SBA Goes With Familiar Company for Review

The state Board of Administration, which oversees Florida's investments, chose BlackRock to help it figure out what to do about the run on its troubled state-run investment pool. BlackRock is hardly new to managing Floridians' money -- the firm receives major fees to both advise and invest Florida's prepaid college tuition fund.

The state on Friday hired the publicly-traded investment firm to come up with an independent financial review of the Local Government Investment Pool and will work through the weekend with SBA staff members, according the governor's office. The news release didn't say how much BlackRock will get paid for its services.

Crist's new gal pal?

New York Post's gossip page gives us a little more context on that Trump fundraiser (see below). Page Six reports that Carole Rome, currently divorcing Bluestar Jets CEO Todd Rome, is dating our governor:

"They met about four months ago and have been together ever since," spies said. "Carole has been living on Fisher Island since she left Todd in July, and Charlie takes her to Miami Heat games." Crist also rented an estate on Ox Pasture Road in Southampton last August so Carole could be closer to her kids."

An estate in the Hamptons? Crist spokeswoman Erin Isaac tells the Buzz, "The governor did not rent in the Hamptons." As for Crist's relationship with Rome, "She is a friend."

Lobbyist busted 'stealing' election for Romney?

We received a breathless e-mail exposing that the Tampa Bay $20-per vote straw poll this week was a fraud because people were seen voting over and over again ("This kind of stuff has to stop, or the polls mean NOTHING"). Checking the video link, we see Fred Leonhardt, the Gray Robinson lobbyist/power broker and Romney supporter, voting again and again. That's perfectly kosher - and the straw poll was never billed as a real election - albeit a bit sinister-looking on video.

Leonhardt told Buzz the fellow next to him was happily stuffing the ballots for Ron Paul. "Meanwhile everyone in America watching the substance of the debate knows Mike Huckabee won it (based on the media reviews), and nobody knows what happened with the straw poll,'' laughed Leonhardt, who didn't know himself the straw poll results until we told him.

Rubio will campaign for property tax plan

Backers of the 1.35% property tax plan already landed Marco Rubio's endorsement. Now they are putting him to work.

Rubio is scheduled to make a four-city fly-around Dec. 15. It would start in St. Pete then go to Orlando and somewhere in the Panhandle before ending in Miami. The date may change, organizer David McKalip told the Buzz, but Rubio is committed to helping garner support -- and signatures -- for the petition drive.

The Donald says 'Yes' to tax initiative and Crist

He's the People's Donald, after all, and a pal of Charlie Crist. So Crist will join Donald Trump Thursday at Trump Tower in New York at a $1,000-per-person fundraiser for the "Yes on 1 - Save Our Homes" organization working to tax the Jan. 29 tax initiative. A number of Hamptons society types are on host committee: Linda Argila, Ed Bulgin, Carole Rome, and Jill and Bobby Zarin. (Invite is here.)

Support widens for 1.35% property tax plan

Brett Doster's Floridans for Property Tax Reform today endorsed the citizen petition drive to cap property taxes on all property at 1.35 percent of taxable value. (Background here.)

“We have been supportive of the small amount of relief that has come from the work of the Legislature, but unfortunately we do not believe it is enough,” FPTR co-chair Jose Cancela said in a statement.

The group, which is aligned with House Speaker Marco Rubio, said it will help gather the 611,000 signatures to get the measure on the  ballot. Meeting the deadline for the November 2008 ballot is unlikely, however.

Rubio has already indicated he will raise money for Floridians for Property Tax Reform, and he's endorsed the 1.35 percent plan. He's also backing a plan by TBRC member Carlos Lacasa. At what point does Rubio have too many irons in the prop tax fire?

Al Cardenas on presidential race

Remember that the former RPOF chair Cardenas is a Mitt Romney supporter, but his take is that the Giuliani campaign strategy is to come out swinging against Romney.

"It's become obvious for Mayor Giuliani, based on my sense of the St. Petersburg debate and the daily flurry of e-mails is that for the Giuliani campaign, the best defense is a good offense and he's coming primarily after Gov. Romney," Cardenas said.

