The good ole days with Alex Sink and Scott Rothstein

Among the things for which Bill McCollum can be thankful this Thanksgiving: That people keep sending Buzz photos of alleged Ponzi schemer/top fundraiser Scott Rothstein appearing to be best buds with Alex Sink.

Rubio, Pruitt, Carlton could be called as witnesses in Ray Sansom case

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, ex-Senate President Ken Pruitt and Senate budget writer Lisa Carlton are potential witnesses in the House investigation of Rep. Ray Sansom, according to new documents that portend a high profile, politically-charged spectacle.

The names, and many more including top House staffers Mike Hansen and Bob Ward, land on a list presented to Sansom's attorney by House prosecutor Melanie Hines. Sansom lawyer Richard Coates offered his own preliminary witness list that includes developer Jay Odom and former Northwest Florida State College president Bob Richburg.

The inclusion of Rubio in particular will attract attention as he's running for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination against Gov. Charlie Crist*. Rubio was speaker during the two years that Sansom funneled millions to the college. The Miami Republican has said he delegated responsibility to his top budget chief, and there is no evidence Rubio knew a $6 million airport building could have benefited Odom's corporate jet business.

Weeks later, Crist boots Rothstein from judicial commish

Well, it took awhile, but Gov. Charlie Crist finally suspended accused Ponzi schemer and major political donor Scott Rothstein from the Fourth DCA Judicial Nominating Commission.

Crist just release the executive order, which comes about three weeks after the initial reports of Rothstein's alleged misdeeds. He also has appointed William Berger to replace Rothstein on the nominating commission.

We're not sure why this took so long. Even the Florida Bar moved faster, filing the paperwork to permanently disbar Rothstein last week.

Crist's order is here: Download Rothstein_Suspension

Skop's complaint led to FDLE investigation into PSC, report says

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement released its final report today in its investigation into the Public Service Commission and concluded, as expected, no criminal wrongdoing. Download PSC Report

What is newsworthy is that PSC Commissioner Nathan Skop was the one who first brought the issue to state investigators on Aug. 4, before the Herald/Times first broke the story about commissioners using Blackberry PINs to communicate with the utilities they regulate. The investigation also began before former PSC lobbyist Ryder Rudd admitted to the newspaper that he attended a Kentucky Derby party at the home of Florida Power & Light vice president Ed Tancer.

Skop "expressed concerns,'' the report said, and provided email in which aides "were exchanging their Blackberry" PINs and the PINs of PSC commissioners with Florida Power & Light officials. "The complainant advise this this caused two concerns. First, it was against PSC policy for commissioners to speak directly to utility representatives about any pending agenda issues. The exchange of PINs created the appearance of impropriety between the PSC and the utility company. Second if communication...was occurring, there may be possible violation of both Public Records and Sunshine Laws.''

Consumer advocate recommends stripping PSC staffers of their power

The state consumer advocate today proposed that the Public Service Commission take a radical step and remove the ability of staff to formally recommend how the regulatory panel should  rule in pending cases, such as the massive rate cases now before it by Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy.

The recommendation by Public Counsel JR Kelly came Tuesday in a day-long staff workshop on how to improve the integrity of the process given recent developments that show that PSC staff are too cozy with the utilities they regulate. Right now, PSC staff prepare a detailed recommendation on pending utility issues that lays out how the commission could rule. Since the PSC frequently adopts the staff recommendation with little modification, utilities attempt to influence staff and routinely work to develop relationships with them.

"The commissioners are vested with the power, more importantly, the responsibility, to make the final decision,'' Kelly said. "The more we make the process transparent to the public, the more [the public] will understand, the less confusion there will be and the more they will appreciate the job of the public service commissioners have to do."

Heeding Bob Graham, Charlie Crist says he's winding down out-of-state fundraising

Charlie Crist acknowledged in an interview that it may not look like he's 100 percent focused on Florida, when he's spending so much time raising money out of state for his Senate race. "One of the things I like the least about what I do is having to raise money...I also realize that I have to have resources in order to communicate and in order to educate. I don't enjoy going to receptions a lot, but I know I have to do it,'' Crist said. "Does it look bad? Perhaps. But I know if I don't do it, I'm not going to be able to communicate when it really matters."

Crist  said he consulted with  former Democratic Sen. Bob Graham, who also raised money for a senate race while serving as governor, about fundraising.

"(Graham) said, 'It's very difficult and you have to try to be very sensitive to the out-of-state fundraising versus in-state. Your first job is your job.' I realize that. He said, 'My advice would be if you do out of state fundraising do it before the election year. If there are people around the country who want to help you' - and thank God there are a few - 'I would try to schedule those before the calendar year ends in 2009.' So I'm trying to do that. I think it was good advice."

Lining up at The Villages for Sarah Palin

THE VILLAGES -- Lori Pitner walked back to her place in line at Barnes & Noble, holding her toothbrush and tooth paste.

The 46-year-old stay-at-home mom and Sunday school teacher from Tavares, Fla., arrived here with her posse -- a girlfriend who is running for U.S. Congress and several children --  at 4 p.m. on Monday.

"We are so inspired by Sarah Palin," said Pitner, who has made it about 50 pages into the former Alaskan governor and Republican vice presidential candidate's new book, Going Rogue.

Palin, who is scheduled to appear at 2:30 p.m. and sign books until 5 p.m., attracted a line of what appeared to be 600 to 800 people seeking coveted green arm bands allowing them entrance.

SunRail almost has Senate vote

A special lawmaking session over high-speed and commuter rail inched closer Monday as legislative leaders and the governor said they were ready to tap surplus money discovered in the transportation budget rather than raise taxes on rental cars.

The surplus money -- about $76 million for the current and next budget years -- should be enough to help fill a hole in South Florida's Tri-Rail system.

Also Monday, opposition to Central Florida's SunRail project started to thaw in the Florida Senate, where the transit system could now be one vote shy of winning passage, according to a Herald/Times vote count.

Among the switched votes: Democratic leader Al Lawson of Tallahassee and Republican Steve Wise of Jacksonville. Newly elected Sen. John Thrasher, who was a chief lobbyist for SunRail last year, replaced SunRail opponent Jim King. And Tony Hill, D-Tallahassee, missed the vote last year but said he was "leaning toward'' voting in favor of the rail package.

More here

Sink wants paperless payment system

 Vowing to save the state $5 million, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said Monday she's asking legislators to make it easier for her office to go paperless to collect payments from vendors. The proposed legislation would allow her to require electronic funds transfer payments, instead of paper warrants to and from vendors that do business with state government.

The change would reduce the cost per payment from $4.18 to17 cents per payment. "Save money, improve customer satisfaction, it will certainly help the environment and it will make state government a little greener,'' Sink said at her press conference Monday. 

Download CFO Sink Announces Over $1 Million in Savings with Going Green Saving Green Paperless Efforts

LeMieux says he wondered how Rothstein made his money

Sen. George LeMieux said he long wondered how disgraced lawyer Scott Rothstein was so successful but never acted on it because he's not "the kind of person to try to pull down others."

"I’ve talked to him and know him," LeMieux, who ran a competing law firm, said last week. "I never understood how he was so successful, but I wasn’t the kind of person to try to pull down others. I just hope for the best and was always optimistic about him as I am about everybody and thought there must be some other way he is making his money."

"I hate to see it because I’m from Fort Lauderdale," LeMieux said of allegations Rothstein engaged in a $1 billion investment scheme. "It’s a black eye for my hometown. There is a culture of corruption in southeast Florida and perhaps other parts of Florida and we’ve got to root it out."