Crist's coming-out party with North Florida Democrats

He says he's not a candidate for governor -- not yet anyway. But Charlie Crist sure looked like one Friday.

"I'm seriously considering it," Crist said. "I just think Florida needs to be on a better track, and I think she will be."

In  his quest to discover how receptive grass-roots Democrats are to him, the former governor worked a crowd of several hundred Democrats in Tallahassee, one of the state's most reliably liberal areas. The occasion was a wild game dinner hosted by Jackie Pons, the elected Leon County school superintendent and long-time friend of Crist's.

Pons, a popular former high school basketball coach, had organized a rally on the day Crist infuriated many Republicans in 2010 by vetoing a controversial bill that would have tied teacher pay to student test
scores. Crist also was a featured speaker at a well-attended 2011 Pons fund-raiser in the superintendent's last race.

Crist brushed off a reporter's query about being a target-rich candidate who will be hammered with hard-hitting ads over his past flip-flops, his evolution from Republican to independent to Democrat, and his record as governor. "You're way ahead of me," Crist said. At a photographer's prompting, he gleefully took out his wallet and displayed a Democratic voter registration card. "Here it is," he said. "I'm very proud of that."

The consummate retail politician, Crist thoroughly worked a room filled with educators and posed for dozens of pictures. Among the faces in the crowd: former Sen. Al Lawson, former Rep. Curtis Richardson, lobbyists Fred Dickinson, Ron Meyer, Juhan Mixon and Steve Uhlfelder, businessman David Rancourt, lawyer Mark Logan. Most who were there were showing support for Pons, who led a successful campaign to renew a half-penny sales tax for schools last fall; Crist's appearance caught many by surprise.

Accompanying Crist in the role of travel aide was his friend Greg Truax of Tampa. It was Crist's third recent appearance at Democratic grass-roots events; the others were in Bradenton and Fort Myers.

"You have no idea how comfortable it is to be a Democrat," Crist said.

-- Steve Bousquet

The rise and fall of GOP money man and HMO founder, Akshay Desai

From the Tampa Bay Times:

In August, Universal Health Care Group was crumbling. Regulators circled. Bankruptcy loomed.

Still, founder and CEO Akshay Desai didn't publicly hint at any problems.

"As a businessman, I know all too well what it takes to make it in the private sector," he bragged at the time.

It was vintage Desai — supremely confident, selective with the facts. The 55-year-old son of Indian educators built Universal on smarts and ambition. He was charming when he needed to be, domineering when he wanted. One day he was persuading investors to part with tens of millions of dollars, the next he was berating employees to tears.

He rose high into the Republican fundraising ranks, dining with President George W. Bush at his Texas ranch. Eventually he realized his dream: a $1.5 billion health care company, with more than 140,000 members in 23 states.

But his success was largely an illusion. Story here.

Charlie Crist vulnerabilities are fueling speculation over Nelson running for governo

From @AdamSmithTimes

Major Democratic financial backers, including trial lawyers and teachers, are gushing about Charlie Crist and his prospects for 2014. Crist has not announced plans to run for governor again, but polls show him trouncing Republican Gov. Rick Scott by double digits.

The lifelong Republican-turned-Democrat at this point looks like he could grab the Democratic nomination without even a serious challenge. But oh-so-quietly, veteran Democratic fundraisers and strategists across Florida worry about another scenario: a Charlie Crist train wreck that would ensure a second term for one of America's most vulnerable Republican governors.

The wariness and even downright hostility to Crist's candidacy are part of what's fueling speculation about Sen. Bill Nelson entering the race. Story here. 

 

Digital Domain CEO hits back at damning IG report, blames Scott-Crist politics

Digital Domain debacle, take two.

The former CEO of Digital Domain is hitting back with an alternative script after an Inspector General report slammed the process that helped the now-defunct Port St. Lucie film studio get $20 million in taxpayer grants. 

John Textor said the claim by Gov. Rick Scott and Enterprise Florida that the Digital Domain deal was some kind of widely discredited proposal that had been blacklisted by Enterprise Florida, only to be slipped into the budget later by aggressive lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Crist—is complete fiction.

In fact, Textor said, Enterprise Florida actually recommended that Florida taxpayers chip in about $11.4 million to help Digital Domain bring jobs to the state.

An email Textor provided to the Herald/Times shows that an Enterprise Florida representative wrote Textor on March 18, 2009, saying that the organization would “present to [the Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development] relative to a one-time award of $6.1 million” and other awards for a “total potential FL economic incentive package” of $11.4 million. The email, not included in the IG report, said Digital Domain would be required to create 300 jobs. 

EFI never went through with a recommendation to OTTED (which is required for  economic incentives grants to be awarded), but Textor has a very different explanation for why that did not happen.

According to Enterprise Florida’s account, the organization refused to support funding because Digital Domain’s finances were “extremely weak” and its business model was suspect.  Textor has a different story, and questions Enterprise Florida’s credibility by pointing out that the organization believed Digital Domain’s business plan was strong enough to receive an $11.4 million incentives package. 

Textor believes that he and others are being thrown under the bus as a way for Gov. Rick Scott to attack the Crist administration, which was in charge when Digital Domain received funding by getting special language tacked onto the state's budget.

Bill Nelson has 'no intention' of running for gov, stays mum on Crist

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said he is not planning to run against Gov. Rick Scott in the 2014 governor's race but stopped short of completely ruling it out.

"I'm not planning to run for governor," he said Wednesday in Tallahassee. "I have no intention of running for governor. I've got plenty to do as serving as the senator of this state, and that's why I'm here today, in my role as senator."

