Endorsements are for losers

Sigh. If only politicians set aside a fraction of the time they spend chasing and flaunting campaign endorsements for real work. The economy would be humming, the terrorists would be losing, and affordable health care would include weekly massage treatments.

But as we head into the dog days of summer, when most voters are paying closer attention to their cuticles than to elections, candidates have nothing better to do than fund-raise and name-drop.

At this early stage in the election cycle, endorsements are not directed at voters seeking assurance. They are for impressing donors, intimidating opponents and returning favors. Keep reading here.

Eric Draper declares for Agriculture post

Long-time conservationist and Democratic activist Eric Draper declared his candidacy Thursday for state agriculture commissioner in 2010. A 55-year-old Tampa native, Draper is the deputy director of Audubon of Florida and is a third-generation Floridian, and while he says preserving farmland is important, he plans to increase the agency's emphasis on the environment.

"It's a beautiful state. Our natural resources are important," Draper said. "The commissioner of agriculture should be Florida's top environmental steward. I see an opportunity to transform the office." A veteran environmental lobbyist, Draper worked in opposition to the offshore-drilling bill in the recently-ended session and is now trying to persuade Gov. Charlie Crist to veto a growth management bill.

Draper got his political start in 1980 as an aide to then-state Rep. George Sheldon of Tampa, and in 1986 he helped get Kent Conrad elected to the U.S. Senate in North Dakota. In 1994, he was staff director in the House Democratic office when Jim Davis was majority leader in Tallahassee. He and his wife Sheila have three children; the two oldest are identical twins.  

Former Democratic Rep. Rick Minton of Fort Pierce also has filed fund-raising papers for the agriculture post. 

-- Steve Bousquet

Top of GOP ticket in 2010 could be all-male, all-white

At a time when the Florida electorate is growing increasingly diverse, the Republican party is gearing up to field an all-male, all-white slate in 2010.

In contrast, the Democratic front-runners for the top of the ticket are U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, a 42-year-old African American running for the U.S. Senate, and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink for governor, who would be the state's first female chief executive. A handful of Hispanic and Jewish Democrats are potentially in the mix for attorney general and chief financial officer.

''It's something I see as an advantage for Florida voters, that the Democratic ticket could end up looking like it represents Florida's population,'' said Ana Cruz, a top Meek advisor.

The Republican front-runners for statewide office include Gov. Charlie Crist for Senate, Attorney General Bill McCollum for governor, Senate President Jeff Atwater for chief financial officer and U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam for agriculture commissioner. Putnam is the only one of the GOP candidates under 50 years old.

"We are the party of recruiting the best candidates based on qualifications not on race. That explains our success over the years,'' said Carlos Curbelo, chairman of the state party's Hispanic Leadership Council."And still, we have elected a Hispanic U.S. senator, three members of Congress, and dozens of state legislators to public office. Compare that to the Democrats' record, and there is no comparison."

Keep reading here. 

Bronson says RPOF 'putting him on the spot' but won't dictate his decision

Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson today acknowledged that the very public appeal by Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer to encourage him to endorse Bill McCollum for governor was "definitely putting me on the spot.''

But, he told the Herald/Times, "they also know I'm going to make my decision based on my issues. I'm not going to allow them to dictate what I'm going to do. I've been a bonafide elected official of this state and a lot of people want me to run.''

Bronson said he will not make a decision today whether or not to enter the governor race, or to stay out. "Today is Bill's day,'' he said.

"Let me just say, I don't want anybody to get the idea that this is an anti-Bill McCollum thing. Bill and I have been friends for years. Ingrid, his wife, we've been friends for years. It has nothing to do with the personal side of this. It has more to do with the office of governor and how important that's going to be.

"There are some out there saying no matter who wins is going to be the greatest loser because this is going to be a tough time to be governor."

Crist gets budget today, says no 'fireworks' at Cabinet

Gov. Charlie Crist, having torn through the political landscape like a hurricane this week, noted at this morning's two-minute press availability that former Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate was confirmed as FEMA director yesterday and now, as hurricane season approaches, every Floridian ought to "have a plan," he said.

On his defeated energy agenda: "I think we press on. We've talked about doing some things administratively."

