Neuter FL Gov Rick Scott by voting out GOP Legislature. (ALL seats up for 2012)

seafan

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Tue Jul-10-12 09:23 AM
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Neuter FL Gov Rick Scott by voting out GOP Legislature. (ALL seats up for 2012)

Floridians, for the first time since 1999, we have the rare opportunity before us to restore our state government, and with it, the health and vitality of the people, the economy and the environment of Florida.

Due to redistricting this year, ALL Senate and House seats are up for election in November.

This post offers a look at the controlling majority Republicans in the Florida Senate, in which, due to redistricting, all Senate (and House) seats are up for election in November, 2012.

Removing Republican Senators from office, and, likewise, Republicans from the House, is the only means available to the people to place a check on the actions of Governor Rick Scott.

It is my hope that the following information will be of assistance to Floridians in that effort.

The health and survival of our state depends upon our taking action at the ballot box.

There are 40 Senators in the Florida Legislature, 28 of which are Republicans. (There are 120 Representatives in the House, 81 are Republicans.)

There are 500,000 more registered Democratic voters in Florida than Republicans, yet both houses of the legislature and the governor's office, in totality, have been run by Republicans since 1999. It is accurate to say that the majority of voters in this state are not served by those in power in Tallahassee. And the GOP intends to keep it that way.

So, here is a look at the 28 Republican Senators currently. It will leave little doubt as to some of the reasons for Florida's demise over the past 14 years of Republican domination.

1. Senator Greg Evers, R-Baker (represents Holmes, Washington, parts of Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton)

June 28, 2012:

-State Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker: �I am stunned and angry that politics prevailed over our Constitution in today�s shocking Supreme Court decision upholding the federal health care law. In affirming the individual mandate, the Supreme Court has allowed the federal government to intrude upon what is perhaps our most fundamental freedom � our right to make personal choices on health care for our own bodies and our right to spend our money as we choose. The court agreeing to the nationalization of health care by the federal government violates the sovereignty of the state of Florida to establish health care policies tailored to the unique needs and population of Floridians.� ---Link

Four words to remind you, Mr. Evers: Jeb Bush Terri Schiavo

Also regarding Mr. Evers:

November 17, 2011:

A day after news broke that state Sen. Greg Evers, R-Crestview, is part of a grand jury investigation into the giveaway of 2,094 state-owned trees, we caught up with him after a Thursday morning committee hearing.

Why did you use your personal -- not public -- email account to discuss the issue with FDOT officials, including former Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Kopelousos?

.....

"Why? Because it is very easy to remember gregevers@me.com. And for folks to be able to remember that. I ask folks to email my personal account. I give out my personal cell phone number I�ve had since 1984. Why? Because I want folks to be able to get in contact with me."

.....

How do you square the practice of using a private email account with Florida's Sunshine Laws?

"To me, it meets all of it because of the fact if you want someone to email you, you've got to give them an email (address) they can remember. Because so many times you talk to someone and they don't have a pen, so you say gregevers@me.com."

"And one of the funny things I add to that, because folks will (ask) 'me?' I say "yeah, It's all about me." That's very simple to remember."

.....

When are fees for cutting down state-owned trees appropriate?

"I feel like that should be left up to DOT"... "That should be left up to the Florida statute we have already set aside." (This answer was given while Evers looked at a staffer who was visibly shaking his head 'no.')

But, you sponsored a bill last year trying to make it easier for billboard companies to cut down state trees.

It was "at the request of the (Florida Outdoor Advertising Association)"..."I was doing the people's work, putting folks back to work, as our governor says"..."I should not carry a personal opinion. You either let statute rule, or let the agency rule."

Laws simply don't apply to him.

And he also voted for legalized bribery of the legislature through the operation of ~~slush~~ "leadership" funds.

2. Senator Charles S. Dean, Sr. (R-Inverness) (represents Baker, Dixie, Hamilton, Suwannee, Taylor, parts of Citrus, Columbia, Jefferson, Leon, Levy, Madison and Marion)

In January 2011, Dean was implicated in a case regarding whistle blower Bob Burton, who allegedly uncovered evidence of criminal activity including dumping of toxic waste by Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) employees into water reclamation areas. Sen. Dean chairs the Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation, which oversees the FDEP.