"There's a fine line between being tough and being mean-spirited, and a lot of us think he crossed that line," Cardenas said of Giuliani's attack on Romney's hiring of a company that employed undocumented immigrants. "It's clear he hired a legal and licensed contractor who had a clean record up to then. The only way one can discern that he had laborers that were undocumented was to profile those workers because of their color of their skin or their accents. We challenged him on that to suggest that's the obligation of any homeowner in America."

LeMieux law firm hangs shingle; what's next?

Speculation is growing that Gov. Charlie Crist's chief of staff, George LeMieux, will leave the administration by Jan. 1 and return to the practice of law. Here's one revealing sign: His old law firm, Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, has established an office in Tallahassee at the SunTrust building at 215 S. Monroe St. (see photo from the lobby directory). The building, catty-cornered from the Capitol, is a major center for lobbying firms.

LeMieux went from serving as Crist's chief of staff in the attorney general's office, to a two-year marathon in charge of the campaign (dubbed "The Maestro" by Crist), then to a hectic seven-week transition followed by a grueling first year in office. Under the state Constitution, LeMieux cannot lobby the governor's office for two years after he leaves.

"Whenever the day is that I decide I need to do something else, it will be with heavy heart, because I'll miss it," LeMieux told The Buzz. "As challenging as it is to work with this governor, you try to do the right thing every day, and really help people. It's awesome."

A competing political blog, The Miami Herald's Naked Politics, was first to report the creation of Gunster Yoakley's new Tallahassee office.   

'Slap on the wrist' rejected by ethics panel

For many years, the Florida Commission on Ethics has endured criticism as a "toothless tiger" that doles out mild punishment for serious violations of the public trust. But developments Friday suggest that may be a thing of the past.

In a case involving a prominent South Florida politician, the panel rejected a proposal to slap a $1,000 fine on Broward County Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin for voting to approve applications for county grants written by her husband, Richard Rubin, on behalf of the city of Southwest Ranches.

The panel voted to increase the fine to $15,000.

"A thousand dollars sounds to me like a slap on the wrist," said ethics commission member Charles Lydecker. "There's a price to pay for a breach of ethical conduct."

Senate joins gambling suit against Crist

The Florida Senate this morning filed a "friend of the court" motion in the lawsuit challenging Gov. Charlie Crist's gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

“Governor Crist had the very best interest of the state in mind when he worked with the Seminole Tribe,” Senate President Ken Pruitt said. “I believe the governor properly exercised his authority to negotiate a compact, however, in order for the compact to be valid it must be approved by the Legislature.”

House Speaker Marco Rubio filed the suit earlier this month, asserting that Crist violated the separation of powers by crafting an agreement without legislative approval. Oral arguments are set for Dec. 12.

Another Bush in Politics

Miami New Times catches Jeb Jr. stumping for Rudy

Dems "Fumbling Florida"

So says The Nation in a piece on the Florida primary mess:

Schools - Crist still at odds over property taxes

Gov. Charlie Crist met for about 45 minutes today with the president of the Florida Education Association to discuss the property tax plan on the Jan. 29 ballot. Andy Ford has been trying to get Crist to commit to replacing up to $3-billion in lost property tax revenue to schools over five years.

"It was a good conversation but we continue to disagree," FEA spokesman Mark Pudlow told the Buzz. (Ford was unavailable Thursday afternoon.) "We clearly let them know we aren't changing our position on opposing the property tax initiative."

As such, the union plans to send its 137,000 members a letter outlining why the tax cut plan is a bad idea.

Crist has said he'll recommend more school funding in his budget proposal, but the bottom line is ultimately decided by the Legislature.

David Rivera's close call

More on the bizarre spin room episode where a Mike Huckabee aide took a tumble: Check out the video link on the Southern Political Report (scroll down a little). It's like the Zapruder film, but in this case you can see Rep. David Rivera right in the middle of the action. Hmmm.

No shortage of property tax plans

Another property tax plan is in the works -- this time from a member of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission.

