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Joe Negron, Like Patrick Murphy, Livin' Large With the Rich and Famous

Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, wasn't born with a Patrick Murphy-style silver spoon in his mouth, but that hasn't stopped the soon-to-be president of the Florida Senate from lovin' life with the swells like Patrick, and hightailing it out of Dodge, away from that smelly mess of goo in the local estuary. 

I wrote about Murphy making the Great Escape to the high life in old-money Nantucket, Mass. during the worst of the algae bloom crisis last week. So, I think it's only fair that I mention Negron did the same thing a few days earlier -- only he jetted off in the other direction, to new-money Pebble Beach Golf Resort near Carmel and Monterey in California.

Pebble Beach? You betcha. Probably less to escape the algae than to fill his pockets. 

Sen. Joe Negron, on his four-day Florida university tour in April

Whereas Murphy likely was keeping his fundraising in the family, as is his wont, Negron went in search of the Golden Goose by drinking a little wine, playing a little golf, loving that good California climate and hobnobbing with millionaires -- or so I'm told. Unlike Murphy, though, Negron made it back to tour the algae blooms with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. (Word is, Sens. Anitere Flores, Lizbeth Benacquisto, and Rob Bradley joined the two-day cash-grab at Pebble Beach.) 

According to Lloyd Dunkelberger writing in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Negron had real business in California. He wants to establish Florida as home to "destinaton" universities, right? Well, Pebble Beach is where he can learn something about California's “destination” universities. I guess.

Trouble is, Dunkleberger said Negron might have received a lesson in why "destination" universities maybe aren't such a good idea for Floridians after all. He might have found out a state university can become too successful in drawing out-of-state students, to the detriment of in-state students.

"At least that’s the opinion of many California state lawmakers who are debating a proposal to cap out-of-state enrollment in the University of California system," writes Dunkelberger. "Their motivation was based on a recent report showing 34 percent of admission offers at UC Berkeley went to non-residents, 41 percent at UCLA and 39 percent at UC San Diego."

Never mind. I'll bet at least the golf was great.

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