The Fine Print

Could any of these bills get vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott?

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday will sign several bills that consist of the "jobs agenda" that he outlined last fall.

And that's when it will start to get interesting.

There have been few surprises so far since the 2012 session ended. Scott signed the "inspirational messages" bill and this latest batch of legislation includes an overhaul of the unemployment compensation system and tax breaks, including another small cut of the state's corporate income tax.

But in the next few weeks Scott will sort out the remaining bills from this year and figure out whether or not he plans to go along with many of the ideas that his GOP colleagues in the Legislature acted on.

Not counting his budget vetoes, Scott last year vetoed 10 bills sent to him by state lawmakers, which is actually on par, or even a little bit below other governors in recent years.

Gov. Charlie Crist - who was at war with lawmakers during his independent bid for U.S. Senate in 2010 - vetoed 17 bills his final year in office (several of which were later overridden) and 18 bills in 2007. Back in 2005 then Gov. Jeb Bush a.k.a. "Veto Corleone" nixed some 36 bills sent to him by the Legislature.

It was Bush who told Scott in an email before he became governor that it was okay to veto "stupid bills."

Here then are some bills to watch Scott on in the next few days and weeks:

HB 5301: Back when Scott was campaigning against Bill McCollum in the GOP primary in 2010 he actually came out against what he called mandates being imposed on local governments. Scott told a group of business leaders in Panama City that he did not support strict limits on spending and taxes for local governments, saying at the time "I believe that what Tallahassee should be doing is dealing with Tallahassee issues." 

But sitting on his desk is a budget conforming bill that contains a contentious provision that withholds money from counties in an effort to collect $325 million in contested past-due Medicaid billings. County governments have argued this is yet another mandate, an argument that should have some resonance with Scott.

This legislation, however, includes several other changes, including a limit on how many times Medicaid will pay for hospital emergency room visits for non-pregnant adults and a provision that would allow the children of state employees to be enrolled in the state's subsidized KidCare program. Scott must act on this bill this week but there are signs that he will let it become law because it is tied to the state budget. (UPDATE: Scott signed the bill, although in a letter the governor tried to assuage counties that the state would "work diligently" to make sure that all the billings are valid and accurate. Counties, meanwhile, sharply criticized the decision as a "body blow" to taxpayers.)

HB 7129: This is the tuition bill for the University of Florida and Florida State University. If it becomes law the legislation would allow these two research universities to raise tuition annually above the existing 15 percent cap that now exists in state law. The logic behind the bill - which was a top priority for House Speaker Dean Cannon - is to give UF and FSU the financial resources to make themselves more nationally competitive. But the bill also clashes with Scott's oft-repeated line that tuition should not go up this year and that universities ought to give him more examples of spending existing money wisely before hiking tuition. (UPDATE: Scott vetoed this legislation saying it would increase the debt burden of students.

SB 1994: The Florida Polytechnic University bill. This is the legislation pushed by Sen. J.D. Alexander that would officially divorce the Lakeland branch campus of the University of South Florida and turn into the state's 12th public university. Scott so far has refused to take a stance on the creation of a new school, but has expressed skepticism about it. The problem for Scott, however, is if vetoes the bill then he wipes out $16 million in funding, including $6 million for the USF College of Pharmacy and $10 million to allow current USF Polytechnic students to complete their degrees at USF. (UPDATE: In a bit of surprise, Scott signed this legislation into law.)

HB 7117: This is an energy bill that was championed by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. But the legislation - which includes $16 million in renewable energy tax credits - has come under fire by several different groups, including conservative organizations as well as the Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association. Scott during his first two years in office has continued to be skeptical about energy issues, although his main objection has centered around proposals that would raise utility bills in order to pay for renewable energy. (UPDATE: Scott signed this law although he expressed concerned about some of the provisions.)

HB 5011: State Information Technology. For most people outside of Tallahassee, this bill means little. But it's a big deal for the lobbyists and others who make a living off the millions spent by the state on technology. This bill blows up an existing state agency - the Agency for Enterprise Information Technology - and creates a new agency called the Agency for State Technology which reports to the governor and Cabinet. For those who aren't keeping count this would be the third reconfiguration of how the state handles technology issues in the last decade. The legislation also halts and repeals an already begun process to consolidate the state's email service. Rep. Denise Grimsley, the House budget chief, defended the move to get rid of the email consolidation, contending it would wind up costing the state more than anticipated. But it's worth pointing out that Scott himself early on wondered aloud why state government had multiple email accounts as opposed to the way that most businesses handle it. (UPDATE: Scott vetoed the bill.)

