Charlie Crist

Crist’s pick is made more complicated by the fact that he is running for that same Senate seat in 2010 and faces a primary challenge from his ideological right in the form of former state House Speaker Marco Rubio.

We chatted with some smart Florida political strategists over the weekend to get a sense for who Crist is considering for the spot. Here’s the current handicapping based on the likelihood of winning the appointment for an interim-only basis (former U.S. senator Connie Mack is apparently not interested):

• Jim Smith: A former secretary of state, attorney general and party switcher (he went from Democrat to Republican after a failed primary run for governor in 1986) Smith was seen as the odds-on favorite on Friday. But, Smith’s background as a lobbyist has become something of an issue — the St. Petersburg Times editorialized against such a pick over the weekend — and Crist isn’t keen on upsetting one of the most influential papers in the state as he runs for Senate. Still, all things considered, the sources we talked to suggest Smith remains the frontrunner for the job.
• Bob Martinez: Martinez, the former mayor of Tampa and governor of the Sunshine State from 1986 to 1990 (he also switched from Democrat to Republican, in 1983), is still very much in the mix, and would allow Crist to keep that seat in the hands of a senator of Hispanic background.
• Allan Bense: Bense, the former speaker of the state House, is a trusted conservative from the state’s Panhandle and has been mentioned for statewide office several times before. (National Republicans tried unsuccessfully to recruit Bense to challenge Sen. Bill Nelson in 2006.) Bense appears to be the hot name at the moment in Florida political circles, according to one informed GOP source.
• George Lemieux: Lemieux is Crist’s most loyal deputy, having served as his chief of staff in the state attorney general’s office and having run Crist’s campaign for governor in 2006. Lemieux was rumored as a potential candidate for the open attorney general job in 2010 but decided against a run. His pick would be reminiscent of the naming of Ted Kaufman, a longtime aide to then Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), to fill the remainder of Biden’s term when the Delaware Democrat was elected vice president. One big difference: Biden did not name Kaufman himself, giving the pick less of a feel of blatant nepotism.
• Jeb Bush: Bush, the popular former governor, would be a slam-dunk pick for Crist but there are (at least) two reasons why it’s unlikely. First, Bush and Crist have never gotten along particularly well — there were rumors (never proven) that Bush helped encourage Rubio to run for Senate. Second, it’s not clear Bush, who turned down a run for Senate already this year, has any interest in serving on an interim basis. Crist can’t risk picking someone who won’t take the job.

TAMPA – The prospect of billions of dollars in federal stimulus money is reviving the long-dormant high-speed rail project connecting Tampa, Orlando and Miami.

Florida is considered by some to be a leading candidate for some of the $8 billion that President Barack Obama wants to spend on 10 inter-city, high-speed corridors. The state has already reserved right of way for a rail corridor along Interstate 4 and spent $30 million on environmental studies connected with the project.

“We’re shovel-ready; we were ahead of everybody else,” said C.C. “Doc” Dockery, who initiated a successful state referendum in 2000 approving a high-speed rail system. Voters reversed that decision four years later at the urging of Gov. Jeb Bush, a rail opponent.

Dockery said support from Gov. Charlie Crist is crucial to Florida getting a share of the stimulus money. He said Crist has “not been out there cheerleading” for the project.

“It’s all in his hands,” Dockery said. “If he gets out in front with this application … it’s a slam dunk.” The governor’s office did not respond to Dockery’s comments.

Florida’s Department of Transportation has to notify the Federal Railroad Administration by Friday that the state is applying for the money, said Kevin Thibault, DOT assistant secretary for engineering and operations. Vice President Joe Biden’s office is overseeing stimulus money projects.

“What we have heard from the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) and Vice President Biden is that Florida, because of the groundwork that has been laid, is in a good position to apply,” Thibault said. “But it will still depend on the merits.”

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, supports the project, saying it will create thousands of construction jobs and develop a high-tech corridor connecting Florida’s major metro areas.

“I know people wonder about the cost, but look at the many millions it takes to add a lane onto an interstate,” Castor said. “Here’s something that would be sustainable over time and not reliant on the wild swings in the price of gas and oil.”

The proposed route would start at the Marion Street Transit Center in downtown Tampa, where the train could connect with 26 bus routes, the in-town trolley and a bus line to Pinellas County.

Possible train station sites being discussed in Orlando include the airport and Disney World, along with a stop in Lakeland.

Randy Wilkinson

Randy Wilkinson is currently a county commissioner (District 2) in Polk County. Everyone who is involved in politics in Polk County has wondered at one time or another what he was going to do for the 2010 race.  There has even been speculation that he was going to run for the seat being vacated by Adam Putnam for Congressional District 12.  If he chose to do this it would put him in a Republican Primary with Dennis Ross of Lakeland and Thomas Snyder of Winter Haven.  Ross has picked up many endorsements including Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Paula Dockery.

