Greer backs Steele in RNC showdown

Jeb takes pass on Senate run

University board wins a legal round against Legislature

Sansom silent as special session starts

Alexander wins Polk political power play

Rep. Baxter Troutman came into a Tuesday morning meeting as chairman of the Polk County legislative delegation.

The Winter Haven Republican left less than 30 minutes later without the job and without any support; booted by his cousin who did not even have to attend the meeting to pull off the mini-takeover.

“This is very much in keeping with the way he does things," Troutman said of Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales. "He likes the drama and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering ... And he doesn’t even show up!”

Instead, Alexander was named the chairman of the delegation – a largely ceremonial position that holds less power than usual as a tight budget eliminates the usual accumulation of wish lists by each county’s delegation.

Alexander already holds one of the most powerful spots in the Legislature as the Senate’s budget chairman. He also chairs another plum committee that oversees the state’s election laws.

But Alexander apparently wanted one more top spot. Alexander and Troutman are both heirs to the Ben Hill Griffin citrus fortune, but the two have squabbled over decisions at family-run Alico Inc. Troutman was removed from the company’s board in January. Troutman sued Alexander and Alexander’s father in October, claiming the company had lost more than $1 million due to mismanagement.

Troutman had previously been chosen by the Polk County lawmakers to be the delegation’s chairman for the next year. But Alexander requested a new meeting of the delegation in Tallahassee on Tuesday to include three new members elected in November.

After lawmakers spent about 15 minutes debating the purpose of the meeting, Troutman officially called it to order and asked if anyone had nominations to be delegation chairman.

Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, nominated Alexander and freshman Rep. John Wood, R-Winter Haven, seconded the motion. Troutman asked if anyone else had other nominations. Nobody did.

“I guess you can’t nominate yourself,” Troutman joked.

Troutman, who had called the reasons for the re-vote “puerile” and “silly,” angrily criticized Alexander after the meeting.

Alexander said late Tuesday that it was only fair to have the delegation’s new members vote on their leadership. He said any personal or political differences with Troutman were secondary.

“I don’t think these things are personal,” said Alexander, though he noted that Troutman did not support “some of the members who were elected” in November.

“The majority of the delegation, I guess, felt I could do the best job of moving us forward,” Alexander said.

Lawmaker proposes tax on bongs

Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, has an interesting idea for raising revenues during these tough times.

House Bill 99 would add a “surtax of 5 percent” on items described as “drug paraphernalia” in Florida statute. That includes not only “bongs” and “hypodermic syringes,” but also, according to state law, common items that can be fashioned into drug tools including “a balloon,” a “2-liter-type soda bottle” and “duct tape.”

Rouson said that if lawmakers are going to consider increasing the cigarette tax, store owners who claim to sell tobacco-related pipes and other accessories frequently used for illegal drugs should pay more taxes as well.

“Why should they be sacrosanct and not taxed?” he said Monday. “You and I both know it’s only marijuana and drugs being smoked out of the crack pipes and bongs … It’s another tool for law enforcement for those owners of stores who profit off of drug paraphernalia.”

Rouson, who was a guest at Gov. Charlie Crist’s wedding last week, has openly discussed his own past cocaine addiction. He represents parts of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The bill as written would apparently extend the surtax to duct tape and two-liter bottles of soda. Rouson said it was not his intent to punish, for example, a handyman relying on the wonders of duct tape and he would amend the bill to exclude drug-free use of common items.

Section 893.145 of state law does provide an interesting clash of legal wording and the world of drugs.

Included in the definition of “drug paraphernalia” are “Separation gins and sifters used, intended for use, or designed for use in removing twigs and seeds from, or in otherwise cleaning or refining, cannabis” and “Roach clips: meaning objects used to hold burning material, such as a cannabis cigarette, that has become too small or too short to be held in the hand.”

Lawmakers will meet to fill $2 billion budget hole

Greer says people, not partisanship, key to R success

Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer offered an op-ed to Politico this weekend. Nothing much new. But the timing is interesting as Greer battles for re-election to his post and seeks national attention for the moderate tone struck by himself and Gov. Charlie Crist.

Highlights of the op-ed:

"Over the past 25 years I have had the opportunity to view the Republican Party wearing the hat of a small-town city councilman, political fundraiser, and now as chairman of the state party for the fourth largest state in the nation, during the most important presidential election in my lifetime ...

"I’ve learned that our party draws its strength not from the principles elected officials talk about, but from the values average Americans live by. Refocusing on these values, putting partisan rhetoric aside, and putting the people back in politics, Republicans can regain our foundation and focus on serving the people. It’s what we do in Florida. It works for us here, and I believe it’s what we need to do in Washington and across the nation ...

