Troxler: Crist rewarded for gutting growth management

Howard Troxler: Our cheerful governor, Charlie Crist, gutted Florida's laws on growth by signing the awful Senate Bill 360. Who needs roads, anyway? Just let the builders build, and we'll figure out the rest later.

How the editorial pages thundered, the pundits pundited, the tree huggers raged! And, indeed, Crist now has been duly punished. We showed him, all right. We made him feel the lash of public outrage by …

By giving him $4.3 million in contributions for his U.S. Senate campaign so far. That'll learn him!

Good grief. Like young Anakin Skywalker, Crist has learned that the Dark Side has its rewards. He should start dressing in black and breathing heavily.

The top 2010 money grabbers are....

Here's the list of the top 20 money grabbers running for state office in 2010** this past quarter:

Alex Sink	$1,613,474.17
Bill McCollum	$1,059,278.05
Jeff Atwater	$   532,452.50
Adam Putnam	$   384,961.74
John Thrasher	$   272,878.56
Jack Latvala	$   233,959.64
Dave Aronberg	$   173,512.00
Miguel A. Diaz de la Portilla	$   163,950.00
Anitere Flores	$   162,700.80
David Rivera	$   161,504.00
Dan Gelber	$   152,053.50
Ben Albritton	$   148,435.85
Bill Montford	$   111,204.73
Josue Larose	$   100,000.00
Kevin C. Ambler	$     93,778.12
Samantha Ruiz Cohen	$     88,858.00
Carey Baker	$     73,454.46
David R. Maymon	$     68,535.00
Rene Garcia	$     62,245.00
Loranne Ausley	$     61,038.53

Note: the list includes in-kind contributions (was too lazy to cull them out). Even so, consider that Gov. Charlie Crist raised so much money ($4.3m) in his U.S. Senate bid that it exceeds the top 8 state candidates combined (caveat: federal candidates can raise way more cash.**

**Another Note: this doesn't include those who are listed to run for office in 2012 (though they're going to be running in 2010 because the incumbent is running for another office). So this would include Ellyn Bogdanoff (c. $89k) and Nick Loeb ($238k -- whoa! -- though apparently lots of this money is rollover from another campaign).

-- Marc Caputo

Here's the list of the top 20 money grabbers running for state office in 2010** this past quarter:

Alex Sink	$1,613,474.17
Bill McCollum	$1,059,278.05
Jeff Atwater	$   532,452.50
Adam Putnam	$   384,961.74
John Thrasher	$   272,878.56
Jack Latvala	$   233,959.64
Dave Aronberg	$   173,512.00
Miguel A. Diaz de la Portilla	$   163,950.00
Anitere Flores	$   162,700.80
David Rivera	$   161,504.00
Dan Gelber	$   152,053.50
Ben Albritton	$   148,435.85
Bill Montford	$   111,204.73
Josue Larose	$   100,000.00
Kevin C. Ambler	$     93,778.12
Samantha Ruiz Cohen	$     88,858.00
Carey Baker	$     73,454.46
David R. Maymon	$     68,535.00
Rene Garcia	$     62,245.00
Loranne Ausley	$     61,038.53

Note: the list includes in-kind contributions (was too lazy to cull them out). Even so, consider that Gov. Charlie Crist raised so much money ($4.3m) in his U.S. Senate bid that it exceeds the top 8 state candidates combined (caveat: federal candidates can raise way more cash.**

**Another Note: this doesn't include those who are listed to run for office in 2012 (though they're going to be running in 2010 because the incumbent is running for another office). So this would include Ellyn Bogdanoff (c. $89k) and Nick Loeb ($238k -- whoa! -- though apparently lots of this money is rollover from another campaign).

-- Marc Caputo

Senate leading R's get all Statesman-like at Gaylord Palms

A week or so after the House Dems hang with Shamu at Sea World, the Senate's leading (male) Republicans will host a "Statesman's Dinner" at the Gaylord Palms Resort. The Aug. 22 Orlando fundraiser coincides with the RPOF's quarterly meeting and a youth voter event dubbed "Drive the Discussion Exchange '09."

Senate President Jeff Atwater, President Pro Tempore Mike Fasano, incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, and Majority Leader Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, host the Republican caucus event, a reception and dinner.

See the invite here: Download STATESMAN'S INVITE FINAL

Get your swim trunks! Summer Cash Splash is near

It doesn't sound nearly as cool as a Slip N Slide party, but the House Democrats are holding a summer fundraising party at Sea World dubbed the Summer Splash at Aquatica. It will set you back $1,000 - slightly more expensive than the old school backyard toy.

The "House Victory 2010" event is hosted by Democratic leader Rep. Franklin Sands and Democratic leader elect Rep. Ron Saunders.

