The Fine Print

Alex Sink says this is "probably the smartest" thing Rick Scott has done while governor

On the campaign trail, Gov. Rick Scott accused his Democratic rival of allowing the state’s pension fund to lose billions when she was in office.

 One hard-hitting television ad said that Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink had allowed the state to invest in “risky investments” and a spokesman even called her oversight of the retirement fund for teachers, state workers and county employees a “disaster.”

“You have been a failed fiscal watchdog,’’ Scott told Sink during one of their televised debates.

But in the two-and-a-half months since Scott became governor he has made no sweeping changes in the agency that oversees the pension fund – or pushed to change any of the investment policies now in place. He’s left in place Ash Williams, the executive director of the State Board of Administration, the agency that runs the state pension plan.

The target of his attacks says Scott may have learned after the election that things were better than he suggested.

“Maybe he’s seen the light and recognized we definitely have one of the top five pension funds in the country,’’ Sink said.

Sink added that his decision so far to not make any changes is “probably the smartest thing he’s done for now.”

Read the story here at the Herald-Tribune.

Whose budget pork is it anyway?

This got some quick attention earlier this week but it merits a bit of discussion.

Florida legislative leaders announced that for the third year in a row that they won't allow fellow legislators to put in community budget requests -- or the Tallahassee version of earmarks.

The rationale from House Speaker Dean Cannon and Senate President Mike Haridopolos was that the state's ongoing fiscal crisis means that allowing members to file in such requests would "create unrealistic funding expectations for the coming year."

There's no doubt that the coming year will be tough again. Lawmakers will head into the spring session with a projected budget shortfall that could range anywhere from $2.5 billion to as small as $828 million depending on what legislators decide to fund.A key factor is that chunks of the federal stimulus will drop out of the budget.

State law allows for community budget issue requests. This is a process where cities, counties as well as private and non-profit organizations can request funding for items like, oh, astroturf for a South Florida flag football league.

But local projects can still get funded without these community budget requests, even in tough budget years. There were several local projects that were placed in the state budget by powerful legislators during the 2010 session.

The only difference is that without the community budget requests it's much harder to figure out where they came from and who wanted them.

CBIR's as they are also known usually require a lawmaker to list the background of a project and even the names and phone numbers of those who are asking for the money. The item is also supposed to include whether it was requested by a state agency or has local matching money.

The one caveat, however, is that top leaders, including House speakers and Senate presidents rarely attach their name to CBIR's even though they wind up being instrumental in getting millions set aside to their own pet projects.

During the 2010 campaign season Democrat Loranne Ausley, a candidate for Chief Financial Officer, said that the Legislature should reinstate the system of requiring the community budget requests so that "politicians must own their pork spending." She ripped then Senate President Jeff Atwater for jettisoning community budget issue requests.

When asked about it this fall, Atwater was fairly dismissive of Ausley's ideas.

He noted that back in 2007 - the year that former Rep. Ray Sansom put in money for a $6 million hangar and the year that lawmakers put together a controversial bond deal for the First DCA Courthouse - that the Legislature did use the community budget requests but that things got in the budget anyway.

The hangar, of course, led eventually to Sansom's indictment while the courthouse continues to generate headlines.

Atwater contends the changes that lawmakers used during the last two sessions are superior. This included unveiling budget conforming bills in public meetings and forcing university officials to appear at a public hearing to make requests for construction dollars.

The question is whether or not Cannon or Haridopolos will retain these practices. The new Senate and House rules passed last week were silent on how lawmakers will handle the budget conferences during the 2011 session.

House and Senate staff have suggested that they will likely handle it as they did this past spring, but there's been no official word yet.

 

 

GOP legislator urged a "no vote" against Atwater but changed his mind

Rep. Charles Van Zant, who this week sent out an e-mail suggesting GOP candidate for governor Rick Scott would support a near ban on abortion, also told his supporters on Monday that he would not be backing Senate President Jeff Atwater for Chief Financial Officer.

The reason? He said that Atwater during the 2010 session scrapped a meeting with him when Van Zant wanted to talk about the Florida Right to Life Act, the bill that would ban abortion in all nearly all cases except if the mother's life was in danger. Van Zant said that initially Atwater agreed to meet with him but that it was cancelled after Atwater's staff were told it was about Van Zant's bill.

Brian Hughes, communications director for Atwater's campaign, said that "if staff treated Representative Van Zandt unprofessionally that was certainly not Jeff’s intent and it is regrettable. Jeff Atwater has a consistent, conservative record. Jeff has been endorsed by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the NRA, and Florida Right to Life.  These endorsements all reflect support for his plan to cut government waste, give more accountability and transparency to Floridians, and champion the entrepreneurs who will grow the state's economy while creating jobs."

Hughes added that "Jeff apologized to Representative Van Zant for the confusion about the meeting, and the representative said he accepted."

Hughes then forwarded a e-mail that Van Zant put out this morning:

Dear friends,

Since my e-mail to you on Monday, I feel compelled to further comment on Jeff Atwater's race for Florida's Chief Financial Officer. 

Tuesday, Mr. Atwater telephoned me and we talked for about 45 minutes.  He apologized for the cancellation of our meeting regarding the Florida for Life Act and said he would never knowingly cancel a meeting on a pro-life issue.  I personally believe he is sincere and have accepted his apology and statement.  In addition, he has accepted full responsibility for what happened.

Jeff Atwater has a standing 10-year pro-life voting record.  His pro-life credentials have always been very clear.  He has also assured me that as a member of Florida's cabinet, his door will always be open to help legislators on pro-life issues. 

Here's what Van Zant said in the e-mail he sent out on Monday:

Chief Financial Officer: NO to Jeff Atwater. 

For the record, last year Jeff Atwater agreed to a legislative meeting with me in his office.  When the Florida for Life Act, that would ban abortion and protect the lives of unborn Floridians was given to his staff as the subject of the meeting, the meeting was abruptly cancelled and he refused to meet with me.  I will not vote for him.