Probably our all-time-favorite story at Sunshine State News, coming like a bolt out of the blue on the last day of the 2010 legislative session, wasn't much of a story at all -- it was a videotaped "moment" in the Florida Senate.
Our videographer, Lane Wright, was in the press gallery working the room with his camera, and there was former state Sen. Mike Bennett sitting at his seat on the Florida Senate floor. At just the right moment, Lane trained his camera on Bennett and -- right in the middle of a discussion on abortion -- caught him bringing up por ... uh ... a line of lusty, scantily clad, nipple-exposed beach babes on his state-issued computer.
That was four and a half years ago.
But a good story never dies, and neither does a slightly salacious, freaky one.
If you were watching John Oliver's popular late-night comedy show "Last Week Tonight" on HBO Sunday night, there he was again ... Mr. Old Familiar. Mike Bennett. Sunshine State News' gift that keeps on giving.
Oliver's staff found him on the Internet from 2010 clips, as hundreds of viewers do -- from Australia to the Netherlands, from Rhode Island to Oregon -- and ... well ... found a spot for him on "Last Week Tonight."
The Bennett story is still our most read in four-and-a-half years, with 230,080 hits and inspiring the fourth most comments on the SSN website, with 203. SSN had only been on the Tallahassee scene, remember, for three months when Bennett fell in our lap like manna.
By all means, take a look. The 17-plus-minute video of a long and hilarious segment on state legislatures is provided in a YouTube video at the bottom of this page, or you can click here. Mike Bennett turns up at 2:30 minutes. (You're going to want to watch the whole thing.)
Bennett, incidentally, had planned to run for Congress in 2012, but after the computer incident decided to run for Manatee County supervisor of elections. He won that contest, and there he serves today.
And by the way, Bennett's antics on the Senate floor weren't the only bit of fun Oliver found in the Florida Legislature. In fact, one of the stars of the segment was Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, pitching passionately to repeal Florida's dwarf tossing ban. After the audience laughter, Oliver said, "Let's just all agree that if it happened in 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' it shouldn't be legal." More laughter.
I know it's election day. And what does this have to do with the midterm elections? Not a thing. But seeing Mike Bennett in the hands of John Oliver ... well, I couldn't resist taking the former senator's story on one more victory lap.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
