Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island
Congratulations to Rick Scott on becoming the 45th governor of Florida. Im excited to work with Governor Scott as a partner in achieving an agenda that benefits all Floridians.
On Tuesday, hours before hetook office as the 45th governor of the state of Florida, Rick Scott looked for help from above at a prayer breakfast held in Tallahassee.
While Florida is the fourth largest state and a battleground every presidential election, neither of the major parties has ever included a Floridian on its presidential tickets. There are plenty of reasons for this -- Florida was a member of the Solid South after Reconstruction and took decades to develop, for example. But one of those reasons is that rising political stars from the Sunshine State quickly fizzle.
Gov. Charlie Crist sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday, arguing the cold weather has so devastated Floridas agriculture that the USDA should declare more than half of the states 67 counties a disaster area.
Parade magazine will run an interview on Sunday with former U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough, the Republican who represented the Panhandle for six years in Congress before turning cable news host.
In the interview, Scarborough played down talk that he would join New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on an independent presidential ticket in 2012, but said it was possible he could make a political comeback.
With 2012 in sight, a dark horse looking at running for the Republican presidential nomination will be heading to New Hampshire for an extended stay next week. Former Gov. Gary Johnson, who served two terms in New Mexico, will travel to the Granite State, site of the first presidential primary, to talk about federal spending and how Congress can reduce it.
The jockeying continues to see who will be the next chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Former RPOF Chairman Tom Slade endorsed former Rep. Dave Bitner this week, praising the current Jefferson County RPOF committeeman for his commitment to conservative values.
While his name has generated a good deal of buzz, especially since the November elections, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said before Christmas he is more focused on running the Lone Star State and the Republican Governors Association rather than launching a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
In the dying days of his term, Gov. Charlie Crist has made a number of key appointments that will shape the future of the Sunshine State for years to come -- in fact, 14 already this week.
Incoming Gov. Rick Scott named two key appointments Tuesday -- Bryan Koon as state director of emergency management and Indiana Department of Corrections Commissioner Edwin G. Buss to head up theFlorida Department of Corrections.