Commissioner Carlos Lacasa has filed a proposal that would create an exemption of 50 percent of the just value of residential property (for the first two years, it is 25 percent) and a 5 percent cap for nonhomesteads. It also calls for a three-year, 1-cent sales tax increase to offset lost tax revenue for schools. 

Lacasa, a former state House member from Miami, plans to discuss the plan at the TBRC meeting tomorrow. Here is the bill language. For some reason, Lacasa's law firm used a PR firm to trumpet the news.

State suspends investment fund withdrawals

As cities, counties and school boards withdraw billions of dollars from a shaky state investment fund, Gov. Charlie Crist and two other top state officials voted Thursday to suspend all future withdrawals from the fund, pending a review by an independent advisor.

The action, in an atmosphere of crisis, came at a special meeting of the State Board of Administration, which consists of Crist, CFO Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum -- the three officials with the responsibility of overseeing the state's investments.

"Let's stop the bleeding," Crist said, echoing Sink's proposal to suspend all withdrawals from the fund.

The mass exodus of withdrawals -- at least $3.5-billion on Thursday alone before the vote, and $10-billion over the past two weeks -- has come from a fund known as the local government investment pool, managed by the state. The 25-year-old fund has a solid track record of producing healthy rates of return.

Rudy raising bucks in Fort Lauderdale

Got $2,300? Head to the St. Regis Resort in Fort Lauderdale tomorrow for a VIP reception and photo-op with Rudy Giuliani.

Or, for a paltry $100, tip a gin and tonic.

McCain: stop the madness

Before heading to three fundraisers in southwest Florida, John McCain this morning bemoaned the "crazy" compressed primary schedule , even as he promised that as the nominee he'd restore all of Florida's delegates to the national convention. He called it "bizarre" to have the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. "I mean, we're still recovering."

"I'd restore (Florida's delegates). But I have to tell you I'd also sit down with the Democrat nominee and try to work out a system so we make order out of this chaos,'' said McCain who would supporting keeping IA, NH, and SC as the first elections, followed by regional primaries stretched out over a longer period. "It's now over on Feb. 5, as you know, and we don't the convention until September. It's crazy. It's way too compressed and we've got to sit down and fix it. If the parties won't fix it, then I would suggest congressional action to fix it."

Where's Chuck Norris when you need him?

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee brought some firepower to the post-debate spin room Wednesday night as Chuck Norris made the rounds touting his favorite candidate.

But Walker, Texas Ranger was no where when a credential journalist from the American Reporter shoved Huckabee's body man to the ground amid a gaggle of press.

The reporter, Joe Shea, was trying to ask Huckabee a question -- which one we'll never know -- when Huckabee's aide Drake Jarman stuck his body between the two and kept Shea away from the candidate, who needed to get to a live TV shot. Shea then pushed (some say threw to the ground) Jarman who fell to the ground. Here's a video that shows parts of the scuffle.

And here's is Shea's version of the events tucked in his debate story. Click below to read the relevant parts.

CNN: Oops

CNN says the openly gay, retired brigadier general who asked the Republican candidates about the military's don't-ask, don't-tell policy had served on a gay and lesbian steering committee for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Accusations that Keith Kerr of Santa Rosa, Calif., was a Democratic "plant" emerged shortly after the CNN/YouTube debate in St. Petersburg ended late Wednesday night. Early this morning, CNN issued a statement acknowledging that Kerr, who served 43 years in the Army, had formerly sat on the Clinton steering committee for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. (Kerr asks his question above. AP photo)

Asked about it in St. Petersburg Thursday morning, candidate John McCain said, "It should been made public if this individual was a member of any other campaign, because I think that people then obviously have a better way of judging the quality of the question, et cetera. But I'm glad the issue came up. It continues to be an issue of discussion."

Low moments aplenty, and nary a champion

Times political editor Adam C. Smith: Who won the CNN/YouTube debate? Not beleaguered Republicans looking for a champion.

Nobody should have been surprised that the sparring was so aggressive in the final stretch of an unpredictable race. What was striking is how so many of these candidates are ripe for attack on so many core conservative issues.

