New DJJ chief willing to reconsider boot camps

Less than a year after the state voted to close its military-style boot camps following the death of Martin Lee Anderson, the man named to takeover the state's troubled Department of Juvenile Justice told one Senate committee this morning that eliminating the camps statewide might have been the wrong decision.

Gov. Charlie Crist tapped former Tallahassee police chief Walter McNeil to lead the juvenile justice agency in January. And in a public hearing before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, McNeil told senators he would support alternative discipline programs, including the reopening of certain boot camps.

"I believe that in some communities boot camps could be effective, and, in others, they won't based on the needs and desires of the people who live in those communities," McNeil said.

Following the death of Anderson at the state's Bay County boot camp, legislators passed the "Martin Lee Anderson Act," replacing the military-style camps with programs the emphasize counseling, education and aftercare.

Only one of the state's remaining boot camps was still open when the law went into effect last summer. The others were closed by the county sheriff's offices operating the camps.

If boot camps are resurrected, running them properly will depend heavily on DJJ supervision, said Sen. Mike Bennett, a Bradenton Republican. But he said during Tuesday's hearing that he agreed with McNeil's thoughts on reopening some of the camps.

"I find we sometimes get ourselves in a position of voting for something that really would kill an entire program," Bennett said. "But we are punishing the wrong people."

New Highway Safety director up for vote Tuesday

Gov. Charlie Crist will ask Tuesday morning that his fellow members of the Florida Cabinet vote to name Electra Bustle, assistant commissioner at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to replace Fred Dickinson, the long-time chief of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Dickinson announced two weeks ago that he was stepping down from the agency that he has led since 1992. Since the agency reports to both the governor and Cabinet, the selection of Bustle must be approved by Cabinet members as well.

Crist names new secretary for elder affairs

Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday named Doug Beach to the job as secretary of the Department of Elder Affairs. Beach has long been active in elder care issues, serving as CEO of Senior Resource Alliance in Central Florida and is president-elect of the Florida Council of Aging. Beach, who is also president of the Florida Association of Area Agencies on Aging, will start the job on Monday.

Crist to name agency head

Gov. Charlie Crist has scheduled to hold a press conference late this morning to name another agency head. The announcement is expected to be the new secretary for the Department of Elder Affairs. This post has been the source of endless speculation in recent weeks, with rumors that former Secretary Carole Green could come back, as well as the possibility that it could go to a legislator such as Sen. Mike Fasano, a New Port Richey Republican, or even Sen. Nancy Argenziano, a Dunnellon Republican and maverick. Green, however, has started up a lobbying and consulting business, while Fasano has flatly said he has no interest in the job.

Regulator gives parting shot, thanks to Crist

Isilio Arriaga, the utility regulator strong-armed from office by the Senate to benefit Gov. Charlie Crist, just issued his final goodbye that has this nugget:

“While I am disappointed by the Governor’s unprecedented decision and the manner in which it was carried out, I fully respect his desire to accept ultimate responsibility for the difficult decisions the PSC must often make. It is very encouraging that the Governor has taken an earnest interest in the issues before the PSC, and it is my sincere hope that interest will result in a more profound understanding of the complex issues that face our State.”

And this: "As a faithful Republican, I sought to advance the principles of my party of choice, trying to stay consistent to Governor Bush’s philosophy and his vision for Florida, as so many others have pledged to do."

Hmmm. Is Crist not "consistent" with that "philosophy?"

Letter here: Download Arriaga.doc

Jebite to Crist: I'd rather be with McCain

Phil Handy, one of former Gov. Jeb Bush's 283 government-board nominees cancelled by Gov. Charlie Crist, said he's no longer interested in serving on the Board of Education. Handy said he's too busy serving on an education board established by Ariz. Sen. John McCain, a 2008 presidential hopeful.

Letter here: Download Handy.pdf

Clay Roberts, of 2000 recount fame/infamy, is new DCA judge

Gov. Charlie Crist just made the long-awaited appointment to the First District Court of Appeal, naming his former top deputy, L. Clayton Roberts, to the job.

Roberts, 41, served as executive deputy attorney general under Crist, previously served as general counsel to the Florida Department of State under former Secretary Katherine Harris, and had the unenviable honor of being director of the Division of Elections during the 2000 presidential recount.

Roberts was also instrumental in that department's decision to purge the voter rolls of convicted felons. Activist journalist Greg Palast got him to storm out of an inteview over the matter, which Roberts has said he regrets.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush agreed to allow Crist to make the appointment, even though the outgoing governor could have made the decision as his last official act the morning of Crist's swearing in.

Roberts, who has sought the DCA job since he applied in 2005, told a selection board that the judge he respected the most at the U.S. Supreme Court was Antonin Scalia. He's filling a post held by retiring Judge Richard Ervin III.

Roberts' appointment needs to be confirmed by the Senate, and   comes at a time when the court is seething with intrigue. He couldn't be immediately reached. More here: Download Roberts.doc

Crist expected to name agency head today

Gov. Charlie Crist will announce another appointment later this morning and it looks like that it will be someone to lead the Department of Health. There are a handful of names that have been bandied about for the job, and of course, they are all doctors, since that's a legal requirement for the post.

One person whose name who has come up several times is Dr. Frank Farmer, an Ormond Beach physician and the former president of the Florida Medical Association and long-time friend of Crist's. Farmer was instrumental in getting the FMA to endorse Crist during last year's election and rebuff fears that Crist was going to be too deferential to trial lawyers. But there also been rumblings that the choice will be a doctor from Miami. Stay tuned.

Education Commissioner steps down

Education Commissioner John Winn has abruptly announced that he is retiring effective Feb. 28 from his job. Winn's announcement comes just two days after Gov. Charlie Crist withdrew the nominations of two members of the Board of Education, T. Williard Fair and Phil Handy, both of whom were considered staunch allies of Winn.

But the decision by Crist to possibly replace both Fair and Handy put Winn on shaky ground. Unlike many other state agency heads, Winn did not put in a letter of resignation following Crist's election. The argument at the time was that Winn did not report to the governor but to the board. Both Fair and Handy were appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush, who approved of having Winn replace Jim Horne as Education Commissioner back in 2004.

In the official announcement, Crist commended Winn for his "dedicated service" as commissioner and for helping Florida's students. Winn said he hoped to "continue to contribute to education as a private citizen" and offered to assist Crist and his staff "in any way he finds helpful."

Davis joining Holland & Knight

Democrat Jim Davis, who gave up his seat in Congress to run for governor of Florida last year, has joined the powerhouse law firm of Holland & Knight.

"Former Congressman Davis' experience will be a valuable asset to our clients now that the new majority in Congress has convened," said the firm's managing partner, Howell W. Melton, Jr.

The ex-congressman's chief of staff, Karl Koch, will also work at the firm in Tampa and Washington. Koch advised Davis during his unsuccessful campaign against Republican Charlie Crist.

"It's time for me to begin a new chapter in my career and put the problem-solving skills I've developed in my years of public service to use for clients in Tampa, throughout Florida, and in Washington,'' Davis said in a written statement.

The law firm has been on a hiring spree among ex-politicians. It recently announced the arrival of former Republican Gov. Bob Martinez.