Burton claimed to have evidence of illegal activities, including a recorded telephone conversation with Dean's former Chief of Staff, Ryan Tyson. Upon attempting to reveal this alleged evidence, Burton's home was raided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and computers, files, and electronic devices were seized. Burton was later arrested and charged with felony wiretapping.<3><4><5> ----Link

And don't anyone EVER think of exposing our criminality!

Going to spend some extra time on this next one. He is going to be our "next" Senate President, if he is reelected.

3. Senator Don Gaetz, (R-Niceville) (represents parts of Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton)

Again, this guy is the "incoming" Senate President.

Makes you feel good, won't it? Just wait.

Rope A Dope: State Sen. Don Gaetz Apologizes For Using Hanging Reference, 13 February 2012

(Tallahassee, FL) State Senate Reapportionment Chairman Don Gaetz (R-4/Niceville) apologized Friday for using hanging imagery in reference to lawsuits challenging new maps for legislative and congressional districts approved Thursday by the Senate.

�My father used to say, �Some people would complain if you hung them with a new rope,�� Gaetz said Thursday, referring to his belief that some groups planned to sue no matter what maps the Legislature drew.

On Friday, Gaetz apologized after three black lawmakers angrily said the remarks were insensitive.

.....

�The senator�s comment is especially appalling given that it is made in connection to the issue of redistricting, in which there is considerable history of racial minorities being deprived of adequate representation,� said Rep. Perry Thurston (D-93/Plantation) slated to become the House�s top Democrat later this year.

.....

While pregnant with their second child, (Gaetz' wife) Vicky developed a rare complication and began bleeding from the spine. Doctors advised the Gaetzes to terminate the pregnancy, but both Vicky and Don were pro-life and insisted on keeping the baby. Erin Victoria was born in 1985, but the complication rendered Vicky paraplegic. Gaetz has said Vicky�s condition has made him passionate about healthcare and he �doesn�t just view it as policy.� ----Link

Remember that quote.

Senate panel passes new restrictions for abortions

February 22, 2012

Senators passed a sweeping antiabortion measure for the first time on their side of the Capitol by a vote of 5-2, a day after Planned Parenthood advocates rallied against state and national efforts to limit access to the procedure and birth control.

Sponsored by Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, the measure would ban abortions after the fetus reaches viability (third trimester abortions are already illegal in Florida), require abortion clinics to be wholly owned and operated by physicians, and implement a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can have the procedure.

Senators on the Health Regulation Committee delayed discussion of SB 290 until the meeting's end. They allowed for about five minutes of public testimony before deciding to take a vote with no debate of the bill -- just a few amendments -- at 5:59 p.m., the last possible minute.

.....

Sen. Eleanor Sobel, the only Democrat on the panel, suggested a string of no-win amendments that Sen. Don Gaetz and Sen. Jim Norman said were designed to take up time. Gaetz called for the time-certain vote, which resulted in cutting off a Planned Parenthood leader's testimony and leaving no room for debate on the bill.

.....

But, remember, as stated above, Mr. Don "Senate President In Waiting" Gaetz is 'passionate about healthcare and he �doesn�t just view it as policy.�' :sarcasm:

Looks as if he views it in strictly punitive right wing fashion, weakening established laws of the land in Roe v Wade, with the intent to weaken women's reproductive rights as much as possible.

Why is he denying full reproductive rights decisions to women, when his own wife chose to bear a child after she herself developed a serious complication that her physicians warned her about, and now she is paralyzed as a consequence? Why is Mr. Gaetz denying other women the right to make their own decisions about their pregnancies?

That just blows the mind.

Mr. Gaetz also has a son, who is sitting in the Florida House at this time. His name is Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Florida House Passes Mandatory Ultrasound, Other Pro-Life Bills

April 28, 2011

.....

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, introduced a proposal banning the use of public funds to be used for elective abortions. Gaetz�s bill passed 80-37, which came closer to party lines than either of the two measures introduced by Baxley.

�It says we won�t let the Affordable Care Act do an end-run around the Hyde Amendment,� insisted Gaetz. While stressing his pro-life credentials....

.....

A convenient father-son team in the Legislature.