Gun control? Front-runner Rudy Giuliani drew pronounced boos when he defensively talked about "reasonable regulations." Abortion? Mitt Romney received what sounded like stony silence when he feebly quipped, "I'm not sure who that young guy was," after being confronted with old footage of him touting his support of legal abortions. ...

It was an especially bad night for Giuliani. Unlike the chipper, confident performances of past debates, he frequently looked sour and defensive Wednesday night, hours after revelations emerged that as New York mayor he charged security detail expenses to obscure trips to a Long Island resort at the time he started an extramarital affair with his current wife, Judith Nathan.

Huckabee wins

So says a poll by InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research/Florida Chamber of Commerce. Republican voters were asked: "Which candidate do you believe won the debate?"

Huckabee: 44% / Giuliani: 18% / Romney: 13% /McCain: 10% / Thompson: 5% / Paul: 4% / Tancredo: 1% / No winner: 5%

Verbatim: The CNN/YouTube debate

Here is the transcript from the debate. You can also read the Times' coverage of the event here, and view a debate scorecard.

Who's the real flip-flopper?

The final question of the night came from a Bonita Springs man who wondered why the former mayor of New York could drape himself in Yankee pride then root for the Red Sox.

Rudy Giuliani: "I'm an American League fan. I root for the American League team when they get in the World Series. ... As soon as the World Series (was) over, I rooted for the Yankees again. We’re going to beat you next year." Giuliani noted that the Yanks won four series while he was in office. "And since I've left ... the Yankees have won none."

Mitt Romney: "We waited 87 long years and true suffering Red Sox fans that my family and I are, we could not have been more happy than to see the Red Sox win the World Series except by being able to beat the Yankees when they are ahead three games to none. And so I tell you like most Americans, we love our sports teams and we hate the Yankees."

The other debate: Kristy vs. Elliott

A mere half hour into the debate and the Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani spin machines are in full tooth-bearing mode.

Romney spokeswoman Kristy Campbell struck first with an e-mail to reporters with the header, "Mayor Giuliani Praises His Policies Of Protecting Illegal Immigrants." Giuliani spokesman Elliott Bundy hit back with "Mitt Romney Let Illegal Immigrants Flood His State And Rewarded Sanctuary Cities With State Aid."

Back and forth they go ... On sheer volume, Campbell is winning. She's put out seven releases already. Bundy has two. (Click on jump for a sample of the dueling missives, edited for space. Who is more effective?)

Republican ditty

The CNN debates began with Chris Nandor from Snohomish, Wash., who sang a funny song about the candidates.

"The grand old party's looking for somebody who can lead, someone who is electable and adheres to our creed. / Some say the group is not diverse; they're white, they're men, but wait. The Dems have just one candidate, Republicans have eight.

Rudy's leading all the polls, but can he win the base? / Mitt changed on abortion; history he can't erase. / Ron Paul would end the FDA and that is just a start. / Fred has just begun to run, but sure does look the part. / Hunter tells us what to do in foreign policy debates. / Huckabee's compassionate and lost a lot of weight. / Tancredo says let's build a fence across the whole Southwest. / McCain is loved by many and hated by the rest.

We don't know who we're voting for; we don't know who will win. That's why we use YouTube to ask our questions of these men. / Time is short, we're voting soon, and I just thought I'd mention. If we don't reach consensus, then we'll decide at convention."

'Welcome to the Sunshine State'

Gov. Charlie Crist opened the CNN/YouTube debate moments ago by introducing the GOP presidential field.

"It's great to have this in Florida and my hometown of St. Petersburg," Crist said. "This is truly the people's debate. ... But it's also important to remember what we're talking about -- the future of America, about integrity, about honor, about duty and about loyalty. That's what America has always stood for and always will. So let's meet some of these great candidates ..."

Interesting how the candidates greeted the popular governor. John McCain, who helped Crist campaign in 2006, gave him a hug. Fred Thompson offered a quick handshake. Rudy Giuliani also shook Crist's hand, adding, "How are you fellow?" Mitt Romney: "Hey, Charlie."

