Archive for June, 2010
This didn't take long. Rick Scott's campaign is asking
challenger Bill McCollum about his role in the Jim Greer
saga.
It comes after prosecutors released a secretly taped phone
call in which Delmar Johnson said "McCollum played a much bigger
role behind the scenes than we realize."
Scott campaign: With
new information coming to light, Florida voters deserve to know more
about Bill McCollum’s behind the scenes role in negotiating his
political kingmaker’s severance package and cover-up. Was Bill McCollum
questioned and if not was it because of his position as Attorney
General?
From Politico: Former hospital executive Rick Scott, a deep-pocketed and increasingly serious candidate for governor of Florida, attacked his Republican Primary rival today for having backed former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 2008. Attorney General Bill McCollum "endorsed pro-abortion and pro-homosexual rights candidate Rudy Giuliani for president in 2008 and was a Giuliani campaign leader in Florida," wrote Scott consultant Keith Appell in a memo to reporters. McCollum faced attacks from the right on gay rights his 2004 Senate bid, but has more recently been criticized for retaining an anti-gay activist since accused of hiring a gay prostitute as an expert witness.
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Stung by the Public Service Nominating Council when it refused to interview her for reappointment to her job, PSC Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano fired off a blistering statement that accuses the legislature for being "corrupt and corruptible'' and that "money talks in Tallahassee.''
"I take some pride in having leveled the playing field, consistent with the law, so that hte ratepayer, with no protection other than the integrity of five commissioners, could compete with the monopolies…" she said. "That this should have cost me my job, given the decreptitude of the legislature, was a foregone conclusion."
Here's her full statement: Download Argenziano Press Release – 06.30.2010
Gov. Charlie Crist said he is not worried about his role as a
state's witness in the criminal case against his handpicked GOP boss Jim
Greer and how it might affect his U.S. Senate bid.
"No a
whole lot. I'd rather it hadn't happened, obviously, but I have such
an abundance of faith in the fairness of Floridians," he said in an
interview with the Times/Herald's Steve Bousquet.
Crist,
who said he has not retained an attorney, said the vast majority of
voters have no interest in the Greer case. "It’s intriguing I guess," he
said by phone as he was driving in Miami, "but I guarantee you these
cars that are going by
me now they don’t have a clue and they don’t really care."
Crist
flew from Pensacola to Miami this morning for campaign fundraising
events. Asked why he is listed as a witness, he said, "I don’t know why.
I can’t tell you anything about it. But I’m happy to do anything to
bring justice to bear."
He said he submitted an affidavit to clear
the air. "I thought it was the right thing to do," he said. "I wanted
to make it crystal clear that (Victory Strategies) was something that I
had nothing to do with. The truth is in writing."
In quick fashion Wednesday, the legislature-dominated Public Service Commission Nominating Council ousted Gov. Charlie Crist's two appointees to the state utility board, landing the final blow to the panel that voted against the two largest rate increases in state history.
The 12-member council voted to interview 18 candidates for the two positions on the state utility board in August, and refused to interview PSC chairwoman Nancy Argenziano or commissioner Nathan Skop.
Argenziano and Skop had sought reappointment for the four-year term but were widely opposed by the powerful utility industry, particularly Florida Power & Light, who saw them as hostile regulators. Their terms expire January 2011 for the $130,000 a year job.
The council had no debate about the 55 candidates who applied for thejob, just some discussion about a future energy policy. This removes all but one of the commissioners who voted to reject the largest rate increases sought by FPL and Progress Energy. It had been a goal of the companies to remove the other two Crist appointees, Benjamin "Steve'' Stevens and David Klement and the Florida Senate agreed and refused to confirm them.
Argenziano said in a statement that the decision came as no surprise, and blamed the legislature and the business lobbying group, Associated Industries of Florida, which has been a close ally of FPL on legislative issues.