Again, Don Gaetz is the "incoming" Senate President, if he is reelected this November. And it won't be good for climbing out of this right wing cesspit in the Florida Legislature if either he or his son Matt Gaetz are voted back into office.

4. Senator Stephen R. Wise, (R-Jacksonville) (represents parts of Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns)

Wise to introduce bill on intelligent design

February 8, 2009

.....

State Sen. Stephen Wise, a Jacksonville Republican, said he plans to introduce a bill to require teachers who teach evolution to also discuss the idea of intelligent design.

Intelligent design is the concept that life is so complex that it couldn't occur naturally but must have had an intelligent force working to make it happen.

Wise, the chief sponsor of the bill, expects the Senate to take it up when it meets in March. He said its intent is simple: "If you're going to teach evolution, then you have to teach the other side so you can have critical thinking."

.....

Wise acknowledges it's a controversial subject. "I got a lot of hate mail last year," he said. "You'd think I'd never gone to school, that I was Cro-Magnon man, that I just got out of a cave or something."

.....

We don't need no steenkin' science....

5. Senator Evelyn J. Lynn, (R-Ormond Beach) (represents parts of Clay, Marion, Putnam and Volusia)

The usual fare:

Limiting abortion rights; decrease taxes for capital gains, corporations and estates; no reduction in taxes paid for alcohol, cigarettes, gasoline, property, sales and vehicles (especially hitting the less well-off); against term limits; against limits on campaign donations; against public financing of state political campaigns; opposed to same-sex marriage; supports teacher testing and merit pay; school prayer, Ten Commandments displayed at schools, abstinence-only sex education in schools; supports Jeb Bush's controversial affirmative action plan, One Florida; not supportive of alternative fuel technology; opposes virtually all regulation concerning guns; advocates faith-based private organizations when addressing welfare/poverty; ....

We need a more progressive approach to Floridians' needs, than this.

She does deserve credit, however, for voting against Jeb Bush's attempt at forcing through the "Parent Trigger Bill" through the Legislature in March of this year. Thank you, Ms. Lynn, for that.

At age 82, perhaps she'd even like to retire.

This next one particularly deserves a swift surgical removal in November.

6. Senator John Thrasher, (R-St. Augustine) (represents parts of Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, and Volusia counties)

Here are merely a few glimpses of his long and corrupt history.

Developers try to mislead signers of 2008 "Florida Hometown Democracy" ballot petition, and enabled by John Thrasher, then a lobbyist for the state's largest developers.. as Marco Rubio was House Speaker... September 21, 2007

(Now, in 2012, Thrasher is commandeering a powerful position again, this time he's back in the state Senate, and running for office again this November.)

State ethics violator Thrasher to head Ethics and Elections Committee (Jeb's man), October 11, 2009

Jeb Bush pal, state ethics violator John Thrasher, gunning to head Florida GOP, February 19, 2010

New FL GOP Chair John Thrasher: "Our enemy is the liberal media. And the Democrats.", February 20, 2010

Thrasher resigned from Chair of Senate Ethics and Election Committee (as a two-time ethics violator), February 25, 2010

Jeb Bush ally John Thrasher in FL Senate files legislation to gut teacher tenure, forcing tougher requirements, March 2, 2010

FL GOP meltdown is shaping up to be a battle between the Crist camp and the Jeb Bush camp., April 1,2010

Educational testing companies paid Thrasher's former lobbying firm(Jeb Bush ally who sponsored SB6), April 19, 2010

RPOF to release only 3 years of AmEx statements (2007-2009); Rubio used card from 2005-2008, April 23, 2010 (John Thrasher is protecting Marco Rubio.)

Here we go, Florida. Jeb Bush operative John Thrasher files bill to starve unions, February 21, 2011

Heads up, Florida. SB 830, introduced by Jeb Bush operative John Thrasher, to weaken unions., February 21, 2011

Jeb Bush pushing "Digital Learning Now" offensive to remove textbooks and teachers from classrooms, with help from John Thrasher, March 3, 2011

John Thrasher pushed bill to build golf courses in all state parks in Florida and funded by taxpayers, March 10, 2011

St. Pete Times: Jim Greer trial may expose Florida Republican party's inner workings, September 5, 2011

7. Senator Andy Gardiner, (R-Orlando) (represents parts of Orange, Osceola and Seminole)

His voting record? Typical right wing agenda. Here is a sampling.