On Sen. Don Gaetz's bill on health care organizations and on the workers compensation bill, he notes that the House had concerns about the workers comp bill and "We're reviewing those very very closely."

On calls to veto $25 million Visit Florida budget: "We will take that under advisement."

He said he will receive the budget today, "so we'll start reviewing that."

On Cabinet dominoes, triggered by his candidacy for U.S. Senate and the Cabinet officials now seeking his job: "No I don't expect fireworks. These people are all very good, hard-working public servants. I know that they take their duties very seriously as do I.''

Broward sheriff releases his budget and says ... nothing

Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti submitted his proposed budget to the county Friday. Has he held a presser to defend his budget? Nope -- mums the word from BSO.

Lamberti won't talk about his budget with the media or in public until the May 19 county commission meeting.

Spokesman Jim Leljedal wouldn't comment either.

"It's sensitve,'' he said. "There are lives that are going to be impacted. It's just not something we want to deal with piecemeal.''

The county, which plans to cut up to $160 million from its budget, asked Lamberti to come up with about $50 million in cuts. Instead, his proposed budget is an increase of about $6 million. If commissioners  and Lamberti can't agree on a budget the sheriff can appeal to the Cabinet which includes fellow Republican Gov. Charlie Crist who appointed Lamberti sheriff in 2007. Lamberti won a race to keep his seat last year on a platform that his position isn't political.

"He is playing politics here because he doesn't think we have the will to say 'go ahead and appeal,''' said Mayor Stacy Ritter, who leads the 9-member Democratic commission.

Perhaps one way BSO is looking to save money is by reducing how many copies of the budget it prints. It's available to the media for $50.04 and BSO refuses to provide an electronic copy.

"These are tough times,'' Leljedal said.

Poll says Sink and McCollum tied for gov

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum are running even in a potential race for governor in 2010, according to a Mason Dixon poll conducted for SayfieReview.com/PowerPlay

The survey of 625 Florida voters also found that 67 percent would consider or definitely support Gov. Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate.

"It's clear that 2010 is shaping up to be the most exciting political year in modern Florida political history," said Justin Sayfie, publisher of SayfieReview.com.

More details here.

Crist won't 'judge' McCollum ads

Gov. Charlie Crist offered only a mild defense of Attorney General Bill McCollum's no-bid contract with his former campaign consultant to run ads warning parents about Internet sex predators.

Asked if the ads look more like political spots than public service announcements, Crist said, "I'll leave that to others to judge. I know that the cause he's talking about is incredibly important, having been attorney general.''

Compare his remarks to the strongly worded defense from Crist's handpicked chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, Jim Greer, who called criticism of the ads a "partisan witch hunt."

Crist was in Hialeah today to promote his Cover Florida initiative to help the estimated 4 million people who don't have private insurance. He said only about 1,000 people have signed up.

"While it's disappointing to me, for the 1,000 or so that have signed up, it's a breakthrough,'' he said.

Asked about scaling back plans to buy Big Sugar land to help the Everglades, Crist said, "The economy is what it is. I think we're going to have an announcement Wednesday or Thursday on that, but we have to deal with the reality that exists right now, and there is less money...I think hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday we'll show a plan that hits the sweet spot -- no pun intended  -- but also recognizes that these are difficult economic times, but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.''

On whether he's warming to the idea of raising taxes on cigarettes if the money went to health care: "Certainly the health care aspect of it makes it more palatable than it would be otherwise. I'd still rather not do it if we don't have to, but we've only got four weeks left to go in our session."

On reports that he's disengaged from the budget process: "Oh I don't have any days off. I'm always on the phone. I'm always working. I'm never not governor of Florida and very engaged and I think we're making some very good progress."

Politicians use TV to get the word out

In the first half of 1997, Bill Nelson -- then Florida's insurance commissioner and treasurer -- starred in a public service announcement that was reported to have aired more than 8,200 times. The ad promoted Nelson's efforts to compensate Prudential Life Insurance policyholders who may have been victims of a scam.

Was Nelson merely educating the public about the workings of state government? Or was the Democrat increasing his own visibility in anticipation of his next state campaign? Maybe both?

Read more about taxpayer-funded political branding here.

News flash: Sink not in favor of Internet predators

Here's Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink's response to Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum's decision to double down on his anti-cybercrime campaign: Download AGResponse032609