Will you say that you won't run for governor? a reporter asked. "I said what I said," Nelson replied

Struggling in the polls, Scott releases campaign-style video highlighting jobs record

Is it 2014 yet?

On the same day that a Public Policy Polling poll came out showing that Gov. Rick Scott is still underwater with voters and trails potential candidates like his predecessor Charlie Crist, the governor’s office offered up a new campaign-style video touting his accomplishments.

The video shows news clips of economic doom and gloom during the last years of Crist’s tenure, with news achors highlighting record high unemployment and troubling economic indicators.

Halfway through the 2-minute spot, Scott appears, talking about how the state has turned around under his leadership.

“It’s the first time in five years that our unemployment rate has been below the national average,” Scott says on the video at a campaign-style event that took place Monday in Orlando. “Our unemployment rate is now down to 7.8 percent for January of this year."

The Department of Economic Opportunity highlighted the spot during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday.

Monica Russell, DEO's communications director, called it "our idea of how to jazz up the Cabinet meeting."

Reporters asked if Scott would be using the video as a campaign ad.

"Oh, no," she said. 

See the video here.

Times reporter Steve Bousquet contributed to this report.

@ToluseO

 

PPP: Charlie Crist trouncing Rick Scott by 12 points

@MarcACaputo

From Public Policy Polling, a firm that typically surveys for Democrats (Note: the poll differs from one completed last month by Democratic pollster Dave Beattie, who found Crist and Scott tied; Quinnipiac releases a survey tomorrow):

Rick Scott's approval numbers have seen no improvement over the last two months, even after his decision to allow Medicaid expansion in Florida. 33% of voters continue to approve of the job he's doing to 57% who disapprove. Although his overall numbers are the same he has seen a slight improvement with Democrats (from 21/71 to 23/69) and a slight downgrade with Republicans (from 49/38 to 46/42).

John Morgan, Obama fundraiser and Crist boss, to lead medical-pot initiative in FL

@MarcACaputo

John Morgan, a major President Obama fundraiser and the boss of former Gov. Charlie Crist, is taking the reins of a Florida medical marijuana initiative, promising to pump major money and political muscle into the popular issue.

Morgan, a top Florida trial lawyer based in Orlando, said he's ready to tap a network of donors and his personal bank account to get the measure in front of voters in 2014 as a proposed constitutional amendment.

“I can get the money. I have the money. I will be joined by people with money who will help,” said Morgan. “I’ve been very fortunate in life, and I can make it happen.”

It could cost as much as $3.5 million to fund paid-petition gatherers to collect the valid signatures of 683,149 Florida voters needed to get a measure on the ballot. An ad and absentee-ballot campaign could cost up to $10 million more.

Constitutional amendments need to be approved in Florida with 60 percent of the vote.

Morgan said he hasn't spoken about the issue with Crist or Obama, with whom he had dinner Monday. And, he said, he doesn’t care whether they support it or not.

Crist, a Republican-turned-independent-turned Democrat, is considering a run for governor. He wouldn’t return calls for comment.

Another Charlie Crist donor headed for jail

U.S. Attorney Robert O’Neill announced that today that Lee County real estate broker Greg Eagle, who is the father of state Rep. Dane Eagle, R-Cape Coral, pleaded guilty to four counts of bank fraud, one count each of mail fraud and wire fraud. 

Greg Eagle faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each of the six counts, and a fine of up to $1 million. He will also be ordered to pay back money he ripped off his victims.

in 2006, Eagle put $1-million into a third-party political group, Floridians for a Better and Brighter Florida, before the September primary. The money later was transferred to another group that helped Crist secure the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Eagle joins Scott Rothstein, Jim Greer, and Alan Mendelsohn as other high-profile bundlers of campaign cash for Crist who now face jail time. Crist and Eagle were close. The former governor stayed at his Useppa Island home. Eagle's son, Dane, was a travel aide for Crist.

Dane Eagle, 29, ran for the state house last year and won. On Thursday, he released this statement:

“While I cannot control the actions or choices of those around me, I am deeply saddened by the circumstances facing my father,” Eagle said. “We are hopeful his cooperation in the ongoing investigation will help to bring closure to everyone affected by this case – including my family. As the State Representative for House District 77, I remain committed to serving my constituents and earning the trust they have placed in me.”

On this Charlie Crist and Rick Scott agree: Expand Medicaid

As Republican legislators seek an alternative to Medicaid expansion, Gov. Rick Scott has not wavered from his support for a three-year expansion trial run. He's found somewhat of an ally in former Gov. Charlie Crist, who could run against Scott in 2014.

Crist, a Republican-turned-Democrat, believes the state should move forward with expansion even as lawmakers seek a better way.

"I never think it's harmful to explore other alternatives in addition, but we don’t know what they are yet and how they’re going to be handled and how compassionate they’re going to be and if they're really going to serve people," Crist said. "But Medicaid works. We know that. It is the bird in the hand."

The money that would be coming to the state to expand Medicaid is essentially tax dollars that Florida residents have already sent to Washington, Crist said. "They ought to benefit from it, is my view. In essence, they already paid their taxes to make Medicaid work and solvent, they should benefit from it.”

Crist said he had the same opinion about federal high-speed rail funding, which Scott refused to accept. But on Medicaid expansion, Scott said he doesn't believe the state should turn down such a large infusion of money that will help provide insurance access to the poor and disabled.

It is one of the many examples of the governor taking a more moderate position than he did when he first took office.