The fun starts Friday, August 14th with a Shamu Rocks & Fireworks Show and continues through Saturday August 15th with an Aquatica Waterpark Adventure Day. Ticket proceeds and contributions go to the Florida Democratic Party. (photo from Amazon.com)
 
 

Don't bet on Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio

So says Patrick Ruffini, dismissing the importance of money in a statewide campaign:

We have two uniquely talented people running for Senate in a seat we will probably hold in Florida. Instead of elbowing one aside, we should be grabbing the popcorn and watching this one go the distance.

The primary will be close. Among voters who know both, Crist and Rubio are tied. Crist's money will not buy him more name ID or goodwill; only his bully pulpit as governor can do that, and he's surrendering it. Meanwhile, Rubio's talents as a candidate, his crossover potential, and his appeal to grassroots conservatives mean he has nowhere to go but up. I still think Crist narrowly wins absent a massive screwup, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Recent elections have not been kind to moneyed "frontrunners."

Winner and loser of the week

Winner of the week: Charlie Crist. Raising an eye-popping $4.3-million for his Republican U.S. Senate campaign, Gov. Charlie Crist surely quelled what had been the growing buzz about the threat from Republican Marco Rubio.

Loser of the week: Carol Browner. For years Lawton Chiles' old Department of Environmental Protection Secretary has been talked about as a potential statwide candidate in Florida. But Browner stuck around Washington instead and now that she's President Obama's energy csar she looks increasingly like a conflicted creature of the beltway: Her husband lobbied for firms pushing to drill near Florida's coast, and now Republican congressman James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin is questioning her transparency amid reports that Browner's people pushed auto executives to "put nothing in writing, ever," as they hammered out plans to increase fuel standards.

FlaDems outraise RPOF

Here's a switch: The Florida Democratic party outraised the state GOP in the three months that ended June 30, $1.19-million to $1.16. That's the first time that's happened in a second quarter since 1996, when the Division of Elections started putting the records online.

Both parties still spent more than they took in (including $250,000 in American Express charges the RPOF), though the GOP's numbers included $400,000 transferred to its federal account.

Democrats counted 1,740 donations and Republicans 224. The Democrats' biggest single donor was  Charles Brink of Tampa, co-founder of the Mona Vie drink company who gave $100,000, and the DNC gave the state party $76,000. The Republicans' biggest single donor was TECO, which gave $70,000.

On3PR has again put together a handy spread sheet of all the state candidates' campaign finance numbers.

Alex Sink says she raised $1.3 million

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink says she raised $1.3 million in the last fundraising quarter. And with what she transferred from her old CFO re-election account, she has $2.1 million on hand. Sink said she was surprised at how few donors to her CFO campaign wanted refunds -- just 46 donors with contributions totalling $17,204. "I am overwhelmed by the continued outpouring of support from everyday Floridians who are ready for a new and different kind of leader," she said. "Floridians are coming together to send a clear message that they are tired of politics as usual in Tallahassee." Sink's campaign said 3,402 individuals gave an average of $243, with 92 percent from Florida. The 1,310 online donations totaled more than $209,000.

 

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Should Marco Rubio give up?

Yup, former state GOP finance chairman Al Austin says in today's story, who as Charlie Crist's finance chairman when Crist tried to take on Bob Graham understands underdog campaigns: "Rubio's going out there doing so poorly that he might want to reconsider his decision to run," said veteran Republican fundraiser Al Austin, who hosted a Crist reception last month and noted the difficulty raising money in a poor economy. "I'm not very optimistic about where the economy's going. Fundraising is going to get tougher with each passing month, so getting ahead at the early stage of the game is a huge advantage. It's just hard to generate support when people think you haven't got a chance."

Our take? Rubio's still a (limping) contender, but the next three months in the fundraising doldrums of summer are make-or-break. As much as we love the idea of covering this whole battle-for-heart-and-soul of the GOP stuff, the reality is you can't  tweet your way out of 30-point poll deficit and eight-to-one financial disadvantage.

Does God prefer Charlie Crist to Marco Rubio?

Just asking, since Gov. Charlie Crist mentioned the Lord when asked about his $4.3-million fundraising haul.

""It's a lot of hard work. And a lot of nice people. Hard work and kind people, obviously. I'm blessed. Thank God,'' Crist said when asked about the time spent raising money. "This is a race about people and about doing what's right for the people of Florida. I'm very pleased by the fund-raising effort, and I'm grateful for it."

The Rubio campaign, meanwhile, brushed off Crist's ginormous financial advantage: "Charlie Crist will need to spend every last cent trying to convince voters that his support for wasteful stimulus spending, cap-and-trade schemes, tax increases and liberal judges are acceptable Republican practices," said Rubio campaign spokesman Alex Burgos.