"With the recent bad press and unhappy climate surrounding the PSC, I would think that every effort would be made to ensure that rules are being followed and that the hiring process is fair, open and able to withstand public scrutiny,'' Bennett wrote.

He noted what the Herald/Times first reported, that the process was moved from the state's People First application process to allow for additional applications to be submitted after the deadline.

"I believe it is the responsibility of the PSC to operate in complete fairness according to a predetermined process,'' Bennett wrote. "...Such behavior lends itself to a perception of  'cronyism,' and that kind of perception does not lend itself to public trust."

Bane, who retires Dec. 31, told the Herald/Times that the agency was not obligated to use the state's People First job application system but choose to use it at first. Then, "when only three [applicants] had utility backgrounds, we thought we'd re-post it,'' she said. "We routinely re-advertise positions.'' The PSC is scheduled to pick its general counsel on Nov. 31. Download Bennett letter to PSC

That was the question posed to dozens of top Democratic fundraisers gathered last night at the lakefront Thonotosassa home of Alex Sink for a pep talk/strategery session. We're told the bundlers, including a representative from Emily's List, scratched their heads looking at a screen showing a bunch of logos from the 1980s.

The answer? None of them existed when Bill McCollum first took office.

It illustrates the general line of attack ahead for Sink's gubernatorial campaign: Florida can choose between a career politician who's been in office forever, or they can choose a fresh-faced, career businesswoman just starting in public service?

LeMieux said he would speak to the issue at 3 p.m. "From what I see so far, there's a lot that concerns me," he said about 12:30 p.m., making his way into the Charlie Crist fundraiser.

Republican votes like LeMieux's are not critical. What Majority Leader Reid needs is the 60 members who vote with the Democratic caucus (58 Ds and two independents) to move the bill forward. A vote is expected tomorrow evening.

"I just think it's so important to stay focused on jobs, jobs, jobs," the U.S. Senate hopeful said, adding a pitch for the special legislative session on SunRail. "I think we're on a very good path to hopefully be able to deliver that because that would mean a lot of jobs for our people."

Since it is such a pressing issue, should you be back in Florida instead of raising money? "Well, I'm dealing with it here, too. I'm about to meet with Sen. LeMieux to talk about that. He's our main contact for us dealing with the U.S. Department of Transportation. So I think it's all hands on deck."

Crist said he's not ready to debate GOP challenger Marco Rubio but will "next year." He said, "I have no real interest in doing it at this point and time. I think what we need to do is continue workin' hard and fighting for the people. You know, I've got a day job."

We hear Crist is off to New York later today for another fundraiser.

In the head-to-head match up, Lawson took 34.9 percent to Boyd's 30.7 percent, a slight lead that fell within the 4.6 percent margin of error, the results from The Research Network poll showed.

For Lawson, the Democratic leader in the Florida Senate, this a victory, his campaign manager Josh Robinson said, especially considering that Boyd has been running television ads for weeks.

More numbers below.

Boyd is showing potential to regain some ground though. His job approval is at 44.5 percent and favorability at 53.2 percent. Bad numbers of Boyd: his re-elect support is 39.3 percent to 46.8 percent opposed; his unfavorable is at 38.3 percent; and Lawson's favorability is at 47.5 percent and unfavorable at just 12.4 percent.

The poll was conducted Nov. 12 to Nov. 16 and interviewed 441 likely voters.

But despite the drop in sales, tobacco tax collections in Florida are high and holding steady. That's because state economists accurately factored in the sales decrease when they forecast revenue from the surcharge that went into effect July 1.

The new tax, which helps fund Medicaid, will raise $881 million this year and $907 million the next, the economists forecast Thursday when they analyzed cigarette sales data.

"This is working exactly the way we had hoped," said Sen. Nan Rich, a Weston Democrat and leading proponent of the tax. "We wanted to cut down on smoking and keep health care programs from being cut." (story here)

"It was productive, definitely. Just open discussion,'' said Hillsborough State Committeeman A.J. Matthews. "The chairman's amicable to settling differences. In the end this is all about being one, big happy family."

"Everyone was polite and nice. It was not contentious,'' said Pinellas GOP Chairman Tony DiMatteo. "There was not a formal board meeting ,so there  was no action that could be taken."