"I take some pride in having leveled the playing field, consistent with the law, so that hte ratepayer, with no protection other than the integrity of five commissioners, could compete with the monopolies," she said. "That this should have cost me my job, given the decreptitude of the legislature, was a foregone conclusion."
The nominating council is controlled by the Florida Legislature, with six legislators and a chairman, Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Sarasota, whose pro-industry leanings are evident in the political committee Bennett chairs, named "Committee Supporting Utilities and Competitive Commerce." The nominating council also includes six lay people, some of whom work with the utility industry in their jobs.
Armando Olivera, CEO of FPL which is now known as NextEra Energy, told the Miami Herald editorial board on Wednesday that they would not comment on FPL's role in the ousting of Argenziano and Skop, but did not deny a statement from a NextEra manager that the company's lobbyists Eric Silagy and Paul Hamilton had either direct or indirect contact with members of the nominating council in their attempt to persuade them to oust the sitting commissioners.
"As a matter of policy, we don't talk about the political process," Olivera said. "There it's not in anybody's interest for us to weigh in the political process, nor have we commented on PSC appointments. We're a regulated company, a lot better off not [commenting] on regulators and whether we like a regulator or don't like a regulator."
Bennett said the council rejected Argenziano and Skop because they didn't like the internal politics at the commission, even though there was no public debate and no discussion about their performance.
"It appeared that they were more than willing to take the disagreement to the public," he said. "I just believe that you don't need to do that. You can disagree without being disagreeable. I don't feel like we ousted anybody. We were looking for a Public Service Commission that will be more congenial, more cooperative."
The panel has recommended eight names to Crist to replace Klement and Stevens. He has until July 15 to pick his choices or the nominating council will do it for him.
Argenziano received a vote from Sen. Arthenia Joyner and Skop received a vote from Sen. Steve Oelrich and Gerri McPherson.
State Senator Mike Fasano, a harsh critic of the utility industry, said the move by the council was a blow to consumers in Florida.
"It is evident that unless you support the big utility companies you will never have a chance to continue serving on the Florida Public Service Commission," Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said in a statement. "…They were not afraid to ask tough questions and not walk in lockstep with utilities."
Saturday July 17th and Sunday, July 18th
9am
War Memorial Auditorium (Holiday Park)
800 NE 8th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Free Admission
- The 20,000 sq ft facility will have 1000’s of the most popular brands of bikes and accessories on display and for sale at the lowest prices you will find in South Florida.
- Watch the Tour de France with fellow cycling enthusiasts. They’lll be showing it on a giant screen each morning just as soon as the doors open.
- Donate an old bike to ‘Jack the Bike Man‘, who will be at the Expo… For years, Jack has been fixing up donated bikes and giving them out at Christmas time to underprivileged kids in South Florida.
- Come ride, hang, watch, and talk with pro BMX riders Nigel Sylvester and Lennie Westfall. BMX demo 7/17 1pm
- A free bike will be giving away every 2 hours!
- Spinning demo 7/18 12pm
More info here.
Peter loved life. He biked most days to the ocean – went for a swim before riding back home. He and his wife Karen had motorcycles which they rode to concerts and plays. They were both avid windsurfers on Rickenbacker Causeway – that is how I met them – now they are both dead. Their story is so sad. I have to start with, I didn’t really like them: Karen was too quiet for my taste and hard to
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The blogsphere is jumping with rumors of suspected collateral damage from the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. A mysterious die-off of birds and plants along the Mississippi, a video reporting an oil-streaked rain falling in Louisiana. Mother Jones concludes: "So what to make of the video? I’d guess we’re probably seeing the sheen of runoff from roads, parking lots, etc. (Let’s not forget that
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At this point, the video clips from infamous hip-hop escort Kat Stacks are just getting straight-up depressing. (Click here, here, and here to catch up on the latest major chapters of her s…
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Regular Crossfade contributor, Christopher Lopez, has never made any bones about his inherent distrust of bachata boy band Aventura. But now that the group’s playing a two-night stand at t…
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