Crowley Political Report

Ron DeSantis quits, Rick Scott looks shameful

By Brian E. Crowley

Florida Republican nominee for Governor, Ron DeSantis just announced that he is quitting Congress immediately so he can run full time for governor. In fact, his resignation is even more than immediate. He is time warping the effective date to Sept. 1.

As a low rung member of Congress, his impact there was minimal but that is not unusual for members in their first years on the Hill. DeSantis, with enormous help from President Trump and Fox News, easily knocked out Republican establishment favorite Adam Putnam in the GOP primary.

Now, we are in the early stages of what will be a blistering general election between arch-conservative DeSantis, and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum who swings hard left. 

Meanwhile, Governor Rick Scott demonstrated what a soulless state leader is has been in a video of him talking to felons asking for a return of their voting rights.  Florida and Scott in particular were skewered Sunday night on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Oliver is not only funny and merciless, but as he often does, he closely examines an important issue and gives his audience something to think about. In this case, he urged viewers to vote to restore felon voting rights in November.

It is a must watch video. If nothing else, watch Scott, who wants to replace Democrat Bill Nelson in the U.S. Senate, at about the 6:45 mark. No matter how you feel about the issue, every Floridian should be embarrassed by Scott's callousness. His lack of compassion is chilling.

 

 

Miami Herald leaves earth in search of extra-terrestrials

By Brian E. Crowley

No. Someone dear God tell me this is a joke. Have we moved April Fool's Day to August? Has the Miami Herald been sold to Area 51?

Why you might ask am I ranting? Well, let's just say the Herald made a rather unusual endorsement in the Republican Primary for 27th Congressional District - Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera. Unusual because she is Hispanic? Nope? Unusual because she is a woman? Nope.

Unusual because, well judge for yourself:

We realize that Rodriguez Aguilera is an unusual candidate. Last year, she told the Miami Herald — and several Spanish-language media outlets — that she believes in extra-terrestrials. She says when she was 7, she was taken aboard a spaceship and, throughout her life, she has communicated telepathically with the beings, which remind her of the concrete Christ in Brazil. There you have it.

“This is a non-issue,” she told the Board. We agree. Her bona fides as a former elected official, and now a businesswoman who spends time in other countries training women to run for office are solid.

Rodriguez Aguilera is a strong candidate in the race with plausible conservative ideas. 

You think I made that up don't you. Please read it for yourself: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/voters-guide/article216932145.html

So the Herald is trying to convince voters that this is the best the Republican Party has to offer as a candidate to go Washington.

Seriously?

At a time when journalism has more than its share of problems this silliness seems like more like click-bait than a thoughtful look at the candidates.

The Herald should be embarrassed. 

Are Florida Republicans leaderless?

By Brian E. Crowley

UPDATE: This piece originally ran two years ago today.....interestingly, what was true then remains true today as Republicans go the polls to pick their new nominees for governor and U.S. Senate. In fact, the question of who leads the Florida GOP and only gotten deeper.

 

Are Florida Republicans a leaderless party?

Who is the leader of the Florida Republican Party?

Governor Rick Scott? Marco Rubio? Adam Putnam? Pam Bondi? Jeff Atwater?

Or perhaps Jeb Bush?

Or – are Florida Republicans so fractured that there is no single leader of the party?

Today’s Florida Republican Party is very different than the one Bush took over when he staged a coup in 1994. He showed up in that year’s governor’s race as candidate who had never run for office, had limited campaign experience and a business background marked by notable failures. Like Donald Trump, what he did have was a name everyone knew – Bush.

With the help of his family name, Bush easily pushed aside more established GOP candidates to become the party’s nominee for governor. Bush would narrowly lose that election to incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles, but the GOP would take over the Senate and the Florida Cabinet. And Bush began his reign has the undisputed leader of the Florida Republican Party.