Martinez: Time for some details, boys

Making the rounds at tonight's CNN/YouTube Republican debate in St. Petersburg, U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez said he was hoping the candidates would get off the sound bytes and get down to specifics. Noting that 3-million Floridians live without health insurance, he said he was particularly hopeful they'd start telling voters how they aimed to improve access to health care.

"It's time to begin to offer the American people solutions," he said at the Mahaffey Theater before the 8 p.m. debate. "I think the American people are hungry for solutions...

"On a campaign, you can go for a long time on a few words and sound bytes. At some point you have to offer solutions, and I think we're at that point."

Polls have shown former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani consistently ahead. But as to whether that would hold through the Jan. 29 primary, Martinez said, "I'm not sure, I think this race will close in Florida dramatically."

Romney wins straw poll

The results are in from the rained out "Have Your Say Tampa Bay" straw poll and debate watch rally:

Romney 893; Paul; 534 Giuliani 39; Huckabee 37; Thompson 21; McCain 12; Hunter 4; Keyes 2; Tancredo 1.

Florida Is The Center of the Political Universe

"Tonight Florida is the center of the political universe," said Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp at a private pre-debate Republican Party of Florida fundraiser that cost $1,000 to attend at the Vinoy in St. Petersburg Wednesday afternoon.

About 100 people, including lobbyists and several big name Republican fundraisers, attended the event. Guests included Gov. Charlie Crist, Congressman C.W. Bill Young, Mayor Rick Baker and Rep. Ed Homan among others.

Rubio heads to Aspen

UPDATE 11/29: We learn today that Rubio is not going after all, due to family reasons.

Fresh off a Disney cruise with his family, House Speaker Marco Rubio is heading this week to Aspen, Colo., for a meeting at the Aspen Institute. Rubio was named this month as a Aspen-Rodel Fellow, a group of "true rising stars" of American politics.

According the Web site, the program brings leaders together "to discuss broad issues of democratic governance and effective public service."

Among those joining Rubio: Mike Bishop, majority leader, Michigan State Senate; Rachel Kaprielian, assistant majority leader, Massachusetts House of Representatives; and Lawrence Wasden, attorney general, Idaho.

Crist seeks big bucks for property tax vote

Gov. Charlie Crist is wrapping his high approval ratings around the shoulders of business interests and asking for a favor: $500,000 or more to promote the property tax cut plan on the Jan. 29 ballot.

From the cozy confines of the Governor's Club, Crist made his pitch to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, Florida Retail Federation and others.

At least one group had a lukewarm reaction to last week's proposal. "It's always a challenge to raise a lot of money," said Carol Dover of the restaurant association, who like others contacted Wednesday was reluctant to spill details. "But we certainly recognize you have to raise money to make sure the message gets out. We're going to raise what we're able to raise." (Full story here.)

PRIDE owes us money, state says

Things are getting testier between Florida's prison boss, Jim McDonough, and the folks at PRIDE, the St. Petersburg-based non-profit agency that runs inmate work programs in prisons across the state. In the latest skirmish, McDonough insists PRIDE banked $1.3-million since 2004 that rightfully belongs to the taxpayers. Read the full story here. 

Apathy, homeless, little else outside Mahaffey

ST. PETERSBURG -- A few detours, a large police presence, and thousands of feet of barricade surrounding the newly renovated Mahaffey Theatre have interrupted daily life in the downtown area as preparations continue for tonight's presidential debate.

Joggers and cyclists, forced away from the waterfront, are now sharing a stretch of road with the homeless as they continue to their ongoing sidewalk protest.

Well-groomed reporters have begun to funnel from the arriving local news vans.

Hundreds of people, many displaying national media credentials around their necks, usher to and from the theater, thumbing feverishly at BlackBerry's and cell phones, maintaining constant contact as showtime draws near.