If anything dramatic is going to occur with the state party's leadership it will happen at the December executive committee meeting in Tallahassee or more likely at the January meeting in Orlando.

If Crist switched parties to become a Democrat or an independent, the poll suggests he would do better.

But right now, Rubio's camp and candidacy is tighter and more disciplined than Crist's. Plus, the governor needs to learn to stop fibbing about his relationship with President Barack Obama.

Marc Caputo, Times/Herald Tallahassee bureau

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The search consultant, John Hicks of Academic Search Inc., said the schedule is "expedited" because several other universities nationwide are also looking for presidents, and because open records laws usually prompt top candidates to wait until the end of the search deadline to apply. Wetherell has said he wants to leave FSU for retirement by early 2010.
  
“The search must move forward in a timely manner while top candidates are available," Hicks said.

Info is posted on the university’s Presidential Search Web site. Here's the schedule:

 
Nov. 24: Search committee members begin individual review of candidate files posted at the Academic Search Inc., Web site. These files will also be accessible to the public.
 
Dec. 1: Committee meets at 2 p.m. at the Florida State Alumni Center Grand Ballroom, 1030 W Tennessee St., Tallahassee, to review applications and identify and invite candidates for on-campus interviews.
 
Dec. 2-4: Committee conducts interviews on campus in Tallahassee (schedule, locations TBA) with selected candidates. Constituency groups also have opportunities to interview candidates (schedule, locations TBA).
 
The committee will meet after the conclusion of the final interview to prepare their comments on candidates for forwarding to the Board of Trustees.

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“Tammy’s decades of business experience and expertise in standing up for Florida’s consumers is invaluable and she is well-prepared for this new role,” CFO Sink said in a release from her office.

In a separate release from the campaign, she said: "I have full confidence in Jim, and am pleased that he will be joining our team."

Cassady has been Sink's chief of staff since she took office in 2007, and he worked on her CFO campaign in 2006. He is an Army veteran who spent more than three decades in the banking and finance sector.

Teston previously served as the senior vice president and market director for Bank of America Investment Services in Sarasota. She has  master's in business from Georgia State University and a bachelor's in business administration from the University of Florida. 

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These trendlines are bleak for Crist, and there's little chance of him surviving. Remember, Rubio hasn't spent a dime on media yet. This is all grassroots driven, and the teabaggers are engaged, angry, and looking for the next Scozzafava. Crist is in their crosshairs, and the governor has been flopping all over the place hoping to stem this growing tide against him, and failing. Note -- 50 percent of Republicans still don't know who Rubio is. The more he raises his name ID, the better he does. 

The Fix calls 10 the most important number of the day.

"As I have said on many occasions over the last few weeks, I believe that any individual or organization that has received money from Scott Rothstein during this election cycle should return that money. It is the right thing to do and my commitment to that has not changed," McCollum said in a statement.

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The GAO report on fraud and abuse cites 10 examples in which firms obtained $100 million in contracts under the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program. The Tampa case involves Furniture Fixtures & Equipment Office Solutions, which got the $900,000 contract through MacDill Air Force Base to design and install furniture.

But the company, which consists of one man and is based at a mail box rental store, passed along the work to a furniture dealer his wife works for, according to the report. The man also works full-time at MacDill.

From the GAO: "This award is questionable on three counts: the SDVOSB owner’s full-time job with another employer should make it impossible for him to manage and control daily business operations on a large SDVOSB contract; the contract work was passed through to the manufacturer; and the owner’s daily interactions with Air Force personnel on base create the perception of preferential treatment. In addition, as shown in figure 2 below, the legitimacy of the SDVOSB firm is also in question because the firm’s physical address is the owner’s home and its mailing address is a mail-box rental store."

"When questioned, contracting officials at the base stated that they were aware that the SDVOSB firm owner was also a DOD contract employee and that he would likely not perform a majority of the work on the contract. Nevertheless, they felt the contract was awarded appropriately."

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LeMieux met with White House counsel Greg Craig on Nov. 9 to review the names submitted for the vacant U.S. attorney spots for the Middle and Southern districts. LeMieux's office would not discuss specifics, saying it was inappropriate to comment before a nominee emerges.

The Buzz is people close to Gov. Charlie Crist are throwing up objections to Harry Shorstein, a Democrat and former state attorney in Jacksonville who is now in private practice and has been recommended for the Middle District, which stretches from Jacksonville to Naples.