Today, Florida Republicans are rudderless. The party that Bush ruled with a firm hand for more than a decade, is fractured. The slide began with the election of Charlie Crist as governor in 2006. It’s hard to believe now that at one point Crist was among those being considered to be John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Crist, much like his arch-enemy Marco Rubio, was always a malleable Republican shifting direction as fit his political ambitions. Florida Republicans tolerated Crist because, well, he was governor. And by golly, if a Floridian became vice president that would be swell too.

Bush deeply cared about the machinery of politics. He put his best people in the right places. Crist could care less. He turned the party machine over to the now notorious Jim Greer who plundered the party coffers and ended up in prison.

Crist’s hold on the party was so tenuous that a faux hug from President Obama led to screams from 
the hard right and opportunity for Rubio. The once moderate Rubio found maneuvering room by suddenly becoming an ardent follower of the emerging Tea Party movement. Many establishment Republicans laughed at the notion that Rubio could successfully challenge Crist who decided he would rather be a U.S. Senator then run for a second term as governor.

It was a calamitous moment for the Florida GOP and it began the cracking of party unity.

Rubio became a hero of the Tea Party and as the 2010 primary approached, his ardent followers were overwhelming the GOP establishment. And Republicans who had been lukewarm about Crist suddenly had an opportunity to abandon him

Crist leaves the GOP to run as independent. Rubio captures the party nomination and goes on to win a three way race defeating Crist and Democrat Kendrick Meek.

At the same time, a stranger arrived in town – Rick Scott.

The Republican establishment had settled on Attorney General Bill McCollum for the party’s nomination for governor. But just as Rubio captured the hearts of the burgeoning Tea Party movement, Scott sold himself as an outsider with a business background. Scott was Trump before Trump.

McCollum lost and Scott, unknown by most of the GOP establishment, spent more than $70 million of his own money to successfully become Florida governor after defeating Democrat Alex Sink. In his first months as governor, Scott embraced the Tea Party not the GOP.

And, for the most part, Scott still is not part of Florida’s GOP establishment. Polls showed him doing so poorly during his 2014 reelection campaign, that many Republican lobbyists we planning to attend the victory party of the new governor – freshly minted Democrat Charlie Crist.

Since 2010, Scott has been a party of Scott. He has not needed the Republican Party of Florida. He raises money for his own political committee, Let’s Get to Work. Since 2015, he has raised nearly $7 million. In fact, Scott has very little to do with the state party.

Scott may be a Republican – but is he the party leader?

No.

Rubio’s failed presidential campaign further divided Florida Republicans. The candidate who helped make the Tea Party a major player in the 2010 election, found himself flummoxed by another anti-establishment candidate – Trump.

But even Rubio’s path to being the preferred establishment candidate was thwarted by Mr. Establishment – Jeb Bush. Florida Republicans were emotionally torn by watching Bush and Rubio battle each other. In the end, Bush was humiliated and Rubio licked his wounds and maneuvered himself into position to run for reelection.

Is Rubio the leader of Florida Republicans?

No.

Is Bush?

No.

Legislative leaders have taken control of some of the party apparatus but these are folks who are virtually unknown outside of Tallahassee and their districts. Florida’s elected cabinet officers, CFO Atwater, Attorney General Bondi, and Agriculture Commissioner Putnam are ambitious but still without significant statewide bases of support.

The fact is there has not been a strong Republican Party leader since Bush left office in January 2007. And today, his influence is largely marginal.

Scott is simply not interested. After winning two elections where even most Republicans thought he might fail, Scott is content being a Trumpian outsider.

Rubio's foray on the national stage offended many Bushites and they are an unforgiving if diminishing lot. Rubio has many devoted followers but few see him as the leader of the Florida Republican Party.

Republicans could learns something from Florida Democrats. For many decades, the GOP was simply not a factor in the state. Democrats who won primaries almost always won the general election. The result was a party divided into factions. When Republicans finally started winning, Democrats were ill-equipped to confront the challenge in a unified way. Today, Florida’s Democratic Party is largely irrelevant in Tallahassee and has a small footprint in Washington.

For nearly 10 years, the Florida GOP has been headed down the same path - a party of factions.