HB 945: Broadband Internet Service. This is another bill that not a lot of people kept an eye on. It transfers a federal stimulus-backed program from one state agency to another. But the legislation was pushed into law at the urging of lobbyists who work for a vendor that held a state contract that was not renewed. The Associated Press already reported that the legislative proposal was so closely aligned with the lobbying firm of former Republican Party of Florida chairman Al Cardenas that the Senate bill sponsor referred questions about the bill to a lobbyist working for Cardenas. That same AP story pointed out that the state agency now in control of the program has warned internally that the transfer will require federal approval and could put millions in federal grants in jeopardy. (UPDATE: This bill was signed by the governor.)

HB 937: Legal notices. Just consider this one a bit of a hunch. Scott of course famously shunned newspaper editorial boards during his 2010 campaign for governor. But since that time he has actually taken a keen interest in the news industry, including recent business moves in Florida such as the decision by Halifax Media to acquire papers owned by the New York Times Company. This legislation is aimed at ending a few years of battle over the future of legal notices. The bill requires the online listing of legal notices for no extra charge, but also keeps them in printed newspapers. In previous years legislators had tried to end the use of printed legal notices completely. The final product is supported by the Florida Press Association so it will be interesting to see how the governor responds.

One small part of Rick Scott's legacy as governor

It didn't get a lot of ink last Friday.

But along with a school voucher bill and a school prayer bill Gov. Rick Scott also signed into law a piece of legislation that will likely become a small part of his legacy as governor.

Scott quietly signed HB 1305, the bill that arose out of last summer's disclosure that Scott's transition team had somehow lost emails that covered the period between Scott's election and the time he was sworn into office.

The bill now mandates that that the governor - as well as the three Cabinet members - must preserve and make public any documents or emails they create or send after Election Day but before they are sworn into office. Scott was a strong supporter of the legislation.

Scott's own transition period back in late 2010 was a time of tremendous activity because the governor's top advisers started their recruitment of top agency positions and began assembling the initial parts of the governor's agenda.

The emails and documents that have been been made available show everything from the fact that themes in the governor's inaugural speech was poll-tested to the fact that some people sought out by the Scott administration turned down job offers. Those same documents show that inklings of ideas never enacted - including a proposal to put together a website that would list how business friendly some local communities were.

But last August it was first reported by The St. Petersburg Times that some emails were apparently missing. Scott's transition team members had tried to find the emails in the wake of public records requests, but they were unable to guarantee that all of them were available.

The Associated Press reported that one batch of emails that did surface late last summer showed that "former Gov. Jeb Bush offered that state's incoming governor a long list of "lessons learned through trial and error" that touched on everything from how to deal with those guarding his safety to telling him it was OK to veto stupid bills." Bush had also urged Scott to push for universal private school vouchers, to eliminate state money for some university programs and save money by releasing elderly prisoners.

Another set of Bush emails that was discovered months after the transition revealed that the former governor disagreed with a decision by the incoming Scott administration to fire the mother of an Army soldier who had just been killed in Afghanistan as well as others who worked in the governor’s office.

Amid the flap over the lost emails, Scott ordered an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into why the emails were lost and whether any were retrievable. Nearly eight months later that investigation has still not been wrapped up.

While the investigation has not been concluded, some information about what happened has emerged, including that emails from both an iPad and smartphone used by the governor were lost.

Transition records are generally understood to be public records, but a review of transition records by The Associated Press "showed a wide disparity in how the records – including emails – by both the governor’s office and the offices of top Cabinet officials are collected and stored. Some records are turned over to state archives, but others for example, have wound up in the basement of Capitol offices."

That review also showed that while the Scott transition team used a private company to handle its email former Gov. Charlie Crist’s transition team used state computers to handle its email accounts. But it also appeared some members of the Crist team were never asked to turn over any emails from their personal email accounts.

