2014 was more than just an election year. It was a year that saw -- among so many events -- the Florida Legislature pass a landmark medical marijuana bill; that saw a fierce partisan fight -- in and out of court -- to prove criminal interference in congressional redistricting; that played out the controversial drama of a sitting state senator selected president of Florida State University.
Here are just a fewof the things we remember newsmakers said and that we will take away from 2014 in Florida politics.
"All anybody who gives to my campaign gets from me is my thanks."
-- Charlie Crist,former governor and 2014 gubernatorial candidate, to capital reporters and editors during the annual AP meeting Jan. 29 in Tallahassee.
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"Members come and go, but good policy stays, and I believe this is something we will be able to be proud of. So stay tuned and get ready."
-- Sen. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, when referring to the Springs bill, at a Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee meeting.
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Anybody that doesnt like my amendment doesnt like America.
-- Sen. Greg Evers, R-Pensacola, when introducing a nonconforming amendment to SB 1160, Land Application of Septage -- an unsuccessful bill to find alternative disposal options for this nutrient laden waste.
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"Good men sitting around discussing & solving political & social problems over fine food & drink date back to the 12th Century with King Arthur's Round Table. ... Tell the Misses not to wait up because the after dinner whiskey and cigars will be smooth & the issues to discuss are many."
Steve Southerland, Republican congressman, in an invitation to a March fundraiser.
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"We're not the Rick Scott campaign. We can't go whenever and get whatever we want on TV. We have to make choices. So why would we make the choice to go spend a bunch of money in a primary that we know we're going to win?"
-- Steve Schale, consultant for the Crist campaign, on why the former governor essentially ignored primary opponent Nan Rich.
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"Is there anything wrong with being comfortable?"
-- Charlie Crist, when asked during a televised gubernatorial debate why he insisted on having a his fan present.
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As a prosecutor, there was nothing more important than seeing justice done, especially when it came to the unconscionable act of murder. I personally put two people on death row and, as Attorney General, have already participated in eight executions since I took office, a role I take very seriously. The planned execution of Marshall Lee Gore had already been stayed twice by the courts, and we absolutely should not have requested that the date of the execution be moved.
-- Pam Bondi, Florida attoney general, in a sort-of apology for rescheduling the execution of Marshall Lee Gore to accommodate her fundraiser.
"You lazy pieces of you-know-what, if you (expletive) don't get out and vote, (expletive) it all, we can't win."
-- John Morgan, chairman of People United for Medical Marijuana, in September at Lakeland nightclub Boots and Buckles, holding a drink and slurring his words, exhorting a crowd of young adults to vote for Amendment 2.
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"We have to marshal our energies, put on our big-girl pants and move the heck down the road. The bed-wetters need to shut up, and we need to move on."
-- Allison Tant, Florida Democratic Party chairwoman, on a leadership fight within the House Democratic caucus after the November elections.
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"Appeasing the Castro brothers will only cause other tyrants from Caracas to Tehran to Pyongyang to see that they can take advantage of President Obamas naivetduring his final two years in office. ... America will be less safe as a result of the presidents change in policy. When America is unwilling to advocate for individual liberty and freedom of political expression 90 miles from our shores, it represents a terrible setback for the hopes of all oppressed people around the globe."
-- U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in a nationally distributed statement distributed Dec. 17, reacting to the president normalizing relations with Cuba.
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Four years ago, we unveiled an ambitious plan to fix Floridas economy and turn the state around. Our goal was to create 700,000 jobs in seven years. Today our goal was reached three years early, with 715,700 private-sector jobs created in Florida since December 2010."
-- Gov. Rick ScottDec. 19, announcing fulfillment of his top-priority campaign promise made in 2010.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
