They all do it. When someone in a position of power wants to expedite approvals for a project, it usually ends up in the economic development department. For some reason, Florida leadership thinks there is a soft door around government process through the economic development department. Their reasoning usually revolves around the belief that government can jump process if they can prove there is a public benefit.

When it happened here locally, there were so many other shenanigans taking place that the city got sued by a plaintiff who had the money and motivation to challenge them. But for the rest of us it meant living diminished lives because the city and its co-conspirators were highly motivated to keep the information from circulating.

The fallout would have been steep. Elected officials would have been removed from office, and several attorneys would have been legally disciplined.

Instead, friends and associates stepped in to help tamp down on the information. They helped spread misinformation to their own neighbors to keep them from learning the details. When that didn't work, they resorted to bullying tactics. That's the consequences of Florida politics in its raw form.

I hope Crist will come out and shut down the loopholes and disassociate himself from the people who promote this style of government.