NO to Education Funding; Stem Cell Research Funding; Florida KidCare Funding; Teacher Salary Increase;

YES to Abortion Waiting Periods; Florida Unborn Victims of Violence Act; Private School Scholarship Program Expansion Act; Funding for Professional Sports Franchise Facilities; Firearms in Vehicles; Growth Management Deregulation; Capping Attorney Fees in Workers' Compensation Lawsuits; Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Requirement; Authorizes Exemptions from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Openly Displaying a Firearm; Prohibiting Insurance Coverage of Abortion; Prohibiting Public Funding of Abortions; Drug Screening for Temporary Assistance Beneficiaries; Authorize Student-Led Prayer in School; Private Correctional Facilities; Repeal Provisions for Cap and Trade Regulations; YES to School Voucher Program; YES to Authorizes Random Drug Tests of State Employees; Authorize Parent Involvement in School Turnaround Decisions (Jeb Bush's "Parent Trigger Bill"); ......

We deserve better than this.

8. Senator Ronda Storms (R-Valrico) (represents parts of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk)

Where does one even start with Ms. Storms?

.....

Florida A&M School of Law

In the summer of 2000, alumni from Florida A&M University asked the (Hillsborough County) Commission (on which Storms served) for a $1,000,000 commitment to start a School of Law in Tampa (the main branch of Florida A&M is based in Tallahassee). Storms, attending the meeting that night, said "We can get them through law school, but we can't get them to pass the Bar." She then later claimed that she had meant that creating a historically black law school will not increase the number of minority lawyers in the state.<7> The comment met with much controversy in the black community of Tampa, as well as with the Florida A&M alumni still living in Florida, as it was perceived that Storms made a remark that minority students were not smart enough to be capable of passing the state Bar exam.

.....

Child abuser sterilization plan

In 2004 and 2005, Storms tried to introduce a law which would approve sterilization for men and women convicted of child abuse in Hillsborough County so that, in her view, child abusers would not be able to continue to produce children that would become abused also.(8)

.....

Ending county funding to Planned Parenthood

In 2005, Storms called for the elimination of funding for a teenager outreach program funded by Planned Parenthood, which teaches adolescents about safe sex, drugs, gangs, and family violence. The refusal for funding was passed by the board by a vote of 5-2. By doing so, the Commission cut off any aid to Planned Parenthood, as the county does not fund any other Planned Parenthood initiatives.(10}

After Barbara Zdravecky, who oversees Planned Parenthood for 15 counties throughout central Florida, asked Storms to reconsider her proposal on July 21, 2005, Storms said she told Zdravecky, "I am pro-life and you're not...There is nothing you can say or do for me to support you. Thank you very much for your comments." After the exchange, Storms recalled smiling at Zdravecky and thanking her again for her request to reconsider. Zdravecky, however, recalls that Storms was much more blunt, saying "I am pro-life, you are pro-death" twice. Recalling her side of the events, Zdravecky said, "I have to say I was pretty shaken. I'm used to taking hits. But I was surprised at her lack of humanity...I believe anyone who professes to be a proponent of Christianity would treat me with more dignity than the way I was treated."(10)

.....

Positions on gay issues

In June 2005, some library patrons complained about a book display at the West Gate Regional Library in Town 'n' Country honoring June, which is Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.<11> Storms heard about the complaints and decided to put to a vote to ban such book displays in county libraries. On June 15, however, she moved for the Commission to "adopt a policy that Hillsborough County government abstain from acknowledging, promoting or participating in gay pride recognition and events, little g, little p." In effect, by adding the footnote "little g, little p," the county would be abstaining from acknowledging, promoting or participating in any recognition or events for gay pride at any time, not just during "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month," with "big G and big P."(12)

.....

Academic Freedom bill (SB2692)

Storms has had a key role in a bill promoting the teaching of intelligent design in public school science classrooms. On February 29, 2008, Storms introduced The Academic Freedom bill (SB2692) in the Florida Senate. ..... The bill has also been criticised for its inconsistency in only protecting the freedom of teachers to discuss anti-evolution arguments, but not other controversies:

If it's OK for science teachers to talk about controversial alternatives to Darwin, it should be OK for health teachers to talk about birth control and abortion. ... With intellectual inconsistency such as this, it's hard to see this effort as anything other than a ham-handed attempt to keep the flames of religion vs. evolution in public schools burning.
�Michael Mayo, Proposed Academic Freedom Act ripe with mumbo jumbo, South Florida Sun-Sentinel(26)

She also voted to legalize bribery of the state legislators, through the operation of ~~slush~~ "leadership" funds.