The new measure that Scott signed into law states that in the future statewide elected officials must keep their emails - and turn them over when they are sworn into office.

Rick Scott's incomplete grade

Gov. Rick Scott - who has billed himself as Florida's jobs governor - says repeatedly that he receives a new grade every month when Florida's unemployment rates are released.

But maybe the grade Scott should get in his first year in office is an incomplete.

Why?

Because it turns out that the numbers that Scott relies on are nothing more than preliminary estimates based on a survey of 2,500 households.

Additionally, it is likely that the numbers will be changed in March.

Here's the full story on the benchmarking and process changes that could mean that the 2.1 percentage drop that Scott has praised may be inaccurate.

As the story points out economists and others who follow unemployment data know that the numbers are subject to revision.

Some of these changes are small, yet other revisions are quite substantial. For example, the reported unemployment rate in March 2010 was 12.3 percent. In March 2011 that rate was substantially changed and lowered to 11.3 percent.

Because of the change the December 2010 unemployment rate of 12 percent is now listed as the highest on record. (State unemployment rates date back to the '70s.)

Here's a look at how much the numbers changed the last two years from what they were initially reported.

Florida Unemployment Rates (seasonally adjusted)
Before Benchmark Compared to After Benchmark January 2009 to December 2010
	Unemployment Rates
Month/Year	Before Benchmark	After Benchmark (current)
Jan-09	8.7	8.5
Feb-09	9.2	9.0
Mar-09	9.6	9.4
Apr-09	9.9	9.7
May-09	10.2	10.0
Jun-09	10.5	10.2
Jul-09	10.8	10.5
Aug-09	11.0	10.6
Sep-09	11.2	10.8
Oct-09	11.4	10.9
Nov-09	11.6	11.1
Dec-09	11.7	11.2
Jan-10	12.0	11.3
Feb-10	12.2	11.3
Mar-10	12.3	11.3
Apr-10	12.0	11.3
May-10	11.7	11.3
Jun-10	11.4	11.4
Jul-10	11.5	11.5
Aug-10	11.8	11.6
Sep-10	11.9	11.7
Oct-10	11.9	11.8
Nov-10	12.0	11.9
Dec-10	12.0	12.0
Source:  Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Labor Market Statistics Center, Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program, in
cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

When you look at the numbers, you realize that Scott's reliance on them may be a bit premature.

And these changes have nothing to do with the debate of actual workers vs. discouraged workers. For example, Florida's 9.9 percent unemployment rate is actually 10.8 percent if you include discouraged workers into the equation.

Now it is worth noting that a separate figure highlighted by Scott - the actual growth in the number of jobs - is derived from a separate survey of businesses. State economists say that between 10,000 to 15,000 businesses are questioned to get an idea on whether jobs are being added or lost.

While economists know these numbers are subject to change, they have gained a political currency in the last few years.

Former Gov. Charlie Crist, for example, praised a reported drop in unemployment that occurred in April, May and June of 2010. The new data shows that the drop never happened and in fact the unemployment rate remained flat in the spring of 2010 before climbing back up.

This allows Scott to say - as he has a couple of times now - that jobs were lost for "four straight years" until he came into office.

The question now is whether the revised numbers for 2011 will be as good as Scott has advertised them.

 

 

 

 

Major change coming to powerhouse lobbying firm

A major shakeup is coming to one of the major lobbying firms in Tallahassee.

Former Florida Attorney General and Secretary of State Jim Smith is leaving the firm that he has run since 1998 with his son-in-law Brian Ballard.

Smith & Ballard is routinely one of the top money-making firms in Tallahassee. Ballard is known as a top fundraiser for Republican candidates and was especially close to former Gov. Charlie Crist.

The most recent legislative lobbying filings show that Smith & Ballard had close to 100 clients and collected more than $1 million in income during the first three months of the year.

The new firm is going to change its name to Ballard Partners.

In a statement, Ballard said: "The firm has enjoyed tremendous growth with the latest office expansion in Jacksonville and several new professionals joining the team this year. Our new name is another step moving Ballard Partners forward. I want to personally thank Jim for the unparalleled professionalism and value he has brought to our firm as we’ve advanced into what we are today. Jim will be missed and we wish him well in the future.”

