In what has generally been a quiet race for chief financial officer, an issue over "free lunch" is creating some heat.
In 2008, then-House member Loranne Ausley wrote and introduced a bill that would have removed a key part of a gift-ban provision. That law was implemented and supported, among others, by her current rival for CFO, Jeff Atwater.
Her change would have gotten rid of the provision that prevents lobbyists from buying expensive meals for legislators.
The Ausley campaign responded to the news by saying the bill was "aimed at allowing nonprofits and organizations like local chambers of commerce or civic organizations to hold a luncheon and invite a legislator without having to ask the lawmaker for cash."
But the Atwater campaign is crying foul, saying Ausley is trying to distort the truth.
"Read the bill," said Brian Hughes, Atwater's campaign spokesman. "Ausley had no language ensuring these free meals would come from nonprofits, unless millionaire lobbyists and rich corporations like tobacco companies suddenly changed their tax status."
The original ban was put in place in an effort to help clean up corruption in the state capital.
Hughes says Ausley's claims are just an attempt to deflect voters away from her record of pandering to special interests and Tallahassee insiders.
"The bottom line is that 'Free Lunch Loranne' wanted lobbyists to have special access and spend their money buying her food and drinks," said Hughes. "Ausley is a hypocrite who says she wants to clean up Tallahassee while the record shows she wants her insider pals to wine and dine her."
When asked how they claim the change was targeted to help nonprofits, even when there's no language in the bill suggesting that to be the case, Ausley's campaign spokesperson Kevin Cate responded by saying, "we stand by our statement."
Lane Wright can be reached at lane@sunshinestatenews.com or at (561) 247-1063.
