Republican Sen. Mike Haridopolos overhaul of the Florida Senate not only is saving money it has also eliminated some longtime Democratic staff while ushering in more GOP-leaning employees.
In one of the biggest legislative staff shakeups in years, Haridopolos has taken a close look at 44 senior-level positions, consolidating 13 jobs, and setting the revolving door spinning on a number of others.
Of the 16 prominent staff directors and senior staff exiting the Senate, five are registered Democrats. Of the 14 new hires or staffers promoted by the Senate president-designate, eight are listed as registered Republicans with the Leon County Elections Office.
Party affiliation had nothing to do with whether or not youd have a job in the Senate, David Bishop, a Haridopolos spokesman, told the News Service of Florida on Friday. There are all kinds of rumors going on about how these decisions were made. But partisan politics was not a factor.
Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said in a memo Thursday to fellow senators that all Senate employees being replaced or having their jobs eliminated have been notified, and that no more dismissals are planned. With the state facing a $2.5 billion budget shortfall next year, the Senate will have saved more than $1 million with the changes, Haridopolos said in the memo.
Everybody is being asked to do more, Bishop said.
Although Haridopolos has pledged to tilt the historically centrist Senate more toward the right, that didnt play a role in hiring decisions either, Bishop added. Along with the five registered Democrats let go, eight other staffers listed as no-party or independent voters left the Senate, along with three Republican senior staff.
While eight Republicans are moving into top staff spots in the Senate, they are joined by two independents and two registered Democrats. Two of the staff additions are not listed as registered voters in Leon County.
Incoming Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich of Weston said she didnt question Haridopolos bid to save money or build his own staff, but she remained convinced that ideology had to be a factor.
Weve lost people who had a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge who were experts in a particular field, Rich said. I dont think any of us knew whether any staff member was a Democrat or Republican. But I do worry about our loss of expertise, especially when we face the kind of budget decisions we do next year.
The rise of the conservative Haridopolos as Senate leader comes as term limits sweep out a handful of Senate moderates, including Sens. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami, Durell Peaden, R-Crestview, Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, and Victor Crist, R-Tampa. Most appear likely to be replaced by more right-leaning Republicans as Haridopolos looks to sharply reduce state spending to balance the budget while also expanding the role of private health maintenance organizations in providing Medicaid coverage to Floridas poor, disabled and elderly.
Among the more prominent staff changes: David Coburn, a registered independent, who earned $188,400 last year as staff director of the Senates Ways and Means Committee, will be replaced by Jerry McDaniel, a registered Republican who is currently serving as Gov. Charlie Crists budget director, and will draw a $150,000 annual salary. Coburn, though, had been offered his same job under Haridopolos, but chose to leave after 32 years in state government.
The Senates best-paid staffer is Steve MacNamara, whose $175,000 salary covers his dual role as chief of staff and general counsel. MacNamara is a former chief of staff to former House Speaker John Thrasher, who is now a state senator and chairman of the Florida Republican Party.
The Florida Senate has been controlled 26-14 by Republicans since 2002, a balance not expected to change much following the November elections.
John McKay, a Bradenton Republican who was Senate president from 2000 to 2002, said the stamp Haridopolos is putting on the chamber likely is not so much partisan as generational. Haridopolos, 40, has moved out some high-paid employees with decades of experience in the Legislature replacing them with slightly cheaper employees with whom he has likely formed a bond, McKay said.
A new leader is going to pick people hes come to know and feel comfortable with, McKay said. Longtime staffers who were there before him, he may not feel the same about. But if hes saving money, he deserves praise. Everybodys trying to save.