Smith, who was heading out of the country on Thursday, would not answer questions directly about why he was leaving the firm.

"I've got nothing to say,'' said Smith as he was driving with his wife away from his office. "We're going to Europe."

In an official statement put out by the firm, Smith said: "The last thirteen years as a partner at Smith & Ballard have been rewarding, both professionally and personally. I extend my thanks to Brian and our dedicated team of professionals. I am very proud of what we have built and I have every confidence they will continue to thrive – I wish all of my friends and colleagues the best in the years to come.”

While Smith is leaving he is not ending his lobbying career. The statement from the firm said that Smith would continue to do public affairs and lobbying work.

Smith & Ballard has been expanding its operations outside of Tallahassee. Earlier this year the firm added a Jacksonville office and hired Susie Wiles, the campaign manager for Gov. Rick Scott.

Smith, 71, has been a fixture in Florida's political circles. He started as a Democrat and was elected attorney general. He ran for governor in 1986 where he lost the runoff election. He switched parties to Republican and became secretary of state in 1987.

 

Scott already headed to a showdown with Legislature?

The final year of Gov. Charlie Crist's term was one that featured a running series of skirmishes between Crist and the GOP-controlled Legislature.

Crist never had a strong show of support among his fellow Republicans to begin with and his populist style of governing consistently rubbed many of them the wrong way. Of course, once Crist switched parties to run as an independent for the U.S. Senate his relationship with the Legislature went from strained to outright hostile.

But at least got Crist got some sort of honeymoon when he first came into office. It seems like an eternity ago but Crist came into office with sky-high approval ratings and lawmakers were eager to work with him. Within days of taking office, the Legislature signed off on a major overhaul of property insurance in an effort to get rate hikes under control.

Now let's look at the situation between Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature.

Scott hasn't even been in office the proverbial "100 days" and his style of governing is already creating friction.

First of all, there was his decision to try to sell his budget proposal by courting the Tea Party movement and not the people who have to pass it. Scott released his budget at a Tea Party rally in Eustis and repeatedly suggested that the current state budget was "bloated" even though Republicans have been in complete control since 1999.

This week's decision to scuttle high-speed rail without giving any advance notice to lawmakers appears to really have infuriated a number of Republicans. Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland and an early backer of Scott, gave him the ultimate knock and suggested that he didn't approach the decision like a "businessman." The Scott administration has done their own pushback by turning to conservative media outlets and looking to their Tea Party allies for support. A majority of the Senate, however, wrote a letter to U.S. officials asking that they give the state time to try to bypass the governor.

And then in a sign that the honeymoon is almost all but over Sen. J.D Alexander wrote a letter this week suggesting that how Scott sold off two state planes ran afoul of state laws regarding budgeting and the disposal of surplus property.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos on Friday sided with Scott on high speed rail against the majority of members in his own chamber, but the question is whether his decision is more about positioning himself in the 2012 U.S. Senate race then it is about siding with Scott.

This quick breakdown is not completely surprising. Here's what I wrote in the Florida Tribune back in December:

Dealing with the Legislature: There have been some comparisons made between Scott and former Gov. Bush. Both were businessmen who had never run for office before and found themselves in the thick of Tallahassee politics and government.

But that may be where the parallels end. Scott will likely get some sort of honeymoon with the GOP-controlled Legislature when he takes office. But it would seem unlikely he will get the same type of compliant Legislature that Bush got. Scott’s partners – Senate President Mike Haridopolos and House Speaker Dean Cannon – had a marriage of convenience after their candidate, Attorney General Bill McCollum, got bounced. But the two leaders have their own agenda – and own political futures – to consider over the next two years. And with a veto-proof majority, they don’t have to play nice.

Plus Bush was elected by a wide margin and enjoyed rock star status from day one.  If you were a Republican legislator, there were clear political reasons to remain loyal. Additionally, Bush’s first term was enhanced by House Speaker John Thrasher, who made it clear that his number one goal was helping the Republican governor succeed.

So the bottom line is this: The 2010 session was fairly unpredictable due to the hostility between the Legislature and Crist.

Yet it seems that the 2011 session could be even more dynamic. In the recent past, a governor usually triangulated against the Legislature by aligning himself with one of the chambers against the other chamber.