And now to make things more perilous - like much of the nation, Florida Republicans are deeply divided between Trump supporters and NeverTrump opponents.

When this campaign is over, Florida's Republican Party is going to need a strong, unifying voice.

By Brian E. Crowley

UPDATE: This piece originally ran two years ago today.....interestingly, what was true then remains true today as Republicans go the polls to pick their new nominees for governor and U.S. Senate. In fact, the question of who leads the Florida GOP and only gotten deeper.

 

Are Florida Republicans a leaderless party?

Who is the leader of the Florida Republican Party?

Governor Rick Scott? Marco Rubio? Adam Putnam? Pam Bondi? Jeff Atwater?

Or perhaps Jeb Bush?

Or – are Florida Republicans so fractured that there is no single leader of the party?

Today’s Florida Republican Party is very different than the one Bush took over when he staged a coup in 1994. He showed up in that year’s governor’s race as candidate who had never run for office, had limited campaign experience and a business background marked by notable failures. Like Donald Trump, what he did have was a name everyone knew – Bush.

With the help of his family name, Bush easily pushed aside more established GOP candidates to become the party’s nominee for governor. Bush would narrowly lose that election to incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles, but the GOP would take over the Senate and the Florida Cabinet. And Bush began his reign has the undisputed leader of the Florida Republican Party.

Today, Florida Republicans are rudderless. The party that Bush ruled with a firm hand for more than a decade, is fractured. The slide began with the election of Charlie Crist as governor in 2006. It’s hard to believe now that at one point Crist was among those being considered to be John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Crist, much like his arch-enemy Marco Rubio, was always a malleable Republican shifting direction as fit his political ambitions. Florida Republicans tolerated Crist because, well, he was governor. And by golly, if a Floridian became vice president that would be swell too.

Bush deeply cared about the machinery of politics. He put his best people in the right places. Crist could care less. He turned the party machine over to the now notorious Jim Greer who plundered the party coffers and ended up in prison.

Crist’s hold on the party was so tenuous that a faux hug from President Obama led to screams from 
the hard right and opportunity for Rubio. The once moderate Rubio found maneuvering room by suddenly becoming an ardent follower of the emerging Tea Party movement. Many establishment Republicans laughed at the notion that Rubio could successfully challenge Crist who decided he would rather be a U.S. Senator then run for a second term as governor.

It was a calamitous moment for the Florida GOP and it began the cracking of party unity.

Rubio became a hero of the Tea Party and as the 2010 primary approached, his ardent followers were overwhelming the GOP establishment. And Republicans who had been lukewarm about Crist suddenly had an opportunity to abandon him

Crist leaves the GOP to run as independent. Rubio captures the party nomination and goes on to win a three way race defeating Crist and Democrat Kendrick Meek.

At the same time, a stranger arrived in town – Rick Scott.

The Republican establishment had settled on Attorney General Bill McCollum for the party’s nomination for governor. But just as Rubio captured the hearts of the burgeoning Tea Party movement, Scott sold himself as an outsider with a business background. Scott was Trump before Trump.

McCollum lost and Scott, unknown by most of the GOP establishment, spent more than $70 million of his own money to successfully become Florida governor after defeating Democrat Alex Sink. In his first months as governor, Scott embraced the Tea Party not the GOP.

And, for the most part, Scott still is not part of Florida’s GOP establishment. Polls showed him doing so poorly during his 2014 reelection campaign, that many Republican lobbyists we planning to attend the victory party of the new governor – freshly minted Democrat Charlie Crist.

Since 2010, Scott has been a party of Scott. He has not needed the Republican Party of Florida. He raises money for his own political committee, Let’s Get to Work. Since 2015, he has raised nearly $7 million. In fact, Scott has very little to do with the state party.

Scott may be a Republican – but is he the party leader?

No.

Rubio’s failed presidential campaign further divided Florida Republicans. The candidate who helped make the Tea Party a major player in the 2010 election, found himself flummoxed by another anti-establishment candidate – Trump.

