With Crist, on the road to Rio

Israeli police officers wait outside a store while Gov. Charlie Crist shops.  [Steve Bousquet | Times]

The list of passengers traveling with Gov. Charlie Crist on a trade mission to Brazil and Chile in less than two weeks numbers 177, more than four times the size of the group that joined Crist to Israel and Jordan in May. The Enterprise Florida-led trip to Sao Paulo (Nov. 3-8) includes meetings with business and political leaders and a tour of Embraer, the aircraft manufacturer.

The travel roster is heavy with South Florida business leaders, port directors from around Florida and a much bigger traveling press. Media types include WFLA anchor-reporter Keith Cate, Florida Trend publisher Lynda Keever, David Adams of the St. Petersburg Times, reporter Doreen Hemlock and photographer-videographer Carey Wagner from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Jennifer Klarman-Santiago, the Miami TV reporter who attended a Yom Kippur service with Crist last month. (She is listed as representing HDNews, a high definition news channel).

Political names include Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty; lawyer-lobbyist Al Cardenas; Jose "Pepe" Fanjul and former Rep. Gaston Cantens of the sugar giant Florida Crystals; Rep. Juan Zapata, R-Miami; Rep. Julio Robaina, R-South Miami; Rep. Bill Snyder, R-Stuart; and Broward County Mayor Josephus Eggelletion.   

Comments

Why don't they stop in Havana on the way down and really shake things up.

Who pays for the legislators?

We do.

Getting a little cold at night in Tallahassee...

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Has anybody noticed the contrast between how Jeb Bush traveled when he was Governor, and how Charlie Crist travels?

Jeb Bush would arrive in a single SUV with a plain clothes state trooper, and two other people.

Charlie Crist arrives in a motorcade with a dozen plus fawners.

he likes to feel important...

[Jim Cynical Realist]

Waste of Money, what else is new,... this guy is a chump.

Go Charlie Go
Ingnore these 18 percenters

Plenty of money for travel by the Governor and Legislators - no money for travel for investigators, agency attorneys, case workers.

Just shows what our priorities are.

[Charlotte Russe]

Junket Time......the so-called "Mayor" of Broward (not elected, just 'selected' on a revolving-chair basis) Josephus Eggelletion already went on a "trade" mission to Santiago, Chile this year.

Guess this international travel is so important to the well-being of Broward Residents that he just can't in good conscience say "no."

Same problem with former "Mayor" Ben Graber.....he just had to go on that trade mission to China, (to represent Broward of course) even though no ships in the US-China trade will ever be disembarking at Port Everglades: the channel is too shallow for those super-sized monsters......and they won't be dredging to make them bigger either (US-China trade is overwhelmingly through the port at Los Angeles.)

Meanwhile back to our "Joe"......loves that international travel at taxpayer expense. Love to see an audit sometime or at least an accounting for his time.

Hey Chuck!... I’d love to join you on your little taxpayer-funded junket. Unfortunately, Chuck… all my discretionary funds are tied up in those two little things you promised to fix when you got elected… you remember those, don’t you… Chuck?

But don’t you worry your pretty. Little, over-tanned head about that, Chuck. You just keep on ignoring those lies… errr… campaign promises, and we’ll just keep on LOSING OUR HOMES DUE TO OUT OF CONTROL INSURANCE AND PROPERTY TAXES YOU PHOTO-OPP’N, PANDERING, OVER-TANNED, GORE WANNABE, LYING RAT BAST*RD!

… ooops, sorry, I’m a little frustrated these days. Maybe a nice trip to Brazil would do me good. HEY, CHUCK!... GOT AN EXTRA SEAT, HELL… IT’S MY DIME?

[tim]

Nice, We got a Governor who travels to Israel, and we get pictures of his shopping spree... Next, he'll be a guest on the T.V. show "Queer eye for the striaght guy". What a joke!

[Chris Samprey]

Leave my daddy alone!

[Pete]

This travel for 'goodwill' is ludicrous. State employees have gone without raises AT ALL for 2 out of the past 3 years. For what? So he can travel? Give me a break. We'll all be in the poorhouse by this time next year if he doesn't straighten up.

[JimRooster]

Go Chuck Go!

Indeed, Chuck... GO! And if you don't mind... STAY THERE!

Get the back to our state & fix the tax situation before you go galloping around the world.

They speak portugese in Brazil. Why are all these hispanics on the list?

[Tim]

You mean they don't speak Brazilian ???!!!

Remember, this is Florida, land of sunshine and endless vacations.

Governor Crist has got it right, having plenty of vacation days all over the world.

Old Governor Bob Graham was a chump, having work days throughout Florida back when he was in office.

So they've fixed everything here?

[terminator]

will Chuck be wearing his thong and hanging out with the boys at Copacabana beach?

Don't know about Chuck wearing a thong in Brazil, but he was warming up for the Brazil trip by partying and posing for pictures with the dancers at Mango's in South Beach a couple of Fridays ago.

[Facts are better than Fiction]

I for one am NOT a Crist supporter, but I will let you in on some cold hard facts. The Gov's trip to Brazil is relevant to Florida because Brazil is Florida's largest trade partner. With two way trade between Brazi and Florida in 2006 at $8.6 Billion ( down 1.1% from the previous period) and total trade between the U.S. and Brazil at $45.6 Billion.

His trip to Israel, total waste, as far as I'm concerned. This is an important trade mission, being orgainzed by Enterprise Florida, with each attending delegate PAYING to attend.

Trust me, I would be the first one to cry foul at tax money misspent. Its just not here. Let's look elesewhere.

Charlie Crist at Mango's. Good thing he doesn't have a wife to explain this picture:

http://blogs.herald.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/10/09/governor_oct2007_dancers.jpg

Memo To. RPOF Chairman Greer , While Governor Crist is in Rio, Keep the party in line and permit no Disention, Thank you The Governors Office.

[Charlie Russe]

Regarding the photo op (?) at Mango's....love the smile of the guy on the left (what kind of fabric is that?).

And Mr/Ms Photo poster.....of course he does NOT have a wife to 'explain things to.'

Isn't this photo enuff? (Get a load of the coconuts on that chick --kaboom... although they are --obviously of no interest to the Guv)

[terminator]

I suspect those "coconuts" are probably the silicone type.
I'm prefer the natural type, they're more pliable.

Notice how much Chuck and the male dancer are smiling.
caption: "Governor, are you just happy to see me or is that a banana in your pocket"?

[Lifelong Republican]

It's Sao Paulo folks.

Who are the state employees going?