Even before he takes the gavel, Senate President-designate Joe Negron returns to Tallahassee a wounded duck.
Personal interest got the best of him.
Negron, R-Stuart, lost more than he ever imagined Tuesday night. All manner of candidates at the state, local and federal level, Republican and Democrat alike -- virtually all who tied themselves to environmental activists pushing for buying farmland south of Lake -- went down to defeat at the polls. Don't take it from me, read publisher Peter Schorsch's account of the debacle in this floridapolitics.com report.
Not since House Speaker Johnnie Byrd have I seen a chamber leader in Florida deal himself such a crushing blow.
On Aug. 9, Negron tried to use his power to pull the clock forward, wield the influence of the Senate president's office before he was entitled to it. He called a press conference to announce one of his signature priorities -- using Amendment 1 money to buy 60,000 acres of private sugar land and paying $3.4 billion for a fully constructed reservoir.
Voters were unconvinced. It couldn't be more obvious.
He had overestimated public support for this unvetted “NowOrNeverGlades” scheme. Remember, some of Tuesday's voters were among the 72 percent of Treasure Coast Newspaper readers who voted in a TCPalm poll against buying the land south of the lake.
Negron jumping the gun to showcase his reservoir priority was a fully transparent attempt to win friends and influence big donors to help his wife come out on top in her CD 18 race. Even that failed.
Most of all, though, he underestimated the damage a failed primary could do to his presidency when he does eventually take the gavel. He goes into the office a weaker president.
If Negron doesn't take stock of his losses Tuesday night, he's tone deaf. And I don't think he is. I think he's a smart man who knows exactly what's happened, who knows he's half-way to being a tootless wonder before the Senate and will want to call on damage control fast.
Now is a time he may need Sen. Jack Latvala. The Clearwater Republican, formerly a bitter rival for the office, but by all accounts a lieutenant always loyal to his president, is as keen an analyst of situations like this as the Legislature has seen. If Negron has any hope of getting his higher education and water priorities through the House, he may need to lean on Latvala's counsel and support.
I remember Johnnie Byrd, House speaker from 2002 through 2004, while Jim King was Senate president. Byrd was another "leader" who made the job all about him, not about the members or the people of Florida. I remember when he actually said during a St. Petersburg Times editorial board meeting, My members are like sheep -- and subsequently lost much of the support among members he had. He led by using his title, by pounding the gavel. He never learned as others I've known in the Legislature did, that the greatest leaders are those who have power, but never have to use it and never make leadership about themselves.
I hope Negron learned something Tuesday. I hope maybe he'll find that not getting what he wanted turns into a real stroke of luck.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