But even Rubio’s path to being the preferred establishment candidate was thwarted by Mr. Establishment – Jeb Bush. Florida Republicans were emotionally torn by watching Bush and Rubio battle each other. In the end, Bush was humiliated and Rubio licked his wounds and maneuvered himself into position to run for reelection.

Is Rubio the leader of Florida Republicans?

No.

Is Bush?

No.

Legislative leaders have taken control of some of the party apparatus but these are folks who are virtually unknown outside of Tallahassee and their districts. Florida’s elected cabinet officers, CFO Atwater, Attorney General Bondi, and Agriculture Commissioner Putnam are ambitious but still without significant statewide bases of support.

The fact is there has not been a strong Republican Party leader since Bush left office in January 2007. And today, his influence is largely marginal.

Scott is simply not interested. After winning two elections where even most Republicans thought he might fail, Scott is content being a Trumpian outsider.

Rubio's foray on the national stage offended many Bushites and they are an unforgiving if diminishing lot. Rubio has many devoted followers but few see him as the leader of the Florida Republican Party.

Republicans could learns something from Florida Democrats. For many decades, the GOP was simply not a factor in the state. Democrats who won primaries almost always won the general election. The result was a party divided into factions. When Republicans finally started winning, Democrats were ill-equipped to confront the challenge in a unified way. Today, Florida’s Democratic Party is largely irrelevant in Tallahassee and has a small footprint in Washington.

For nearly 10 years, the Florida GOP has been headed down the same path - a party of factions.

And now to make things more perilous - like much of the nation, Florida Republicans are deeply divided between Trump supporters and NeverTrump opponents.

When this campaign is over, Florida's Republican Party is going to need a strong, unifying voice.

By Brian E. Crowley

UPDATE: This piece originally ran two years ago today.....interestingly, what was true then remains true today as Republicans go the polls to pick their new nominees for governor and U.S. Senate. In fact, the question of who leads the Florida GOP and only gotten deeper.

 

Are Florida Republicans a leaderless party?

Who is the leader of the Florida Republican Party?

Governor Rick Scott? Marco Rubio? Adam Putnam? Pam Bondi? Jeff Atwater?

Or perhaps Jeb Bush?

Or – are Florida Republicans so fractured that there is no single leader of the party?

Today’s Florida Republican Party is very different than the one Bush took over when he staged a coup in 1994. He showed up in that year’s governor’s race as candidate who had never run for office, had limited campaign experience and a business background marked by notable failures. Like Donald Trump, what he did have was a name everyone knew – Bush.

With the help of his family name, Bush easily pushed aside more established GOP candidates to become the party’s nominee for governor. Bush would narrowly lose that election to incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles, but the GOP would take over the Senate and the Florida Cabinet. And Bush began his reign has the undisputed leader of the Florida Republican Party.

Today, Florida Republicans are rudderless. The party that Bush ruled with a firm hand for more than a decade, is fractured. The slide began with the election of Charlie Crist as governor in 2006. It’s hard to believe now that at one point Crist was among those being considered to be John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Crist, much like his arch-enemy Marco Rubio, was always a malleable Republican shifting direction as fit his political ambitions. Florida Republicans tolerated Crist because, well, he was governor. And by golly, if a Floridian became vice president that would be swell too.

Bush deeply cared about the machinery of politics. He put his best people in the right places. Crist could care less. He turned the party machine over to the now notorious Jim Greer who plundered the party coffers and ended up in prison.

Crist’s hold on the party was so tenuous that a faux hug from President Obama led to screams from 
the hard right and opportunity for Rubio. The once moderate Rubio found maneuvering room by suddenly becoming an ardent follower of the emerging Tea Party movement. Many establishment Republicans laughed at the notion that Rubio could successfully challenge Crist who decided he would rather be a U.S. Senator then run for a second term as governor.

It was a calamitous moment for the Florida GOP and it began the cracking of party unity.