Right now, it's not clear that Scott will have that luxury. Cannon has his own agenda - like making changes to the state's judicial branch - but so far he has refrained from warmly embracing priorities of either Scott or the Senate. Haridopolos may support Scott because of his own political aspirations, but it appears that his own GOP senators may be unwilling to join him.

The next few months could be one heck of a ride.

 

 

 

 

Make or break day for Gov. Scott?

Largely out of his own making, this could be a make or break day for Gov. Rick Scott.

Scott, after building up anticipation for weeks now, will finally unveil his ideas later today on how to balance the state's budget and rebuild the state's economy. And in an interesting and politically confrontational way the "outsider" governor has chosen to release his budget at a Tea Party event in Central Florida.

This is quite a turnabout from the days of Gov. Charlie Crist. That's because while Crist's budget recommendations generated about a day's worth of news it was quickly eclipsed by the actions of the Florida Legislature. In fact, some lawmakers resented what they considered Crist's optimistic outlook and proposals versus the bleak fiscal reality that has settled over the state since the recession pushed the state's economy into a tailspin.

This is why Crist's budget proposals, especially those in the later half of his time as governor, were somewhat ignored.

Now we have the bitter medicine likely to be recommended by Scott. Mammoth spending cuts of $5 billion as well as significant tax cuts that he says will respark the state's economy.

But unlike Crist the new governor has banked most of his entire legislative agenda for 2011 on the proposals that he says will be explained in his budget, whether it's his property tax cuts or his bid to reform the state pension plan. Scott last month even vowed that lawmakers would pass his budget.

On the one hand some lawmakers are amazed that Scott is willing to be the "bad guy" so to speak. In other words, he's come out with with the really tough proposals that could likely make the Legislature appear somewhat benevolent in return.

Scott, however, is trying for an interesting political gambit. Since he operated outside the traditional GOP infrastructure, he's turning to the Tea Party groups to help act as his constituency for his recommendations. In recent weeks, he has warned about the "special interest groups" that will complain loudly about his proposals.

This is in itself a tacit acknowledgement that the "interest group" that Scott has to battle could be the Republican-controlled Legislature. The unspoken truth here is that Scott doesn't owe his victory to them, nor do legislative leaders owe any true support to him.

There are other things, however, that could undercut Scott's budget proposal. First, it slipped out on Friday that Scott intends to propose a "two-year" budget. The argument highlighted in an Associated Press story was that Scott wanted to take a longer view on the state's fiscal conditions.

But the problem is the Legislature is required to pass a budget every year.

Additionally, if Scott is pushing money, expenses, cuts off into a second year in order to create an overall balanced budget than his proposals are going to get short-circuited very quickly. Lawmakers have spent the last four years complaining about "gimmicks" that came from Crist. If Scott does something similiar, he could risk losing his credibility with the Legislature.

Other things to watch for today: How Scott treats so-called "trust" funds and the use of non-recurring money.

Donna Arduin, the former budget chief for Gov. Jeb Bush and one of Scott's advisors, helped draw up the new budget. Arudin, while working with Bush, basically disagreed with some of the central tenets that lawmakers relied on when building a budget. Arduin would make the argument that taxpayer money is taxpayer money and it doesn't matter if it came from the state's sales tax or came from a highly specialized fee that an industry paid.

This goes against a deeply ingrained mindset - as evidenced recently by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam comments on the Department of Citrus - that some taxes aren't "state tax dollars." Arduin's rejoinder was that money is money and if came out of someone's pocket and was sent to state government than the state has the discretion to spend wherever it's needed. But groups such as homebuilders, Realtors and road builders, view it in a much different light. They will argue that some of these trust funds help these industries create jobs.

Another thing that Arduin disagreed with lawmakers on: The use of non-recurring money versus recurring money. This is a bit of an arcane idea, but legislators compare it to using your savings account to pay the mortgage. Your mortgage is due every month so you should pay with a steady stream of income instead of utilizing a one-time source of cash. Arduin felt otherwise during her stint with Bush and the governor would recommend budgets that would rely on non-recurring, so-called one-time sources of cash, to pay for operating expenses. It was largely due to Arduin's influence that the Legislature placed a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2006 that requires a three-fifths vote to approve a budget that uses more than 3 percent of non-recurring revenue for recurring purposes.

