Crist appointees to Fish & Wildlife have ties to developers

Shocked, I tell you, shocked I am.


To run the board that oversees protection for the state's wildlife, Gov. Charlie Crist has appointed a South Florida developer who was investigated for wrestling an alligator and an Orlando land-use attorney who steered a public contract to a private business that then hired him.

Crist also reappointed to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission a Jacksonville construction executive who heads up a legal foundation that opposes environmental regulations.

Among the applicants Crist passed over: a biology professor from the University of Central Florida, a former state Department of Environmental Protection official and the conservation director of a privately owned wildlife preserve.

Crist's three appointments this week to the seven-member wildlife commission sparked consternation among environmental groups, who had urged the governor to pick someone not connected with the development business. The other members of the commission are an executive with the Panhandle's biggest developer, a Tampa mall builder, a Miami lobbyist and a Delray Beach construction company executive.

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http://www.tampabay.com/2007/08/09/State/Wildlife_board__frien.shtml

at the end of the day, there's still an "R" after his name.

He's been much better than Jebbie ever was, but frankly, this doesn't surprise me one bit.