Rubio became a hero of the Tea Party and as the 2010 primary approached, his ardent followers were overwhelming the GOP establishment. And Republicans who had been lukewarm about Crist suddenly had an opportunity to abandon him

Crist leaves the GOP to run as independent. Rubio captures the party nomination and goes on to win a three way race defeating Crist and Democrat Kendrick Meek.

At the same time, a stranger arrived in town – Rick Scott.

The Republican establishment had settled on Attorney General Bill McCollum for the party’s nomination for governor. But just as Rubio captured the hearts of the burgeoning Tea Party movement, Scott sold himself as an outsider with a business background. Scott was Trump before Trump.

McCollum lost and Scott, unknown by most of the GOP establishment, spent more than $70 million of his own money to successfully become Florida governor after defeating Democrat Alex Sink. In his first months as governor, Scott embraced the Tea Party not the GOP.

And, for the most part, Scott still is not part of Florida’s GOP establishment. Polls showed him doing so poorly during his 2014 reelection campaign, that many Republican lobbyists we planning to attend the victory party of the new governor – freshly minted Democrat Charlie Crist.

Since 2010, Scott has been a party of Scott. He has not needed the Republican Party of Florida. He raises money for his own political committee, Let’s Get to Work. Since 2015, he has raised nearly $7 million. In fact, Scott has very little to do with the state party.

Scott may be a Republican – but is he the party leader?

No.

Rubio’s failed presidential campaign further divided Florida Republicans. The candidate who helped make the Tea Party a major player in the 2010 election, found himself flummoxed by another anti-establishment candidate – Trump.

But even Rubio’s path to being the preferred establishment candidate was thwarted by Mr. Establishment – Jeb Bush. Florida Republicans were emotionally torn by watching Bush and Rubio battle each other. In the end, Bush was humiliated and Rubio licked his wounds and maneuvered himself into position to run for reelection.

Is Rubio the leader of Florida Republicans?

No.

Is Bush?

No.

Legislative leaders have taken control of some of the party apparatus but these are folks who are virtually unknown outside of Tallahassee and their districts. Florida’s elected cabinet officers, CFO Atwater, Attorney General Bondi, and Agriculture Commissioner Putnam are ambitious but still without significant statewide bases of support.

The fact is there has not been a strong Republican Party leader since Bush left office in January 2007. And today, his influence is largely marginal.

Scott is simply not interested. After winning two elections where even most Republicans thought he might fail, Scott is content being a Trumpian outsider.

Rubio's foray on the national stage offended many Bushites and they are an unforgiving if diminishing lot. Rubio has many devoted followers but few see him as the leader of the Florida Republican Party.

Republicans could learns something from Florida Democrats. For many decades, the GOP was simply not a factor in the state. Democrats who won primaries almost always won the general election. The result was a party divided into factions. When Republicans finally started winning, Democrats were ill-equipped to confront the challenge in a unified way. Today, Florida’s Democratic Party is largely irrelevant in Tallahassee and has a small footprint in Washington.

For nearly 10 years, the Florida GOP has been headed down the same path - a party of factions.

And now to make things more perilous - like much of the nation, Florida Republicans are deeply divided between Trump supporters and NeverTrump opponents.

When this campaign is over, Florida's Republican Party is going to need a strong, unifying voice.

It is time to stop blaming Big Sugar

It Is Time To Stop Blaming Big Sugar

By Brian E. Crowley

UPDATE:  This was first written in July 2016. Much of it remains true today. Let me add something.  One rarely hears environmentalists complaining about growth. Palm Beach County, to use but one example, has added hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses that creep into the edge of what was once part of the Everglades ecosystem.

Every mile of asphalt and concrete is less ground to absorb rain, filter it, and feed our aquifers. It is no longer as simple as blaming Big Sugar. Still, as we approach another election, with algae blooms, red tide, fish kills, and a level of toxins that threaten human health, maybe we can dream about the day both environmentalists and agriculture interests not only agree on the problem but also the solution.

 

   It is time to stop blaming Big Sugar.

