SAUNDERS TO RUN FOR SENATE
House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders withdrew from his re-election campaign on Friday and said he plans to file on Monday to run for a South Florida state Senate seat in District 39. The district, the way it was recently drawn, is largely similar to the previous district, including parts of Miami-Dade and several other South Florida counties, and the entire Florida Keys, where Saunders is from. He narrowly lost in a previous race for the Senate seat to Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, who is term-limited. However, her son, Rep. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, is running for the seat, as is former Rep. James Bush of Miami. "I think I have a good shot at it," Saunders said.
SENATE MAPS SUBMITTED TO FEDS
The second draft of new maps for the state Senate were submitted Friday to the U.S. Justice Department for "pre-clearance" under the Voting Rights Act. In a memo contained with the filing, the state argued that the plan easily complies with the act. "There cannot be any serious issue concerning discriminatory purpose in the covered counties," the memo says. "The minority districts there largely followed the districts recommended by civil-rights groups and materially preserved the ability of minority voters in those counties to elect their preferred candidates." The submission should give the Justice Department the full 60 days it has under the Voting Rights Act to review the proposal before candidate qualifying begins. Any changes to Florida elections law must be considered by the federal agency or a federal court before going into effect in five counties with a history of racial discrimination. Maps for the House were submitted March 13.
ETHICS PANEL BUMPS NORMAN PENALTY TO SENATE, CLEARS RADER
The Florida Commission on Ethics will send to the state Senate charges that Sen. Jim Norman failed to disclose the gift of a half million home to his wife. Norman, R-Tampa, admits he failed to disclose the gift when he ran for the Senate in 2010, but his lawyer argues it was simply a mistake. Norman's lawyer, Mark Levine, said the senator settled the claim because he wanted to simply get the issue behind him, though he'll now have to wait to see what punishment the Senate decides to impose. The Ethics Commission has no power to penalize Norman. "It's simply a disclosure issue and we felt the best thing to do for efficiency purposes was to resolve it by settlement agreement and let the Senate decide on any appropriate penalty." The government watchdog group Integrity Florida doesn't buy the idea that Norman simply failed to report the gift of a house because he didn't know about the gift. "I hope the Senate takes this issue seriously," said Dan Krassner of Integrity Florida. "Failure to disclose a $500,000 asset is something that should concern all taxpayers. We want to make sure that public servants are doing the publics business, not gaining privately based on their position." Meanwhile, former Rep. Kevin Rader of Delray Beach was cleared by the commission of failure to disclose part ownership of an insurance firm. Rader, a Democrat who is planning to run for the state Senate, disclosed ownership of another firm, which in turn owned the company in question. The charges will be dropped.
JUSTICE LEWIS' DAUGHTER LINDSAY LEWIS DIES
Lindsay Marie Lewis, the daughter of Florida Supreme Court Justice R. Fred Lewis and Judy Munc Lewis has died after a lifelong battle with a rare mitochondrial disorder that left her unable to walk, deaf and blind. She was 26. An obituary in the Tallahassee Democrat said Lindsay "had a zest for life that never waned," and "she never met a person she didn't like, and her love for people shone on her face every day of her life." She attended Swift Creek Middle School and graduated from Lincoln High School in Tallahassee. She was a Tallahassee Museum volunteer. In addition to Justice Lewis and her mother, Lindsay Lewis is survived by her sister Elle Lewis Anderson and husband Clarke and two nieces. A memorial service is set for Monday, at Saint Paul's United Methodist Church in Tallahassee at 6 p.m.