"In Florida, Republican lawmakers have focused on conservative public policies that keep taxes low for families and businesses, fostering an economic environment that encourages companies to locate and expand here. We don’t get caught up on issues that are traditionally Republican or Democrat. Instead, Florida Republicans work in a bipartisan manner to create common-sense solutions to challenges facing our state, our nation, and even our world ...

"Our party’s future is bright, but we need a decisive vision. We need new energy, new ideas and an unwavering commitment to our party’s long-standing values and principles of less government, lower taxes and more freedom. We need leaders who aren’t afraid to stand up for what’s right with our Party and start a dialogue on what we can do to get it back to basics—back to the people.

"We’ve done it right in Florida by putting the people back in politics, and that’s the only way we can re-energize the GOP on a national level. Ultimately, Americans don’t care if their leaders have an “R” or a “D” behind their name. Americans want more than a leader who represents conservative ideals…they want a leader who has something to show for it."

Live blog of Crist wedding

Crist's gift bag of goodies

McKay says tax review could help state budget crisis

Gobbledygook in government lives on

On his very first day in office in January 2007, Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order that, in part, ordered state agencies to use ordinary language in their daily business that average folks could understand.

How successful has he been? Consider this agenda item at tomorrow's Cabinet meeting for the Office of Insurance Regulation:

"2. Request for Approval to Withdraw the Repeal of Proposed Rule 69N-121.066; Informal Conferences

"In May 2008, a notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published for this rule. The proposal was to repeal the rule. The Office is now requesting approval for the withdrawal of the proposed repeal. The reason the proposed rule repeal is being withdrawn is the Office believes that rather than repealing the rule, the rule should be amended to clearly set out the procedure to be taken when an insurer disagrees with a final report.

"In a related agenda item, the Office is requesting approval of a proposed rule that
does exactly that."

Got it?

Crist meets Obama

Gov. Charlie Crist traveled to Philadelphia earlier this week, joining most of the nation’s governors in a meeting with President-elect Barack Obama.

Crist said Wednesday he had a chance to chat with Obama before and after a meeting with all of the governors and was “very impressed,” calling Obama a “very gracious guy … in tune with Florida issues which pleased me.”

Crist, along with the other governors, left the meeting hopeful that Obama would sign an economic stimulus plan on Inauguration Day that would increase Medicaid and infrastructure spending to relieve some pressure on sagging state budgets.

Crist invited Obama to come to Florida for the scheduled Feb. 12 launch of the Space Shuttle.

“I’m sure he’s going to be pretty busy, but you know how important the space program is and he does too and he campaigned over in the Cape (Canaveral) area … I hope he can take us up on that,” Crist said.

Greer says he’s 'interested' in nation’s top GOP spot

Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer has been mentioned as a potential replacement for Mike Duncan, the embattled head of the Republican National Committee.

Greer said Thursday, at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami, that he was “interested.”

“On the national level, we need some decisive leadership. I would support any candidate who can provide that. Am I interested in running the RNC? I’m interested but I haven’t declared that I would run. Matter of fact, I’m kind of leaning toward not running but I don’t want to rule it out.”

Greer said his main focus is being re-elected RPOF chairman in January when the state party meets. He has an opponent, Eric Miller of Martin County.

Miller is portraying Greer as too moderate and too wasteful. Miller was the Florida communications director for the long-shot Duncan Hunter presidential campaign.

According to Miller’s website: “As Republicans, we embrace core conservative principles of faith, family, individual freedom, initiative and achievement that acknowledge fundamentals about our history, culture and heritage. Moving to the center is a code word for appeasing liberalism and the public will view it as acting out of panic ... I will not buy votes with lavish party's (sic) and financial perks” to some county Republican leaders.

A rejoinder from Erin VanSickle, a spokeswoman for Greer and the RPOF: "Chairman Greer plans to run on the Party's record of achievement over the past two years, and he looks forward to not only the competition, but the opportunity to talk to Florida Republicans about our road map for the future."

Palin does her Tina Fey impression

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin waits to speak during a news conference at the Republican Governors Association Annual Conference in Miami on Thursday. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin dominated the close of the two-day meeting of the Republican Governors Association in Miami on Thursday.

More than 20 TV cameras and dozens of reporters packed a room at the InterContinental Hotel Thursday morning for Palin’s first press conference as a national figure. While Palin has done a number of interviews both before and after her stint as John McCain’s running mate, this was her first official press conference.

But instead of the promised Palin event, she was joined by 12 fellow Republican governors and offered rote answers about working together with her fellow governors to revive the party.

Palin then spoke for more than 20 minutes to governors, lobbyists and staff. She began her speech with a funny bit about what she had been up to since her last RGA meeting in 2007.

“I had a baby. I did some traveling. I very briefly expanded my wardrobe. I made a few speeches. Met a few VIPs including those who really do impact society. Like Tina Fey,” she said.