Democrats 'wax' poetic about Crist, Rubio spat

The Democratic National Committee has no love for the opposing sides in "wax-gate," so it has some fun at their expense.

Manatee officials make lobbying trip to Tallahassee

County Commissioners Carol Whitmore and John Chappie are on their way back from Tallahassee this afternoon after meeting with the county’s legislative delegation over two days.

“It was probably the most productive trip to the state capital since I’ve been elected,” Whitmore said from the back seat of the automobile she was traveling in with Chappie, county Deputy Administrator Karen Windon and county Information Outreach Coordinator Nick Azzara.

“We went when they were not meeting and they were able to spend more time with us,” she said.

Whitmore said they were able to meet with about 10 other Senate and House members or their staff, along with the county delegation.

“It was perfect time for us to go,” Chappie said. “I thought it was a great opportunity to help move forward local issues.”

One of those local issues was pre-trial release of arrested individuals, a plan that would relieve the over-crowding at the county jail and reduce costs.

Another concern for the county is the inequity of juvenile detention funding. Manatee County has a lower rate of juvenile detention than several other counties, yet has to pay the same or more.

Whitmore said she and Chappie also talked to legislators about the issue of allowing golf carts on sidewalks. Several mobile home parks have asked the county to change the law to permit them to use the sidewalks to get to shopping near their homes, but sidewalks are regulated at the state level.

--- Carl Mario Nudi

Bill would ban release of 911 calls

A bill set for a hearing in Tallahassee on Wednesday morning would pull the shades on one of the ways the public and media in Florida can hold law enforcement and other public safety agencies accountable for how they protect the public.

The measure - dubbed by open-government advocates as the "Tiger Woods Relief Act," even though the sponsor says it has nothing to do with the wayward golfer whose "transgressions" became public after he crashed his SUV outside his Orlando home - would block the release of audio recordings of 911 calls, and only a written transcript could be released 60 days after the call.

The recordings could be released "by court order upon a showing of good cause."

The sponsor, Rep. Robert Schenck, R-Spring Hill, says he wants to protect the victims of crimes, fires, accidents, etc., but that belies the fact that under current law, the release of any identifying information contained in a 911 call - name, address, etc. - is already exempt from disclosure.

Another purpose, according to language in the bill, would be to ensure that people aren't afraid to call 911 when they witness a crime or their house catches fire because of the possibility that the call would be aired on the nightly news or a newspaper Web site.

As if that "chilling effect" would stop a rational person from doing whatever they can to protect their property and their life.

Not written in the bill is how a ban on releasing 911 recordings might protect police officers, firefighters and paramedics whose mistakes and bad decisions could pose a real danger to the public.

The House Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to consider the bill at its meeting Wednesday, starting at 8 a.m.

You can read the latest version of the bill, here.

--- Marc R. Masferrer

McClash, Thaxton to debate Hometown Democracy initiative

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Manatee County Republican Commissioner Joe McClash and Sarasota County Republican Commissioner Jon Thaxton are set to debate the merits of Amendment 4, a proposed change to the Florida Constitution that will be on the ballot Nov. 2.

The Florida Hometown Democracy Land Use Initiative proposes to require voter approval of all changes to their community’s comprehensive plans. McClash in January endorsed the measure.

The commissioners discussion will be before the Lakewood Ranch Democratic Club at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 9, at the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, 8175 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.

The meeting is open to the public.

Might Charlie Crist show some independence?

It wouldn't be as easy as you might think:

Crist has staked out some centrist stances lately, strongly defending his support for the stimulus package, suggesting that the health care bill need not be entirely scrapped, and saying that he does not call for overturning Roe vs. Wade. "We ought to instead of change laws, change hearts,'' Crist said after a Christian Family Coalition gathering in Miami on Saturday.

Most political strategists, however, doubt the potential of any independent candidate in Florida. No independent candidate has won a major statewide race here.

"Even if he didn't have to give a dime back to Republicans demanding refunds, it would be the last dime he would raise,'' said Republican consultant Rick Wilson. "There would be no more D.C. money, no more major donor money."

Democratic pollster Dave Beattie noted that Florida partisan allegiances tend to be quite strong and that any Democrat or Republican starts out with at least 40 percent of the vote.

"If Crist did run as an independent, it would help Meek more than it would help Rubio, because independents are mad at Democrats right now and defaulting to Republicans," Beattie said.

Republican consultant Brett Doster said that while Crist faces serious trouble in the primary it would be riskier for him to run as an independent.

"If I were on the Charlie Crist team, I would take my chances on all my money being spent in the Republican primary,'' he said. "The known scary is always better than the unknown scary."

Buchanan to meet with community bankers

Addressing the needs of small businesses is the cornerstone of Rep. Vern Buchanan's economic proposals, and one of the biggest needs as noted by Buchanan and others is for banks to again open their spigots to provide the funding small businesses need to expand and hire more workers.

On Tuesday, Buchanan will meet with local community bankers to encourage them to get back into the game.

"Buchanan is seeking input on legislative proposals to encourage small business lending to help create jobs," a news release we just received states.

The meeting will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Room 206 of the Federal Building in Sarasota, 111 Orange Ave.

For more information about the meeting, call Buchanan's Sarasota office at (941) 951-6643.

Heavy agenda for the Florida Legislature.

Oil drilling.

The class-size amendment.

Alternative energy.

Job creation.

Red-light cameras.

Golf carts on sidewalks.

Those are just some of the issues, big and small, sure to come up before the Florida Legislature during its new session, which starts Tuesday.

But the biggest gorilla in the room will be the state budget, with predictions that lawmakers will have to cut $2 billion to $3 billion in spending in order to balance the books. Even if a deal for expanding gambling is reached, more spending cuts will be needed.

For a look at what local lawmakers expect, take a look at our legislative preview story from Sunday's paper.