Ms. Storms will not be running for reelection to the Senate in November, 2012.

She has decided to run for Hillsborough County property appraiser.

Here is part of her statement:

Dear neighbor:

As you may have heard, I decided to forego my easy re-election bid to the Florida Senate in order to challenge the incumbent Hillsborough County Property Appraiser due to his publicly admitted breaches of the public trust. His outrageous activities include engaging in a romantic relationship with his human resource director, engaging in a texting and email pornography scandal in the manner of the shameful behavior of Representative Anthony Weiner, and exposing the taxpayers to potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and judgments for the incumbent�s retaliation for an EEOC sexual harassment complaint.

.....

Goodbye, Ms. Storms.

9. Senator Mike Fasano, (R-New Port Richey)

He is term-limited out of the Senate, but he intends to run for the newly created District 36 seat in the House in November. We've got to credit him, however, for bucking his party on several key issues---

.....

In the Senate this session, Fasano became a focal point of opposition to one of the top priorities of Senate President Mike Haridopolos: a plan to privatize prisons in South Florida.

Leading the effort to halt the bill, Fasano likened it to a bailout for private correctional companies on par with the federal government�s bailout of Wall Street and the auto industry.

"I think a clear message was sent ... that we do not want to privatize public safety,� Fasano said after the Feb. 21 vote. �We do not want to turn over a half-billion (dollars) of taxpayer paid-for correctional facilities to two corporations and let them earn money on the backs of taxpayers.�

Fasano�s opposition to the privatization cost him seats on two budget committees, including one chairmanship post.

He also clashed with Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, over Alexander's plan to make the USF Polytechnic campus in Polk County into a separate university.

.....Link

And we angrily knew how this last one would turn out.

10. Senator Jim Norman, (R-Tampa)

(via ABC ActionNews)

Here's a good place to start with Jim Norman's corruption:

The ongoing Jim Norman Investigation by ABC ActionNews

Norman fails to disclose a half-million dollar lakefront home that his wife paid cash for, in campaign reports, October 27, 2010:

..... Questions arise over how Mearline Norman, wife of state Senate candidate Jim Norman, paid for a $435,000 lakefront house in Arkansas, which Norman did not list on his financial disclosure form required to run for office. Norman maintains he had nothing to do with the purchase of the house and that the worth of two boats that came with the house and were listed in his name were below the $1,000 threshold to declare.

.....

Florida GOP legislator Jim Norman files bill to criminalize roadside photography of farm scenery, February 24, 2011

Norman says he will "fix" the bill, February 25, 2011

He also voted to legalize bribery of the state legislators, through the operation of ~~slush~~ "leadership" funds.

Late word: Norman will not run for reelection to the Senate in 2012.

Democrat Wes Johnson to run for Jim Norman's seat in Florida Senate

.....

"Fundamentally, I think the state Legislature and state government is going in the wrong direction, particularly with education," (Johnson) said. "They're taking money away and playing all kinds of games. � When you invest in education, you provide conditions for job growth in our economy."

How refreshing---a voice of reason.

11. Senator Dennis L. Jones, (R-Seminole) (represents part of Pinellas)

He voted to legalize bribery of the state legislators, through the operation of ~~slush~~ "leadership" funds.

On the other hand, he voted against Jeb Bush's attempt at forcing through the "Parent Trigger Bill" through the Legislature in March of this year.

At best, deeply inconsistent and hedgy at doing the right thing for the majority of Floridians...

12. Senator Steve Oelrich, (R-Gainesville) (represents Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist, Union, parts of Columbia, Levy, Marion and Putnam)

He is leaving the Florida Senate to run for U. S. Congress in November, 2012.