Yes, Big Sugar is winning. It owns the governor’s office, the cabinet, and the Florida Legislature. It has power over much of Florida’s congressional delegation.

Formidable Tallahassee reporter Mary Ellen Klas did a masterful job this week with an in-depth storyin the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times about the power of Big Sugar.

Between 1994 and 2016, a review of state Division of Elections records by The Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau shows, the sugar industry — led by United States Sugar and Florida Crystals — has steered a whopping $57.8 million in direct and in-kind contributions to state and local political campaigns.

Indeed.

The Sugar industry has been masterful. No matter what successes the environmental community has had – passage of the 1994 Everglades Forever Act, the 1996 Polluter Pays Amendment to the Florida Constitution, the 2000 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (sign by President Bill Clinton with then Gov. Jeb Bush by his side), or the 2014 Water and Land Conservation Act – the Sugar industry has been able to either slow down implementation or thwart the intent.

How?

By owning a stable of elected officials. By hiring top teams of lobbyists. By having connections in critical government agencies.

And, nothing they do is illegal. Sugar simply plays the game of politics better than their opponents.

As Klas reported:

“I can tell you, first hand, that the industry is directly involved with every decision this Legislature makes,” said Eric Eikenberg, CEO of the Everglades Foundation which for decades has fought the sugar industry over the causes and solutions of the Everglades and was a chief of staff to former Gov. Charlie Crist. (Note: I previously was a media consultant for the Foundation.)

Eikenberg works hard to make sure the Foundation’s voice is heard in Tallahassee but it is an often frustrating experience.

Eikenberg was part of the Crist team that put together the deal to buy U.S. Sugar land. At the time, the company applauded the deal and was eager to get out of the sugar business. But when U.S. Sugar wanted out of the contract it fought hard. And they found a willing ally in the newly elected governor, Rick Scott (to whom they contributed handsomely) who said hell no about buying the land.

No matter the setback, the sugar industry always comes out ahead.

But it is time to stop blaming them. Perhaps it is time to blame the environmentalists.

No dear God – not the “good” guys!

Yup.

The sugar industry is united. Its goal is simple – keep farming, no government intrusion, protect profits.

Environmentalists often are not united. While they may all talk about stopping algae blooms, saving America’s Everglades, rivers and springs, there is a tendency to go their separate regional ways. Each part of the state has its own environmental concerns. Each fights to get money from the same state pot of dough. Each jealously guards its own circle of influence.

It is the kind of division that an opponent loves.

Money from sugar goes to candidates who will support them.

While there are billionaires and millionaires in the environmental community who give generously, there is rarely an effort to identify environmentally friendly candidates and support them. Perhaps even more important, there is little effort to make a concerted effort to defeat incumbents who opposed the environmental agenda.

There is no price for most incumbents who defy the environmentalists. There is a huge price in opposing sugar. Nothing illustrates that better than passage of the Water and Land Conservation Act. Seventy-five percent of Florida voters supported the Amendment.

75 percent.

This may have annoyed the sugar industry but it is used to it. So Sugar did what it does best – it worked with the Legislature to ensure that the amendment would do them little harm.

Look there is nothing wrong with that. It is politics. And the environmental community could learn a great deal from how the sugar industry operates in Tallahassee.

Until environmentalists win legislative races with candidates who strongly support them and, put those who oppose them in fear of losing – or at the very least force costly, tough races, Sugar will continue to win. Because that’s what they do.

It is time to stop blaming Sugar.

By Brian E. Crowley

UPDATE:  This was first written in July 2016. Much of it remains true today. Let me add something.  One rarely hears environmentalists complaining about growth. Palm Beach County, to use but one example, has added hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses that creep into the edge of what was once part of the Everglades ecosystem.

Every mile of asphalt and concrete is less ground to absorb rain, filter it, and feed our aquifers. It is no longer as simple as blaming Big Sugar. Still, as we approach another election, with algae blooms, red tide, fish kills, and a level of toxins that threaten human health, maybe we can dream about the day both environmentalists and agriculture interests not only agree on the problem but also the solution.