Of course, it's the budget cuts that will likely create a great amount of uproar and political consternation.

But if you put it all together this budget proposal could bring a quick end to Scott's honeymoon with the Legislature.

If lawmakers reject Scott's tax cuts, Scott's immigration proposal, and Scott's spending cuts, then it will be a long four years. Legislators do seem inclined to do some sort of pension reform - so that will be counted as a win regardless of the final design. Additionally, Scott appears to win approval of his bid bid to centralize economic development efforts.

Still if Scott gets about half of what he wants in his first year then how much will be get in his fourth year?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie Crist's last act of defiance

Lost in the swirl of the holidays - and the impending arrival of Governor-elect Rick Scott - is that the outgoing governor late last Friday used his executive power for one final time in a way that goes beyond the way it has traditionally been used.

Crist essentially ordered that the state begin to offer extended jobless benefits to Floridians that had been approved by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama.

So why the big deal? Because until earlier in this year it was assumed that only the Florida Legislature had the power to do this. In fact, legislators the last two years have passed bills authorizing previous extensions.

But Crist back in September - and now on his way out the door - circumvented state lawmakers and did it himself.

Now to be sure, without Crist's actions, there would have been a lag between Congressional action and the state extending the benefits. Yet if one just reads the executive order that ordered the extension you can see that Crist is trying to justify his executive power, by noting "substantial injury" to Floridians and that the extension is "vital to the welfare and economic security of Floridians."

But what the executive order does not say is that there is an actual emergency that justifies his decision to issue it. Florida law gives a governor tremendous power to waive normal rules and laws, but only if there is a declared emergency. Instead Crist's executive order points out that it is his "constitutional duty" to take care that laws are faithfully executed.

It appears that neither the Florida House or Florida Senate intend to challenge the decision.

Crist's action is a reminder that one part of his legacy will be how he expanded the power of the governor.

Crist throughout his four years in office issued executive orders and used his budget-veto pen in a way that legislators contended was likely illegal. But state lawmakers failed to challenge the legality of these actions because doing so would have provoked a political backlash. Some previous examples include Crist’s use of emergency powers to extend early voting hours in 2008 and his decision to veto a two-percent pay cut for state employees in 2009.

In only one major instance - when Crist unilaterally signed a compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida - did the Legislature follow through and actually sue the governor. The state Supreme Court sided with lawmakers and made it clear that Crist did not have the power to let the tribe sidestep existing gaming laws. This led to an impasse that was not eventually resolved until this past year.

More importantly, however, is whether or not Scott intends to use the precedent created by Crist during his four years in office.

 

When's the music's over for Gov. Charlie Crist

Gov. Charlie Crist, whose own political career may or may not be coming to an end on Jan. 4, will get a last splash of national and international publicity on Thursday when the state clemency board votes on whether to grant a pardon to James Morrison, a.k.a Jim Morrison, the lead singer for The Doors, for his conviction stemming from his notorious concert in Miami in 1969.

Morrison's case will be no. 40 on the clemency agenda under the heading of "undetermined recommendations."

Fans of the dead rock star had been asking Crist to take action during his entire time in office. But the governor never gave a definitive answer on whether or not he thought Morrison deserved a pardon until recently.

Crist can't give out a pardon on his own, but he has the two other votes on the clemency board he needs to grant it. Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who a year ago said she did not know who Morrison is, said on Wednesday that she had spent the afternoon reviewing the case file and listening to his music and would go along with it.

Does the pardon have some political risk if Sink and Crist choose to run for office later? Maybe. The governor's office on Wednesday that Crist's office has received almost 200 inquiries about the case. Through e-mails, letters and phone calls there were 120 people in support of the pardon and 77 opposed. The ACLU has weighed in and complained that Crist is taking time to deal with Morrison while there remain problems with the restoration of civil rights for those who are still living.

Stan Newsom, for example, wrote Crist and said: "I am a big fan of The Doors, but for the life of me I can't understand why you would consider wasting the governments money to even entertain this idea. It will have no impact on Mr. Morrison and will cost money for you to take any actions to grant such a pardon. A ridiculous idea, please quit spending the taxpayers money for this trivial stuff.

