GOP Gubernatorial Hopeful Bob White Gives Special Session Low Marks

Bob White, the chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida and currently a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, gave the Florida Legislature low marks for the special session it held last week. 

White had penned an open letter to the Legislature last week urging it to stay true to conservative principles on economic development project funding and other issues. But, when the smoke cleared, White ripped into the legislative leadership after the session. 

Bob White

 "It is a sad state of affairs that we can no longer take the word of our legislative leadership,” White said on Monday. “The people of Florida were promised more transparency. We were promised that we would see principled governance even when it was not politically expedient. In the end we were deceived.
 
"What we have seen with this special session, as we have so many times before, is that legislative leaders, bolstered by their control over millions of dollars in special interest contributions, rule the day in Tallahassee and there is little anyone will do to stand up against them," White added.  
"The people of Florida are fed up with a legislative process dominated by back room deals, special interest lobbyists, dark money, and a lack of transparency not only in the process but also in how our tax dollars are so often spent with no real accountability."

White insisted the frustrations he and other conservatives had with special session underscored why he was in the gubernatorial race. He also jabbed Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who is also running for the Republican nomination, as a “career politician.”
 
"We need change in Tallahassee and that change starts at the top,” White said. “We need to send a message that we will not tolerate being lied to and our state seemingly up for sale to the highest special interest bidder. That is what my campaign was predicated on and what we will always stand for. The people of Florida, conservative principles and ethics in office, will always come first for me as governor. I am not a career politician like my opponent but I do have a keen understanding of the process and that is exactly what we need in Florida. An outsider with experience that will have the people’s interests at heart and not those of the special interests.”