Nelson and Martinez passed along three names to the White House: Shorstein, interim Florida Middle District Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert O’Neill and Florida Middle District Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg. Background here.

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So we talked to Amy Baker, the state's chief economist, to try and bring this partisan finger-pointing to a conclusion.

Baker's conclusion is that the state's odds of finishing the legislation and paperwork required to even get the federal dollars into state coffers on time were doubtful. And had the money gotten in on time, it would not have prevented the looming hike in unemployment compensation taxes - it would have blunted the hike, though.

Here's the deal: For December, the state's unemployement compensation fund is projected to be at a $1.2 billion deficit (thanks to all those additional unemployed Floridians now collecting ...). Had the $444 million in federal stimulus dollars been received, the deficit would have been $760.5 million.

Any deficit triggers an increase in the unemployment tax that businesses pay. So there would have been a higher tax whether or not House Republicans voted to take the D.C. money. The question is, how much more will it be now that the state doesn't have the money.

Baker and the economic experts in her office are still figuring that out.

So in conclusion, the Dems have a point but are exaggerating the numbers. The extra money was no silver bullet.

Oh, and here's what the Florida Chamber has to say about the matter:

“To be clear, accepting these federal funds would have increased the current deficit, as it included a mandate to allow more individuals into the unemployment compensation benefits program that don’t currently qualify," said David Daniel, the Chamber's lobbyist. “This short-term influx of federal money may sound appealing on a press release, but the long-term problem would have been worsened due to the costly strings attached. The Florida Chamber of Commerce thanks Governor Crist, Senate President Atwater and Speaker Cretul for focusing on long-term solutions for our economic recovery and transition.”
 
“Florida’s employers would much rather lower unemployment compensation costs the right way – by getting Floridians back to work.”

A couple thoughts come to mind about this:

1. Bill McCollum sees the state GOP under Jim Greer as doing zero to help his campaign. He has no reluctance to throw Greer and Co. under the Rothstein bus, but maybe not the RGA that could be helpful.

We're still unclear what the McCollum's anti-Sink message is because it keeps changing: First she was a sleazy banker. Then it was that she's too wishy-washy and won't take positions. More recently it seems to be that she's a liberal pal of President Barack Obama but won't own up to it.

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"The dispute concerns so-called durable medical equipment — items like power wheelchairs and oxygen supplies. Federal investigators have long complained that the equipment business is a hotbed of Medicare abuse. A competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment finally went into effect in late October after an 18-month delay that was mandated by Congress," the investigative group writes.

But it said Meek's bill, which has 70 co-sponsors, would scrap the competitive bidding program for good." Read the report, and Meek's response, here.

The next time you and your spouse can't decide which movie to see or whose parents you'll spend Christmas with this year, think about two couples who proved that where there's a will, enough passion and patience, there's a way to make marriage last a lifetime.

But Crist, 53, is in a free-fall among likely Republican voters, say Crist supporters and detractors alike, while Rubio's trajectory is heading straight up. Crist's credibility among hard-core Republicans is practically gone, they claim, while the contest's ever-growing national attention ensures Rubio won't be as overwhelmingly outspent.

It's nine months before the primary — way too early for predictions. What's clear, though, is that Crist's long-held image as a man with remarkable gut instincts for politics and people is shot. It took him way too long to wake up to Rubio, and then he kept handing ammunition to critics, such as lamely insisting he did not endorse the $787 billion stimulus package that he campaigned for.

Governor, if you're reading this, here are five things you should do to fight Rubio's insurgent threat:

"The goal is to use it as a vehicle to promote the ideas he believes in: Reducing the debt and promoting security and democracy through the world," deputy chief of staff Vivian Myrtetus said in confirming the news to the Buzz.

LeMieux could use the warchest to travel around and speak on the issues (boosting his name ID) and to contribute to political campaigns (cultivating key relationships). How about Charlie Crist? That's a possibility, Myrtetus said, adding it was too soon to know specifically. PACs can give $5,000 to a candidate.

Word on Capitol Hill is that LeMieux has already begun telling lobbyists and the move has stoked speculation about his political ambitions. One theory is that Crist's decision to appoint LeMieux to fill out the final 16 months of Mel Martinez's term was part of a grand scheme for a LeMieux-Bill Nelson showdown in 2012.

