Bill Nelson keeps downplaying talk that he will challenge Gov. Rick Scott in 2014 -- but that hasnt kept Florida's Democratic senior United States senator from exchanging fire with state Republicans.
Despite saying he has no intention of running for governor, Nelson continues to leave the door open to the possibility and he has continually ramped up his attacks on Scott in recent weeks. On Friday he slammed Scott for jabbing at the Obama administration on sequestration. Scott insisted sequestration was hurting Floridas hurricane preparedness, including undermining the efficiency of the Florida National Guard.
Nelson fired off a letter to Scott on Friday, telling the governor to use his influence with Republican congressmen to cope with the situation and offering a reminder of FEMAs role withNational Guard funding.
I have had my staff examining the Florida National Guards risk assessment and requests for relief, as well as the Department of Defenses consideration of those requests; and, any actions taken by authorities so far to mitigate possible readiness risks during the 2013 hurricane season, Nelson wrote before insisting that little could be done and evoking the name of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
As was reported today by Gannett newspapers in Florida, Senator Marco Rubio and I both agree nothing can be changed right now with only a few months left in this fiscal year, Nelson continued. Instead, you could be enormously helpful by urging some of the Florida Republican members of Congress to get rid of the sequester by exploring with us more sensible and strategic ways to reduce the budget for the next fiscal year, starting Oct. 1.
Nelson then turned toward National Guard funding. Noting that he had been in touch with FEMA Director Craig Fugates legal staff, Nelson insisted there were federal funding options if the Florida National Guard was called up due to a hurricane. Regarding your concern about increased costs to the state, let me share with you what I have received from the legal office of FEMA Director Craig Fugate: If you, as governor, activate the National Guard in anticipation of a federal disaster, the states costs, including the costs to recall any furloughed Guardsmen, will be fully reimbursable by FEMA.
Nelson even presented a citation for Scott. Specifically: For the purposes of FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Emergency Work reimbursement, the National Guard must be activated by the governor to conduct disaster-related emergency work. This would include the activation of National Guardsmen who are on furlough (dual status technicians), Nelson wrote. Under a presidential disaster declaration, FEMA reimburses the state (grantee), subject to the state cost-share, for costs in excess of those incurred for weekend drills and annual training and other nondisaster-related activations.'
Florida Republicans fired back at Nelson on Monday. Lenny Curry, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), bashed Nelson for being too passive on the issue.
How can Senator Nelson claim that sequester-related cuts to the National Guard cant be fixed, when just one month ago he supported fixing sequester-related cuts to the FAA that would have caused major flight delays? Curry demanded. With hurricane season beginning, Governor Scott and our GOP legislative leaders have urged the Obama administration to end unnecessary furloughs on the National Guard and make spending reductions in areas that do not affect emergency response readiness. Senator Marco Rubio should be applauded for his leadership on federal spending, correctly pointing out that sequester cuts should not be held as a hostage for tax increases that President Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress want.
Of course, behind this sparring is the 2014 gubernatorial race. Nelson has not completely ruled out running for governor despite his repeated statements that he has little interest in entering. With four decades of electoral success -- and as the only statewide elected Democrat -- he is easily his partys best hope for defeating Scott.
While Scott is struggling in the polls, Democrats have concerns over some of the other potential nominees. Former Gov. Charlie Crist was a Republican for most of his career before leaving the GOP in 2010 to run for the U.S. Senate with no party affiliation. Crist joined the Democrats in 2012 and some members of his new party wonder about his past and his previous positions. Former state CFO Alex Sink lost to Scott in 2010. Former state Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich, the only major active candidate at this time, has been in the race for more than a year but is hardly jumping off the party's page.
Nelson continues to play down his gubernatorial ambitions; he continues to remain in the picture. Engaging in duels with Scott is only going to increase the buzz that he is thinking about returning to Tallahassee in 2014.
Tallahassee freelance political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this piece exclusively for Sunshine State News.