 

   It is time to stop blaming Big Sugar.

Yes, Big Sugar is winning. It owns the governor’s office, the cabinet, and the Florida Legislature. It has power over much of Florida’s congressional delegation.

Formidable Tallahassee reporter Mary Ellen Klas did a masterful job this week with an in-depth storyin the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times about the power of Big Sugar.

Between 1994 and 2016, a review of state Division of Elections records by The Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau shows, the sugar industry — led by United States Sugar and Florida Crystals — has steered a whopping $57.8 million in direct and in-kind contributions to state and local political campaigns.

Indeed.

The Sugar industry has been masterful. No matter what successes the environmental community has had – passage of the 1994 Everglades Forever Act, the 1996 Polluter Pays Amendment to the Florida Constitution, the 2000 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (sign by President Bill Clinton with then Gov. Jeb Bush by his side), or the 2014 Water and Land Conservation Act – the Sugar industry has been able to either slow down implementation or thwart the intent.

How?

By owning a stable of elected officials. By hiring top teams of lobbyists. By having connections in critical government agencies.

And, nothing they do is illegal. Sugar simply plays the game of politics better than their opponents.

As Klas reported:

“I can tell you, first hand, that the industry is directly involved with every decision this Legislature makes,” said Eric Eikenberg, CEO of the Everglades Foundation which for decades has fought the sugar industry over the causes and solutions of the Everglades and was a chief of staff to former Gov. Charlie Crist. (Note: I previously was a media consultant for the Foundation.)

Eikenberg works hard to make sure the Foundation’s voice is heard in Tallahassee but it is an often frustrating experience.

Eikenberg was part of the Crist team that put together the deal to buy U.S. Sugar land. At the time, the company applauded the deal and was eager to get out of the sugar business. But when U.S. Sugar wanted out of the contract it fought hard. And they found a willing ally in the newly elected governor, Rick Scott (to whom they contributed handsomely) who said hell no about buying the land.

No matter the setback, the sugar industry always comes out ahead.

But it is time to stop blaming them. Perhaps it is time to blame the environmentalists.

No dear God – not the “good” guys!

Yup.

The sugar industry is united. Its goal is simple – keep farming, no government intrusion, protect profits.

Environmentalists often are not united. While they may all talk about stopping algae blooms, saving America’s Everglades, rivers and springs, there is a tendency to go their separate regional ways. Each part of the state has its own environmental concerns. Each fights to get money from the same state pot of dough. Each jealously guards its own circle of influence.

It is the kind of division that an opponent loves.

Money from sugar goes to candidates who will support them.

While there are billionaires and millionaires in the environmental community who give generously, there is rarely an effort to identify environmentally friendly candidates and support them. Perhaps even more important, there is little effort to make a concerted effort to defeat incumbents who opposed the environmental agenda.

There is no price for most incumbents who defy the environmentalists. There is a huge price in opposing sugar. Nothing illustrates that better than passage of the Water and Land Conservation Act. Seventy-five percent of Florida voters supported the Amendment.

75 percent.

This may have annoyed the sugar industry but it is used to it. So Sugar did what it does best – it worked with the Legislature to ensure that the amendment would do them little harm.

Look there is nothing wrong with that. It is politics. And the environmental community could learn a great deal from how the sugar industry operates in Tallahassee.

Until environmentalists win legislative races with candidates who strongly support them and, put those who oppose them in fear of losing – or at the very least force costly, tough races, Sugar will continue to win. Because that’s what they do.

It is time to stop blaming Sugar.

A rare Florida Political record album

By Brian E. Crowley

One finds the oddest things when looking through old boxes. Here a record album from 1986. The album speaks for itself. And for those of you who followed Bob Graham, let's hear you sing: "We have a friend in Bob Graham." 

Not sure if daughter Gwen has come up with a similar ditty for her campaign for governor.

