long overdue for a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in this state (a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal). According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, we are not only the most populated state without one, but we are joined by the likes of Alabama,

Mississippi, and several other states not known for their progressive agendas.

In 2008, Governor Charlie Crist signed legislation which required the Public Service Commission (PSC) to develop a renewable portfolio standard by February 1, 2009, which then had to be adopted by the legislature before being implemented.
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Ever wonder how all those cute little creatures transform from rough sketches on an artist’s easel to walking, talking, scheming cartoons? ANIMATION featuring Cartoon Network explores just that: The world of cartoons—from storyboarding to character development and drawing techniques to technical aspects like filming, computer programming and voice acting—they’re all covered in this interactive experience. Six learning stations demonstrate the principles of geometry, perception and measurement behind animation. The first stop is “History,” where cartoon-lovers can see the evolution of the craft and try their hand at using a praxinoscope, spinning three-dimensional objects to see them morph into a single animation. Then, move on to the “Animation Studio” to enlarge drawings with a pantograph and create scenes using layered cels and moving backgrounds. Next, characters from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends pop in to show the relationship between art and math in animation at “Art in Motion.” Let out your inner mad scientist in Dexter’s Laboratory, where you’ll “hover” around the room with the help of some visual effects. At the “Sound Stage,” the Kids Next Door demonstrate the complexity of matching phrases to different mouth shapes. Then, add your own voice to a silent animation and set the mood by picking background music. Finally, see clips of popular cartoons and learn behind-the-scenes secrets at the “Cartoon Museum.” (Pictured: The kooky cast of characters of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends) Through Sept. 7, Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, $23.95 adults, $21.95 seniors, $19.95 kids ages 2-12, mosi.org.

The Ecological Footprint: Accounting for a Small Planet is a 30-minute documentary about how we use up our natural resources and burden the ecosystem. A post-film discussion offers insight and alternatives for sustainable living. 7-8 p.m. Wed., July 15, Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, 3940 Keystone Rd., Tarpon Springs, free; pre-registration recommended, pinellascounty.org.

See Outrage, the nationally-acclaimed documentary about closeted politicians who campaign against the LGBT community to which they secretly belong — Charlie Crist is one of the film’s “big fish” — by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick. Check out Joe Bardi’s review here. Proceeds benefit WMNF. Visit wmnf.org for tickets and info. 7 p.m. Wed., July 15, Tampa Pitcher Show, 14416 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

Director Kirby Dick is best known for his Academy-Award nominated documentary Twist of Faith and for This Film Has Is Not Yet Rated, an expose of the M.P.A.A. film-rating system and the M.P.A.A.’s employees. In the film, Dick goes P.I. on the censors, figuring out who the “secret” members of the ratings board are and following them around L.A.

Dick’s latest documentary follows a similar trajectory, albeit with very different subject matter. The film is Outrage, and Dick’s target is hypocritical conservative politicians who repeatedly use their power to undermine gay rights legislation while secretly living a closeted gay lifestyle. Anyone want to guess which famous Florida politician gets working over in the film? It’s none other than Governor Charlie Crist. I have not seen the film yet (I’m awaiting word from the publicists), so I can’t comment on Gov. Charlie’s part of the film, or what ground gets covered. We’ll have a full review up on the CL movie site as soon as we see it.

Now the good news: Outrage will get a one-night-only showing at Tampa Pitcher Show on July 15. You can check out the trailer for Outrage after the jump.

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After my brief, stolen moment with Governor C. at the charity fashion show, my life returned to its usual mundane routine. I was a nobody. Why would C. even remember me?

So when I answered my cell phone after class Monday afternoon, I was astonished to find myself on the line with C.’s assistant. Apparently, the Governor had been impressed by me and wished to meet me under better circumstances, and would I be available Friday night? I would. I was instructed not to tell anyone the Governor and I would be meeting, nor was I told where the meeting would take place.

The week passed by me as I sat through my USF classes, unable to concentrate, my entire attention on C. What should I wear? Where would we meet? Was it a date? But the biggest question I had was, why me?

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I have a secret I can no longer keep. It burns my soul and pains my conscience. I had an affair. I loved a man powerful in Florida politics, and he loved me back. I cannot reveal his name. My honor and his lawyers do not permit me. I will refer to him only as C. He currently seeks more power, and I know that rumors will begin to fly, so I submit my story publicly to save us both, and our love, from the public’s harsh scrutiny. Read the rest of this entry »

Outrage, a new documentary by Kirby Dick “outs” allegedly closeted republican figures who have anti-gay voting records. Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who recently announced his bid for a 2010 senate seat, is a main target in Dick’s independent film which premiered May 8.

Suspicions of Crist’s homosexuality first arose before his gubernatorial election in a 2006 Palm Beach Post article. A 21 year-old GOP staffer, Jason Wetherington, reportedly boasted to friends that he had sex with Crist and even named Crist’s long-term partner, Bruce Carlton Jordan. Read the rest of this entry »