SB 598 would allow state senators to serve two 6-year terms, and House reps to serve 3 four-year terms. City and county electees also would get up to 12 years in office.

He thinks it has a better shot at passing this year since he is addressing all elected officials, not just the Legislature.

"And I think it'll cut down on the campaigning and fundraising," said Bennett, who is termed out in 2012. "Maybe people will actually stay and do their jobs instead of running home and everywhere for money as soon as they're elected."

Sen. Mike Bennett insists his just-filed bill isn't payback, but it sure could affect the job security of Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty.

SB 740 would require that the Cabinet, acting as the Financial Services Commission, reconfirm the insurance regulation leader every two years -- and send their vote to the Senate for final reconfirmation. Right now the insurance commish is appointed and confirmed once, and that's it.

But we can't help noting that Bennett is no BFF of McCarty, after this past summer's fight over the proposed rate dereg bill for private, big-name insurers like State Farm. McCarty voiced objections. The governor vetoed the bill. Bennett, who sponsored the bill with Rep. Bill Proctor, blasted McCarty's criticism of the legislation and questioned the facts he used to back up his criticism.

Fast forward to this week, and here is Bennett filing the bill requiring reconfirmation. (It is not the first time
McCarty's been a target. CFO Alex Sink, you'll recall, is no fan, either...)

Bennett insists this isn't about revenge: "You know me, I'm as upfront as anyone can be," he laughed. "I just think all these people should be vetted. When we have people of that caliber, the new Cabinet should have a chance to look at it."

Oh, and who in the House might sponsor the bill? Why, Rep. Proctor.

"Oh, well, I've heard Mr. Proctor has an interest in this," Bennett said.

Indeed.

 Pensacola—Statement from Escambia County Republican Party Chairman Susan Moore concerning private e-mail:

“Today, I was notified that a private e-mail that I sent to five members of the Escambia County Republican Party was forwarded to the media.  The five people that received the e-mail were supporters of Marco Rubio, who is running against Governor Crist for Senate.  In an attempt to unify the local party and encourage these five Republican Party members to attend our Lincoln Day Dinner, which financially benefits only the local Republican Party, I sent an e-mail asking them to support the Lincoln Day Dinner even if they did not support the Governor in his campaign for Senate.  Unfortunately, someone felt the need to forward that e-mail to the media and it has now been misconstrued to sound as if I was apologizing for having the Governor as our featured speaker.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  As a long-time volunteer on many of Charlie Crist’s campaigns, I personally asked Governor Crist, as well as members of his staff, if he would do Escambia’s Republican Party the honor of speaking at our Lincoln Day Dinner.  The Governor graciously accepted and we are thrilled to host him as our Lincoln Day Dinner featured speaker.  I make no apologies for asking the Governor to be our speaker and I am overwhelmed by the support within the community as people consistently call or e-mail me to say they would like tickets to the event, even though we have not had any local media coverage announcing the event to this point.  It is unfortunate that one or more of the five people that the e-mail was sent to felt the need to forward my comments to the media when I was simply trying to let these five people know that no matter who they support in the race for Senate prior to the primary, our sitting Governor is honoring us by speaking at our dinner event.  I hope that this statement will put to rest any idea that either I or Escambia County’s Republican Party is anything but overjoyed at hosting Governor Charlie Crist in Pensacola in early December at our Lincoln Day Dinner.”

Here's his letter to Crist:

Republican-leaning fundraiser Scott Rothstein will never practice law again in Florida, according to this Florida Bar press release:

"The Florida Bar and Scott W. Rothstein have agreed to his permanent disbarment – subject to the approval of the Supreme Court of Florida – in lieu of Rothstein defending himself against allegations of disciplinary violations. Rothstein was under investigation for violations of The Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, including misappropriation of funds from trust accounts.

Asked why his campaign is going negative now, Crist said "No reason. No reason. People deserve to know the facts."

What will you be telling people?

"We'll have to wait and see," Crist said.

Marc Caputo, Times/Herald

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Slade, who lives in Jacksonville and headed the state party during the 1990s, is known as a straight-talking maverick -- a perfect fit for Dockery's antiestablishment campaign.