And here's the flipside:

 

Jimmy Buffett seen singing with Bob Graham

By Brian E. Crowley

Sometime during the early 1980s. then Gov. Bob Graham, always a bit of a ham, decided he would pretend being Jimmy Buffett during the annual Tallahassee press corps skits. As Graham warbled away, the real Buffett came on stage dressed as if he was Florida's governor.

Now, Buffett is campaigning for Graham's daughter Gwen who is a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor. She is the third Graham to take a shot at the governor's mansion. Her father won two terms, plus three in the U.S. Senate. Her grandfather l0st his bid to be governor in 1944.

Whether Buffett can bring any votes to Gwen Graham is doubtful....but for his fans, it is certainly entertaining.

 

Will tonight's Florida Democratic Debate make any difference?

By Brian E. Crowley

Her voice on the phone sounds quite serious. She is a Democrat. She will vote in the primary for governor. She is confused, not sure for whom to vote.

One of the best things about Florida's Democratic primary is that there are five interesting candidates for governor. One of the worst things about Florida's Democratic primary is that there are five interesting candidates for governor.

Well, I say, there's Gwen Graham, Andrew Gillum, Chris King, Phil Levine and Jeff Greene. Who? she says. I go over the list again.

She ponders each of them, asking questions. I give neutral answers. She eliminates a couple of them and says she is going to do more research. The primary is August 28. She has time.

This is not an unusual moment. Many of the folks who will vote in the Democratic primary are clueless or confused or both about the candidates. Few have the fervor of a Trump Republican. These voters may loathe Trump, and they are certain to loathe Congressman Ron DeSantis (the increasingly likely GOP nominee) but they lack a deep connection to anyone in the Democratic field.

Tonight, the five Democratic candidates will participate in a statewide debate being aired from the studios of WPBF-25 in West Palm Beach. It will be broadcast by other stations around the state. Is this the moment that will make a difference? Is this the moment when Florida Democrats, after months of being indifferent, find the leader of their party? 

No.

Many Democrats will remain indifferent. Many will not bother to vote in the primary. Many will continue to complain about Republicans in general and Trump-lovers in particular. Many will accept the eventual Democratic nominee grudgingly.

And that is the mistake Democrats have too often made during the past 20-years of GOP dominance in the state.

 

 

 

Palm Beach Post sold

Gatehouse Media is the new owner of The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News. The announcement was made earlier today.

Gatehouse already owns papers on Jacksonville, Sarasota and other Florida markets. The company owns more than 140 newspapers across the country.

Read more here //www.palmbeachpost.com/news/palm-beach-post-daily-news-sold-fast-growing-gatehouse/w3vAL3HVogbSDBY342rPoI/

Palm Beach Post sold

Gatehouse Media is the new owner of The Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News. The announcement was made earlier today.

Gatehouse already owns papers on Jacksonville, Sarasota and other Florida markets. The company owns more than 140 newspapers across the country.

Read more here https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/palm-beach-post-daily-news-sold-fast-growing-gatehouse/w3vAL3HVogbSDBY342rPoI/

Florida newspapers facing more changes

By Brian E. Crowley

During the last decade, Florida newspapers have suffered from declining revenues resulting in dramatic staff cuts, changes in ownership and uncertainty for reporters and editors doing their best to provide readers with local and state news. More changes are on the way in the coming weeks with new owners for the Palm Beach Post likely to be announced next month, and the possible sale of Tronc, owner of the Orlando Sentinel and Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.

Ken Doctor, who has been uncannily accurate about the future of newspapers, is reporting that Gatehouse is expected to announce next month that it has purchased the Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News  from Cox Enterprises. Doctor also suggests that Tronc will be selling its remaining newspapers, most likely individually, in the coming months with Gannett once again a possible buyer.

As we enter the serious stage of the 2018 election, when Floridians will be deciding on a new governor, cabinet officers, a U.S. Senate seat, congressional races, legislative seats, constitutional amendments, and more....it is a critical time for voters to have the best information available. 

While some may relish the demise of journalism, it is a foolish notion. 

Please see Ken Doctor's well reported story  here.