George LeMieux makes a Capitol debut

Accompanied by outgoing Sen. Mel Martinez, incoming Sen. George LeMieux made his way to a Senate Republican luncheon, stopping to offer praise to Martinez -- and deflect a number of political questions. Though Martinez today warned his fellow Republicans in Tallahassee against embracing plans to open Florida's coast to oil drilling, LeMieux sidestepped the issue.

"I think we'll leave that to the Florida Legislature," he said. "I got a lot to tackle up here in Washington."

LeMieux said he and his wife plan to watch President Barack Obama's speech on health care reform tonight from the House gallery. But he's uncommitted as to what should be done.

"It's not even my first day yet so I'm going to listen and learn," he said. "I want to listen to everyone who has an idea about this. We obviously need to have more affordable health care, we also need to have more access to health care, we just have to do it the right way."

Nelson: I didn't want Mel to leave

Bill Nelson says he tried to talk Mel Martinez out of leaving the Senate early, saying the two were a good team.

"I tried for the better part of three months to talk him out of this day," Nelson said on the Senate floor. "I didn't want him to resign because it's been good for Florida, the way the two of us have worked together professionally...It is with a great deal of regret that this day has come.

He said it's important that when the state's two senators are from different parties they demonstrate they can work together -- "to send a message" that it's possible to transcend political differences and get work done. 

Mel Martinez bids the Senate goodbye: "Fixing our nation's broken immigration system remains a national imperative"

Mel Martinez is giving his final remarks on the Senate floor this morning, closing out what he says was a "fulfilling chapter of my own American dream." Martinez, the first Cuban-American senator who is leaving with 16 months left in his term, urged passage of immigration reform and thanked a number of senators for helping him serve in "the most cherished institution of our democracy."

His prepared remarks below:

Martinez aide lobbied Pentagon for GOP donor Sargeant

Sen. Mel Martinez's office repeatedly intervened in a 2007 legal dispute between the Defense Department and a company owned by a top Republican fundraiser who is now at the center of a campaign-finance investigation, according to records obtained by The Miami Herald.

In a series of phone calls and e-mails, a Martinez aide urged Pentagon contract officers to seek a "fair resolution'' to $14 million in contract claims sought by the International Oil Trading Co., a fuel-supply company co-owned by Harry Sargeant III of Boca Raton.

At one point, Pentagon officials told the senator's office it was "not appropriate'' to discuss any settlements while the company's lawsuit was pending in court, records show.

As Martinez's staffer was lobbying the Pentagon, Sargeant and his wife donated $50,000 to the Republican National Committee  then headed by Martinez. At the time, Sargeant was the finance chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

Martinez, who will step down from his Senate seat next week, did not respond to several interview requests made through his press secretary. In the past, he has said the RNC donations were unrelated to Sargeant's contract dispute.

Full story here.

Martinez congratulates his successor

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez isn't gushing over his successor, but maybe that's out of deference to the other people on the shortlist: "I congratulate George LeMieux for being appointed by the governor to fill the remainder of my term. George is bright, capable, and an accomplished administrator. My staff and I stand ready to ensure a smooth transition."

Crist's trail of broken-hearted almost-senators

"It's not me,'' said former U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale, one of the leading contenders on Gov. Charlie Crist's shortlist for a U.S. Senate appointment. "I just got a voice mail from the governor saying he was going in a different direction...Well it was interesting to think about."

For Shaw -- who was next in line to serve as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee when he lost his seat in 2006 -- the chance to return to Capitol Hill with a promotion would have allowed him to cap off  his political career with a flourish.

State Rep. Jennifer Carroll of Jacksonville, the first black Republican elected to the Florida Legislation, would have made history if she had been picked to replace retiring Sen Mel Martinez. She was also passed over by Crist in 2006 for lieutenant governor.

"Life goes on,'' she said. "It's been unnerving because I've been getting so many calls and e-mails...but meanwhile you're just sitting there. It was an honor to be considered and what was humbling was the outpouring of support from around the state."

Crist to announce U.S. Senate pick at 11:15 am

Crist will announce at 11:15 am in the Florida Capitol Senate chambers his pick for US Senate to serve out the rest of Mel Martinez's term. Whispers are it's Lemieux. But whispers have proven wrong before. We'll find out soon enough.

Florida tributes to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy

Ted Kennedy, says Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, calmed her nerves when she was asked to speak -- as a freshman Democrat -- at the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Later that year, the veteran lawmaker offered advice on getting her signature swimming pool legislation through Congress.

"I was deeply saddened this morning when I learned of the death of Senator Edward Kennedy," she said today. "Americans have lost a giant in public service, someone who was never too big to reach out and lift someone else up."

And outgoing Sen. Mel Martinez, who worked closely with Kennedy on immigration reform, said he was "deeply saddened" by his death.

"Ted was an icon of passionate public service and gave selflessly to our nation," Martinez said. "I came to know him well through our work on immigration reform where he was a tough negotiator, and someone who knew how to reach bipartisan agreement for the good of an issue. He will be remembered as the Lion of the Senate for his voice, his style, his work, and his allegiance to always do what he thought was best for our country. Kitty and I offer our condolences and Senator Kennedy's family is in our thoughts and prayers."

The ocean of humility between Clay Shaw and Bill Young

What a difference losing an election makes. Former U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw of Fort Lauderdale -- who lost his seat in the backlash that cost the GOP control of Congress in 2006 -- seems honored to be considered by Gov. Charlie Crist for appointment to the U.S. Senate. He even praises the other people on the shortlist.

In contrast, long-serving U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young of St. Petersburg shows up for his interview with Crist in sneakers and an untucked shirt and tells the governor no thanks in front of a media throng. Couldn't he have saved the governor the trip?

NRA's Hammer favors Jim Smith for Senate seat

In choosing a replacement for U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, Gov. Charlie Crist must be keenly aware of key constituencies in the Republican Party, such as gun owners. Marion Hammer (right), longtime lobbyist for the Unified Sportsmen of Florida and a former president of the NRA, says the best choice is clearly Jim Smith, the former attorney general and secretary of state and one of seven candidates in the running.

"He has the experience, he has the professionalism, he has the respect and the character to serve this state well," Hammer said. "This is a placeholder appointment and Jim Smith has worked hard in public service for this state and I think he would do a good job for 14 months." She said she made the NRA's preference clear to Crist's people.

Hammer said Crist's former chief of staff, George LeMieux, got an A-plus rating from the NRA when he ran for a state House seat 11 years ago. But she prefers Smith in part because of lis lengthy record of government service. "George LeMieux has not served, so that he would have a voting record," she said. "Someone who has never served, who doesn't know the process is going to need those 14 months to find his or her way around." 

-- Steve Bousquet