Ron Paul to RPOF's rescue

This should be reassuring to Florida Republicans: If Ron Paul wins the Republican presidential nomination, the Republican Texas Rep. said Wednesday, he will restore all of of Florida's delegates to the national convention. But Dr. Paul, the Texas congressman and internet rock star, sounded, well, like a pretty typical politician when we asked whether he voted for Bush or Gore in 2000.

"I don't remember,'' he told Buzz, after saying he was not convinced Bush won Florida legitimately in 2000. You don't remember!? "Well, I don't always vote Republican."

Dr. Paul understands that the road to the White House runs through Political Connections on Bay News 9, and his taped interview will air Sunday on Bay News 9 at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. His fans also have a plane flying around St Petersburg with Ron Paul for president sign.

Romney's Debate Prep

Mitt Romney dropped by and played for a bit in a staged flag football game at Flora Wylie Park in St. Petersburg this afternoon. He laced up his Mizuno running shoes and played about 10 to 15 minutes for the blue team, which was beating the red team 6-0 at half time. Romney is a runner and an athlete but he note d it was quite warm for late November, which left him, and teammates Al Cardenas and Rick Baker dripping in sweat.

Here's Romney's recap of a key play he made for the blue team. (Red team won 21-14.)

"Al (Cardenas) was in trouble and he looked and I was the only guy standing there with my hands on my hips so he threw the ball to me. So I got it and ran," Romney said, with a grin. "But instead of grabbing my flag, like they're supposed to, my son, Matt, tackled me. But fortunately he didn't throw me to the ground and make me eat grass."

Photo: Times photographer John Pendygraft

Gulfstream wants in on Rubio's gambling suit

Gulfstream Park wants to join House Speaker Marco Rubio's lawsuit against Gov. Charlie Crist over the Seminole gambling compact.

The Hallandale pari-mutuel filed a motion with the Florida Supreme Court this morning, asserting the agreement would jeopardize hundreds of jobs and tax income to the state. The compact "usurps legislative power to determine what is illegal in the State of Florida to the economic detriment of Gulfstream."

UPDATE! The Court ruled that Gulfstream is in.

Ban sought on 'frivolous' public financing

Florida legislators are pre-filing bills for action in the next regular session that opens March 4, 2008. Here's one sure to spark some discussion: State Rep. Alan Hays, a Republican from Umatilla, wants voters to abolish Florida's system of public financing of election campaigns, established when Democrats were in charge. His bill (HJR 281) would end the practice of setting aside general revenue ($11.3-million in 2006) to match in-state donations to statewide candidates.

"We cannot ask our state and local governments to tighten their belts if we continue to support frivolous spending," Hays said in a news release.

Who got most of that "frivolous" $11.3-million from taxpayers last year? Republicans, for this reason: the more you raise, the more matching money you get. Charlie Crist got $3.3-million, Tom Gallagher $1.3-million, Bill McCollum $897,000 and Tom Lee $651,000. (By the way, Jeb Bush refused to accept matching money). See all the 2006 numbers here. 

Who are you wearing, Buddy Roemer?

Buzz was shocked that one our colleagues suggested that St. Pete would see little glam and glitz, other than Chuck Norris and Anderson Cooper from tonight's CNN/YouTube debate. Her story's here.

Nonsense, consider some of celebs expected at the spin room tonight. Angelina has nothing on these folks:

For McCain: Former LA Gov. Buddy Roemer and Charlie Black; For Giuliani: national campaign manager Michael DuHaime, US Rep. Peter King, US Rep Bill Paxon, and Fl Rep Rene Garcia, the chair of our Viva Rudy coalition in FL; For Romney: Ben Ginsberg, Matt Rhoades, Kevin Madden,Stuart Stevens
Russ Schriefer, Alex Castellanos. For Fred Thompson: Sen. George Allen, National Co-Chair, Friends of Fred Thompson; Congressman Adam Putnam, Co-House Liaison and Florida Co-Chair, Friends of Fred Thompson: Congressman Zach Wamp, Co-House Liaison and Tennessee Co-Chair, Friends of Fred Thompson;John McLaughlin, Campaign Pollster.

Jenne loses law license

Former Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne has lost his law license.

The Florida Supreme Court suspended the lice