Other rumors for a Randy Wilkinson run would be for Florida State House district 66.  If he entered this race it would put him in a 4-way race.  Currently Leviticus Reed of Winter Haven, Ben Albritton of Wauchula, and Gary Newberry have filed to run for the seat being vacated by Baxter Troutman who is term limited.

What about running for School Board?  Randy previously served on the school board and could go back.  I guess we will have to wait and see.

Randy has planned an announcement on Thursday in Bartow @ 4:30.  The event will be held at Blunt Park, which is across the street from the courthouse.  If it rains the event will be held at 395 Tyler St in an old farmhouse.

With Tallahassee having proven itself too small to contain the political ambitions of Charlie Crist, the race for Florida’s next Chief Executive is wide open.  Alex Sink, the state’s CFO, looks as if she will sail to the Democratic nomination without any opposition.  Bill McCollum, the state’s Attorney General, has so far failed to draw a primary opponent, although State Senator Paula Dockery is said to be considering challenging him.  Regardless of which candidates are put forth, there are serious questions that should be raised of the candidates on both sides of the ticket.

Jeb Bush was arguably Florida’s most powerful governor in recent history.  During his tenure, the role of of the Governor was expanded like never before.  Prior to 2003, Florida’s Governor was merely one of seven equal votes on the state cabinet.  The cabinet voted on all executive level decisions, which meant an alliance of four votes could override the Governor on any executive level decisions.  In 2002, with Jeb Bush’s backing, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment that shrunk the cabinet to three positions, greatly expanding the power of the governor.  At the same time, voters approved an amendment that eliminated the Board of Regents, which governed the state’s higher education and shifted that responsibility to the new Florida Board of Governors, which are appointed by the Governor.

Charlie Crist has continued to expand the role of the governor while in office, using his position to push through the deceptively named “Save Our Homes” Amendment.  (Deceptive, in that it marginally cut property taxes while negatively impacting funding for local governments.)

With those those two most recent chief executives in mind, here are five questions Duval County voters might want to ask as they begin to think of how they will vote next November.

1.  Where does the candidate stand on the expanded role of state power at the expense of local governments? The candidate’s position on this issue should begin to emerge rather quickly as they hit the campaign trail.  Are the candidates pushing an agenda that includes cutting property taxes?  If so, they are most likely masking an effort to further weaken the ability of local governments to provide essential services to their citizens.  They are also removing the option to cut taxes from local governments and consolidating it in Tallahassee.

2.  Does the candidate support the Crist practice of using non-recurring revenues and trust fund raids to balance the state budget? Sink was quick to announce her opposition to trust fund raids, but McCollum has remained ominously silent on the issue.  The practice is dangerous for Florida and something that will have dire consequences in the long term.

3.  Where does the candidate stand on water issues? This is one that will be quite difficult to pin any candidate running for statewide office down on, but it’s one that North Floridians should be very concerned about.  The recent decision by the St. Johns River Water Management District to allow Seminole County to remove up to 5.5 million gallons of water from the St. Johns River each day will not bode well for the long-term health of the river.  Central Florida has known for years that their growth is not sustainable, but will a gubernatorial candidate be willing to upset the vote-rich I-4 corridor to state the obvious?

4.  Where does the candidate stand on the sales surtax that Gov. Crist vetoed? This is an issue of particular importance to Duval County residents.  Duval is at a disadvantage when compared to every other county in the statebecause of the inability of our elected commission—the city council—to levy a sales tax surcharge to fund indigent care.  Crist inexplicably vetoed a measure that passed the legislature unanimously that would have allowed Jacksonville to shift the burden for indigent care from the city’s operating budget to a half-cent sales surtax, freeing up much-needed funds for other services.

5.  Where does the candidate stand on the Fair District Florida effort? Fair Districts Florida is an effort to put two amendments on the ballot  that would fundamentally alter the redistricting process in Florida.  Redistricting in Florida has grown increasingly partisan in the last several decades.  Groups have been marginalized and districts throughout the state have been drawn in ways that make no geographic sense—it’s glaringly apparent that they exist for one of two reasons:  To either protect an incumbent or minimize a specific segment of the population.  It’s important to know where the next Governor of Florida would stand on this issue—after all, she (or he) would play a major role in drawing new districts after the 2010 census.

Of course, these are just five of the many issues facing the state, but they are a start.  It will be interesting to hear both sides address them as the election nears.