In January 2012, he announced he would run in the newly redrawn Florida's 3rd congressional district. The CD overs 63% of the voters in his State Senate district, including seven entire counties. The largest of these counties, Alachua County, is where Oelrich lives.<7> ---Link

To his credit, as state Senator, he bucked his party and voted against Jeb Bush's attempt at forcing through the "Parent Trigger Bill" through the Legislature in March of this year.

13. Senator Paula Dockery, (R-Lakeland) (represents parts of Hernando, Lake, Osceola, Polk and Sumter)

She is term limited out of the Senate at the end of 2012. Here are some of her issue positions from over the past decade.

One item of note in her career in the Florida Senate is that she has been an oppositional figure to parts of the Jeb Bush agenda.

14. Senator Jack Latvala, (R-St. Petersburg) (represents parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas)

This is an interesting one.

He repeatedly tried, with notable success, to slow down the extreme conservative rampage in the Legislature.

A major black mark: he did vote to authorize legislative ~~slush~~ "leadership funds", opening the door to bribery of state legislators.

Nevertheless, he has fought his own party on occasion, and succeeded. Is running again in 2012.

15. Senator JD Alexander, (R-Lake Wales), and THANK GAWD, TERM-LIMITED OUT

http://www2.tbo.com/mgmedia/image/0/354/178527/senate-session-18573173jpg

This greed-driven bully has perhaps inflicted more damage on the state than the rest of his cronies combined.

'JD Alexander is the face of what's wrong with Florida', March 4, 2012

Will Rick Scott veto JD Alexander's legislative bullying to get his 'legacy university'?, April 14, 2012

Gov Rick Scott approves bill creating Florida Polytechnic University, April 20, 2012

Details make Florida Polytech look even worse (JD Alexander's Rick Scott-approved pet project), May 24, 2012

Carl Hiaasen: Hail to our newest campus: Useless State, May 30. 2012

Powerful Florida state senator fired American citizens, hired guest workers instead, lawsuit says, September 8, 2011

Appraisals add fuel to CSX commuter rail debate (Jeb's sweet deal with CSX) JD Alexander's property holdings will stand to benefit, March 14, 2008

And this little gem is in this week's news--- there is a plan afoot called "Future Corridors", a Jeb Bush creation, (Governor Crist shelved it, but now it is back) that would build multiple toll roads crisscrossing the state's rural areas, with the intent to stimulate more growth and development. This is exactly what this state DOES NOT NEED. And the kicker in all of this secret planning is that a handful of major landowners in the state would benefit, including, you guessed it, JD Alexander as CEO/President of Alico, Inc., along with a few other big players:

.....Plum Creek Timber; Foley Timber and Land Co.; Rayonier; Bascom Southern; the Mosaic Co.; Deseret Ranches, Florida, which is owned by the Mormon church; Lykes Brothers; Florida Crystals; U.S. Sugar Corp.; the Barron Collier Cos.; and Collier Enterprises.

This toll road scheme into rural areas, hatched by Jeb Bush, to benefit big developers at the expense of Florida's pristine lands, must be stopped in its tracks.

It is criminally catastrophic what this one individual, JD Alexander, has inflicted on the people of Florida, to satisfy his own base lust for power and extreme personal wealth. And another criminal fraudster named Rick Scott just gave JD another fat, sweet bundle of tens of millions of state taxpayer dollars for a new, unjustifiable state university that JD lusted for, as he waltzes out of the Legislature this year.

Instead of being run out of town on a rail, JD Alexander continues to rape and pillage the state with impunity.

16. Senator Alan Hays, (R-Umatilla) (represents parts of Lake, Marion, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia)

During the 2010 Legislative Session, Hays compared abortion to the Holocaust.<1> ---Link

October 25, 2011:

"Before we design a district anywhere in the state of Florida for Hispanic voters, we need to ascertain that they are citizens of the United States," Hays said. "We all know there are many Hispanic-speaking people in Florida that are not legal, and I just don't think that it's right that we try to draw a district that encompasses people that really have no business voting anyhow."

His comments brought denunciations from two Hispanic House members, Democrats Luis Garcia of Miami Beach and Janet Cruz of Tampa, who accused Hays of being prejudiced against Hispanics.

.....

In 2007, on the subject of an anti-bullying law, a group of students said Hays told them gay students needed psychological treatment.

..... Link

This guy is a dentist, but he does indeed have a case of foot in mouth disease....