Ruth Nixon, who called herself a registered voter from Apopka, wrote Crist and said: "He was a great singer and a proud Floridian. His fans would like to see his name cleared." Roxy Feldman called a pardon "the right thing to do" and noted that she was a Democrat who had voted for Crist as governor and for U.S. Senate.

Michele Epstein from New York City wrote Crist and said the fact that Morrison in 1970 he was cleared on drunkenness and lascivious behavior charges yet convicted of indecent exposure of profanity was "incomprehensible and bizarre." She wrote that "logically he should either been convicted of all four, or none of the charges. Furthermore the fact that not a single photograph, taken by many individuals at that Miami concert, shows Morrison exposing himself, clearly indicates a miscarriage of justice...I have read a great deal about that event and the subsequent trial and cannot believe that none of your predecessors has seen fit to exonerate one of your most gifted and famous "sons." 

Denis Quilligan, who called himself a "retired law enforcement officer" who worked for both the St. Petersburg Police Department and then the State Attorney's Office, was adamant that the pardon should not be granted.

"Jim Morrison was fairly tried and convicted in Dade County in 1970 and that conviction should remain on his record,'' wrote Qulligan. "Your pardoning him would be an affront to the judicial system and law enforcement generally. You have a earned a great deal of respect during your term as Governor. Please, please, let that conviction stand!"

Shannon Marcum from Ohio wrote Crist and suggested that it would harm Morrison's image as a rebel if the pardon was granted.

"Although I was not yet born when this occurred, the music of the Doors and Mr. Morrison have been a great part of my life. As a professional touring musician in my youth and the 38-year-old dad in sales I am today, the mystique of Jim Morrison lived on and off stage and I am sure many would agree with me in saying his pain made him a genius, like many tormented artists before him.  It is my opinion that to right this wrong at this point would somehow erase the most important crossroads of his life. The rebel in that skin has transcended time and generations and has been passed on in his soul and his words. I would like to ask you to reconsider this issue and NOT grant this pardon."

(Photo courtesy of the Museum of Florida History)

Some surprises in the list of those hoping to stay on with Scott

Monday was the deadline for members of the administration of Gov. Charlie Crist to formally submit their resignations in advance of the switch to Governor-elect Rick Scott.

Some people - including Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham - had already made it clear that they were departing by Jan. 3.

But the resignation letters also showed that people such as Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon and Department of Health Secretary Ana Viamonte Ros are departing and have not asked to be kept on.

Still there were a handful of surprises, including the fact that Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Frank Peterman and Department of Corrections Secretary Walt McNeil asked to stay. Both are Democrats, but beyond that Peterman has had to endure negative publicity over his travel expenses. McNeil, meanwhile, is asking to remain even though Scott has a contentious plan to slash spending in the prisons budget in half.

You can find out more about who asked to stay here at the Florida Tribune.

 

Rick Scott's long list of challenges

A beaming Governor-elect Rick Scott and his wife, Ann, showed up at the governor’s mansion on Monday night where they joined Gov. Charlie Crist and First Lady Carole Crist for a symbolic menorah lighting ceremony.

Scott helped 11-year-old Mendy Oirechman light the candles of a large menorah that was placed up against one of the front windows and he later held hands with Crist as they briefly danced with some of the rabbis in attendance.

The ceremony, which was started under former Gov. Jeb Bush, was a tangible sign of some of the many social responsibilities that come with being governor. But it also could be seen as a prelude of many of the large and small challenges that will confront Scott once he is sworn into office in early January.

During the half-hour ceremony, he was reminded of Florida’s insurance problems when he was asked whether he planned to follow Crist’s footsteps. Crist went to Jerusalem and placed a prayer in the Wailing Wall where he asked God to spare Florida from hurricanes.  Rabbi Schneur Z. Oirechman politely asked whether or not the mezuzah that now sits on the door jamb into Crist’s office would remain once Scott becomes governor. Crist back in 2007 took some heat from groups such as the ACLU for placing the religious symbol in his office.

But there are many other large challenges that are looming for the rookie governor whether it's the state budget mess, the dismal economy, Medicaid and even the brewing leadership battle for the Republican Party of Florida.

The complete rundown on Scott's challenges can be found here at the Florida Tribune.