With U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, under fire for his comments about the federal government demanding BP establish a $20 billion escrow account to clean up the oil spill on the Gulf, U.S. Rep Jeff Miller is calling out his Republican colleague. Representing Pensacola and some of the counties on the Panhandle directly impacted by the spill, Miller demanded Barton resign as the ranking Republican from the House Energy and Commerce Committee Neil Armingeon from St. Johns River Keeper is coming out swinging at U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw. Armingeon blasted Crenshaw, accusing the veteran Republican congressman of gutting the EPA and selling out his constituents for special interests and polluters Heritage Action for America, a new grass-roots arm of the Heritage Foundation, is backing a discharge petition for the repeal of new federal health-care laws backed by President Barack Obama. One of the first three congressional backers of the petition is the Florida Republican, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack
The Republican National Convention is not the only big political shindig headed to Florida in 2012. The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) will be heading to Orlando in 2012, too. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has been named to the USCM advisory committee. In 2005, Dyer was briefly suspended by then-Gov. Jeb Bush after allegations of electoral fraud were made against the Orlando mayor. The allegations were quickly dismissed and Dyer returned to office. If there are any doubts that Dyer overcame the allegations, this endorsement from his fellow mayors goes a long way to dispelling them And yet another Florida political candidate is running without any party affiliation. Tom Stearns, former president of the American Society of Public Administrators and former assistant tax collector to both Hillsborough and Pasco counties, is running for state CFO as an independent Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, is not the only north Florida Republican facing a serious Democratic challenger angry over SB 6. Sen. Steve Oelrich, R-Gainesville, is being challenged by former Rep. Perry McGriff. McGriff, who also served on the Alachua County Commission, intends to make Oelrichs support of SB 6 one of the cornerstone issues of the campaign
Republican congressional candidate Eddie Adams, running in a crowded GOP primary to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, has been campaigning hard across Tampa Bay with over 20 events this week Miller and Miller back Miller. Besides having Jon Miller on his campaign team, Republican congressional candidate Craig Miller has now won the support of former congressional candidate Dr. Ken Miller, who had been gearing up to take on U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson Get ready for some new faces in Broward County politics. Only three of the more than 20 candidates gunning for the eight spots on the Broward County School Board are incumbents
Independent gubernatorial candidate Bud Chiles continues walking down the campaign trail, hosting a walk in Bradenton on Friday Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, is enjoying some national spotlight. Weatherford spoke in Pittsburgh on Friday to GOPAC, a political action committee founded by former Delaware Gov. Pete duPont, who waged a conservative campaign for the Republican presidential nomination back in 1988 ... Paul Phillips had been planning to challenge Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Brandon, in the Republican primary. Phillips pulled the plug on his campaign and left the race with kind words for Storms.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