"McCollum is a nice guy, but I think he would be better in the U.S. Senate, where I think his skills are better suited,'' Slade says in a press release. "But I think Paula would do a better job of being governor. She's got the kind of tenacity you need, and she's got the knowledge."

He added: "Paula would be better position to win the general election than her opponent. She has a delightful personality and a pleasantness that is rare in most politicians."

Dockery remains a longshot, but this endorsement has got to bug the McCollum camp, coming one day before he addresses the Republican Governors Association's annual conference in Texas. McCollum, who is trailing Sink in fundraising, could use the heft of a group like the RGA behind him.

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Hypothetical floor debate: "How can we spend this money on new classrooms when we're laying off teachers?"

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, yesterday filed a proposed resolution for a constitutional amendment that would repeal the class size changes pushed successfully by Dems (including current U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek) several years back.

Bennett told the Times the idea of smaller classes is nice, but not practical given the state's financial constraints. Other lawmakers are planning proposals, which would probably be easier to pass, that simply freeze the constitutional requirements for smaller classes.

Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said he and Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, will file a proposal to stop the amendment at school averages instead of the progression to actual classroom counts (as mandated in 2010). 

The latest: Florida Dems say businesses can blame state Republican leaders for the higher unemployment compensation taxes they now face. The higher taxes next year will be due to the fact that so many out of work Floridians will draw unemployment checks from the state's unemployment fund. (The jobless rate hit 11 percent in September.)

Dems point out that R's in the House could have avoided the higher tax by taking $444-million in federal funds during the spring session. Crist and the state Senate wanted to take the money, but House leaders said no way! That will mean higher taxes. R's, as you know, don't like taxes (unless they're called surcharges,' as in cigarettes...or rental cars).

Crist said today he'll try again to get the Legislature to take the money. And Democrat CFO Alex Sink, running for governor, agrees.

"As our state faces 11 percent unemployment, there’s no doubt that Florida’s families and small businesses have been hit hard, yet last session the Legislature willfully left millions of our taxpayer dollars sitting on the table in Washington," said Sink. "I urge the Legislature to take the steps needed to bring real relief to Florida’s businesses and reduce the impact of this tax hike."

But expect the House the repeat their argument that taking the money simply opens eligibility to more Floridians, and brings the unemployment fund further in the red eventually.

For more check out the correspondence here: Download Skidmoreletter and Download Flaunemploymentletter

"I’m startled by the amount of misinformation on the website and how much money is being wasted at the taxpayer’s expense," she said in her second news release on the subject in as many days. Republicans have jabbed at reports that nonexistent congressional districts have been listed on the site as putting stimulus money toward jobs.

The Obama administration, facing sliding public support for the stimulus, says no money has been misappropriated and that recipients merely inserted the wrong district. But the White House isn't helping things. Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, cited Vice President Joe Biden's appearance on The Daily Show:

STEWART: ... Because I know there’s this stimulus.gov. You’re supposed to follow it. And people got on it and they made up districts. There’s one district that says “We made 30,000 jobs” and it’s like, “You don’t exist.” “Oh, right.”  How do you keep track?  Can you keep track?

BIDEN: You can’t keep track.  

Says Brown-Waite, “The American taxpayers expect you to keep track, Mr. Biden.”

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You are invited to a Luncheon honoring Governor Charlie Crist Candidate for Florida United States Senate with Special Guests:GOVERNOR BOB MARTINEZ AND SENATOR GEORGE LEMIEUX Hosted by:PHIL BAKER-�SHENK, KATHRYN LEHMAN, ROB BRADNER, DAVE ROBINSON, RICH GOLD, & DAVID WHITESTONE  Friday, November 20th 12:00 - 1:30 PM THE LAW OFFICES OF HOLLAND & KNIGHT2099 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NW, SUITE 100 WASHINGTON, DC 20006 HOST $2,500 / SPONSOR $1,500 / GUEST $1,000Please RSVP to Lisa Spies...

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Charlie Liem, chief of staff for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, will take over as DBPR secretary temporarily, filling Drago's spot.

Drago has served as DBPR secretary since early 2008 and was of the deputy secretary before that. As a deputy chief of staff he will oversee state law enforcement agencies, as well as the Florida Lottery and Departments of Management Services and Business and Professional Regulation.
  
“Stephanie has done excellent work to coordinate and manage our administration’s efforts to educate and involve the people of Florida in their state’s government,” Crist said.  “She has been a valued adviser, team member and an important link with community organizations throughout our state.”
 
Smith, 29, has served as director of external affairs for Governor Crist since January 2008 after serving as deputy director in 2007. Previously, she was the Tampa Bay Area regional director for the Charlie Crist Campaign for Governor in 2006. From 2003 to 2005, she served in the Executive Office of the Governor, first as a business development liaison in the Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, and then as a special events coordinator. In 2003, she was a legislative assistant for the Florida League of Cities. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State University. 
  
Drago’s and Liem’s appointments are effective beginning November 30, 2009.

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Nothing better illustrates Charlie Crist's sorry standing among the activist GOP base than the following e-mail sent to Panhandle Republicans by Escambia County GOP Chairwoman Susan Moore. Basically, she is apologizing for having the sitting governor and leader of the Florida GOP address Escambia's Lincoln Day dinner and assuring them if they're willing to sit through Crist, they'll have a better shot at bringing in Marco Rubio down the line.

Dear Rubio supporters: 
I wanted to take a moment to dispel some grumblings I've heard recently about the ECREC's Lincoln Day Dinner and put your mind at ease.  First let me say that the ECREC is holding the Lincoln Day Dinner as a fundraiser exclusively for the ECREC.  We were sort of "handed" Governor Crist as our speaker.  He is, after all, the sitting governor of our state and having him as our speaker is neither an overt nor tacit endorsement of his campaign for Senate against Marco Rubio.   
None--absolutely none--of the proceeds go to Governor Crist, nor to his campaign for Senate, nor to the RPOF.  This is a fundraiser for the local Republican Party alone.  Buying a ticket to the Lincoln Day Dinner, even though Governor Crist is the speaker, is a donation to the local party.  We need everyone's support of this event.  Keep in mind that I really want to follow up on this event by having Marco as a featured guest speaker for a huge, elegant dinner event in the spring.  However, if this event is not successful, I will be loathe to put one ounce of effort into planning any other events featuring other speakers, and sadly that includes Marco Rubio. 

Susan

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Peterman, 47, is a former Democratic state legislator who said his travel allows him to interact more frequently with his staff and the agency's clients.

-- Steve Bousquet

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Dear Eric (Eikenberg):

Unfortunately, Governor Crist has shown no interest in debating Marco thus far. Instead, the media has widely reported on behind-the-scenes maneuvering by your campaign to attack Marco and his record. Today, the National Journal’s On Call reports that, “FL Gov. Charlie Crist will step up his direct engagements with his opponent. … Crist will attack former FL House Speaker Marco Rubio.”

Marco welcomes the challenge and invites Governor Crist to reconsider his reluctance to directly engage in face-to-face debates. In light of Governor Crist’s “governing” commitments, we would be happy to work with you to formalize a debate schedule that will help our campaigns rise above the typical 30-second commercials, slick slogans and bumper stickers that define too many of our country’s political contests.

Respectfully,

Pat Shortridge, Senior Advisor, Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate

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"I am very concerned that these guidelines conflict with many of the well-established recommendations from the American Medical Association, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the American Cancer Society, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This conflicting information will inevitably lead to confusion among providers and women, resulting in fewer women getting screened for breast cancer." she said in a statement.

Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, is sponsoring legislation that would direct $45 million toward an early detection program aimed at women under 45 -- a proposal that has generated its own debate. Yesterday, she went on CNN to discuss the issue. Video below.

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Cannon writes that he plans to use the letter from D.C. "as a framework for our next meeting on the subject of reapportionment.  I have directed our legal counsel and House staff to attempt to formulate answers to the questions in this letter and to report back to us during the December committee week." The Senate also will dig deeper into proposed ballot initiatives dealing with reapportionment during that week in December.

Here's the letter: Download Letter from Congresswoman Brown and Congressman Diaz-Balart

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Prepared by a team of lawyers that includes a former Democratic House speaker and a Republican Party patriarch, the suit takes aim at virtually every aspect of the sweeping education overhaul engineered by former Gov. Jeb Bush and kept largely intact by his successor, Gov. Charlie Crist.

Low graduation rates, stagnant test scores, a persistent effort by lawmakers to shift education costs to school districts — all of it shows Florida is not living up to a constitutional mandate to provide high-quality schools, the suit says.

Some of the suit's roots go back to last spring's budget cuts, when everything from music programs to teaching assistants were considered for the chopping block, said Kathleen Oropeza, co-founder of an Orlando-based parents group listed as a plaintiff.

"The first question we asked amongst ourselves was, 'What can we do to fix this?' " Oropeza said Tuesday. "It always came back to legal action."

(Story here)

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Frank Peterman, secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice, has flown at taxpayer expense 68 times between Tampa and Tallahassee since taking office in February 2008, at a cost of nearly $20,000. Many flights left Tallahassee on Thursday or Friday and brought him back to Tallahassee on the following Tuesday .... In contrast, Corrections Secretary Walt McNeil, who oversees the statewide system of prisons, spent about $14,000 in travel in the same period of time as the review of Peterman's travel. The prison system has a budget more than three times larger than Peterman's agency.

(Story here)

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"Being governor means you have to make choices. And you have to make decisions," LeMieux said, heading into a GOP lunch at the U.S. Capitol. "It’s very easy to be a critic and the speaker now is not in office. He wasn’t there when the state was facing the challenges of the huge recession and the stimulus. He didn’t have to vote on that. All of the folks that were in his administration voted for the stimulus money. And I suspect if he were there, he could vote for it. This is just like President Obama being able to be against the war in Iraq because he didn’t have to vote on it. There’s a lot of parallels to draw between Speaker Rubio and President Obama in the way they are running their race and in their ability to throw bombs without ever having to lead because they are out of office."

Replies Rubio spokesman Alex Burgos: "As Charlie Crist was endorsing Obama's stimulus, Marco Rubio was in the good company of Florida's entire Republican congressional delegation in opposing it. With Charlie Crist's record of embracing the stimulus, cap-and-trade schemes and tax increases, there is no greater parallel in this primary than the one between him and President Obama."

Crist campaign aides did not say whether they would engage in an immediate round of paid media, but one consultant hinted that option is on the table. Campaigns are about differences, the consultant said, and eventually they will become apparent.

Crist's chief of staff confirmed last week her plans to resign, a move that insiders say wasn't entirely voluntary.

Here is the letter: Download Isaacresiganation

Sink's campaign announced this week that she'll return even more Rothstein cash, bringing the total to $6,000.

Asked about the Stone allegations, Sink said, "That's ridiculous! Good Lord, what will they think of next? Where did that come from?"

Well, they came from Stone, who is a longtime Republican strategist who specializes in "opposition research," i.e. bad stuff about the other candidate. He has described himself as a GOP "hit man," and his work dates back to Nixon's re-election campaign.

Here is the Entin letter: Download Alvin_Entin_Letter_11-16-09. The Sink allegations come amid reports that the RGA got $200,000 from Rothstein.

So finger-pointing can be tricky when an allegedly dirty donor gives to both parties.

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“These kinds of images can be deadly,” said Republican strategist Mark McKinnon. “Circumstances and context don’t matter. People impose their own meaning and interpretations. And it’s impossible to undo.”

It is one of the oldest and simplest forms of affection. It’s spanned cultures and religions and gone without stigma for generations. In politics, though, it’s never that simple. And as people, and politicians, have become more comfortable with the hug — particularly the “man hug” (always with a handshake in between to keep the chests from touching) — a downside of this friendly gesture has emerged.

Crist, who until recently maintained untouchable approval ratings, is now getting a taste of what a string of politicians over the past decade have learned the hard way: You’ve got to watch whom you hug.

*

As in: Gov. Crist is 'hopefully optimistic' of getting the Legislature to agree to a special session on rail.

As in: Attorney General Bill McCollum has "optimism and hope" that things will start looking up soon for Florida's small businesses and the banks that lend to them. That's what he told Office of Financial Regulation commissioner Tom Cardwell, after Cardwell gave a rather depressing overview of the state of things. "I don't think we've seen the bottom," Cardwell said.

As in: Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty just told the Cabinet he is "cautiously optimistic" about ongoing talks with State Farm. The mega insurer has announced plans to pull out of the homeowners insurance market, but lately McCarty has said he is -- well, optimistic -- that the company might keep some business here.

So happy Tuesday! Be optimistic! Your elected officials and agency/department heads are.

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