17. Senator Mike Bennett, (R-Bradenton) (represents parts of Charlotte, DeSoto, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota)

.....

During the hearing, the judge heard a telling statement from one of the sponsors of the new voting legislation. �I want the people in the state of Florida to want to vote as badly as that person in Africa who is willing to walk 200 miles for that opportunity he�s never had before in his life. This should not be easy,� Sen. Michael Bennett, a Republican from Bradenton, had said during the 2011 legislative session.

Judge Hinkle responded that Florida �doesn�t have an interest in making it hard to vote. That�s not a permissible goal.�

..... -----Link

And more "family values" from Bennett, during a legislative session....

Florida State Senator Caught Looking At Porn During Session (VIDEO), May 3, 2010, TalkingPointsMemo

Think we can do better than this?

18. Senator David Simmons, (R-Altamonte Springs) (represents parts of Orange and Seminole)

Simmons took this Senate seat in an unopposed election. That is not an acceptable outcome, in the face of the fate Florida has suffered for more than the past decade under rigid conservative control.

19. Senator Nancy C. Detert, (R-Venice) (represents parts of Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota)

Attack on Servers' Wages in Florida Sparks Backlash, February 23, 2012

Thanks for nothing, Ms. Detert. Signed, Working People

20. Senator Thad Altman, (R-Melbourne) (represents parts of Brevard, Orange and Seminole)

Typical, hard-edged conservative positions on social issues; pro-business issues; pro-NRA issues; garners high approval of Christian Coalition.

On environmental protection and labor protection, not so much.

21. Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff, (R-Fort Lauderdale) (represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach)

Bogdanoff was a temperamental House member before moving over to the Senate.

The NRA loves her. Not much on environmental issues... same old rigid ideology.

June 14, 2011, South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

FORT LAUDERDALE � The 19-year-old daughter of State Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff was arrested last week on felony grand theft and drug charges in Miami-Dade County, court records show.

.....

Danna Bogdanoff was arrested on Friday on one felony count each of third-degree grand theft, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, possession of a controlled substance, and (possession) of burglary tools, the records show. She also was charged with two misdemeanor counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and criminal mischief.

Ellyn Bogdanoff said since she posted her daughter's bail and the two talked over the weekend, the young woman has entered a drug-treatment program. It's a second attempt at rehabilitation, she said, ....

The legislator, who represents Broward and Palm Beach counties, said she has pushed variations of a bill aimed at offering drug offenders rehabilitation, instead of long prison terms, since she first went to Tallahassee in 2004.

"Any life experience can be attached to any legislation I do," Bogdanoff said. But the bill has "absolutely nothing to do with my daughter."

Is it somehow beneath Ms. Bogdanoff to help her daughter?

22. Senator Mike Haridopolos, (R-Merritt Island) (represents parts of Brevard, Indian River, Osceola and St. Lucie) **IS TERM-LIMITED OUT at the end of 2012.

Haridopolos is our current Senate President, on the right, along with Senator John Thrasher in the center. Laugh, you fools.

Senate Admonishes Leader Haridopolos for Ethics Errors, March 9, 2011

Haridopolos' Deal With Brevard Community College: 1 Book, 1 Copy, $152,000, February 28, 2011

St. Pete Times: Jim Greer trial may expose Florida Republican party's inner workings, September 5, 2011 (Coming in late July, 2012, perhaps to a courtroom near you.)

Gov Rick Scott packs task force with Stand Your Ground sponsors, supporters of gun rights expansion, April 20, 2012 (Haridopolos was a co-sponsor of the law.)

Haridopolos furious: Judge rules Florida pension changes unconstitutional, March 7, 2012

TALLAHASSEE � In a dramatic defeat for the governor and the Florida Legislature, a Leon County circuit judge on Tuesday ruled that the decision last year to cut public employee salaries was an unconstitutional breach of the state's contract and ordered the money returned with interest.
.....
The governor and Republican legislative leaders cut salaries 3 percent, eliminated cost of living adjustments, or COLAs, and shifted savings into the general revenue fund to offset the state's contribution to their retirement account.
.....
Lawyers for the House and Senate refused to comment on the ruling, but Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, was critical of Fulford and vowed to continue the legal battle.

"I think this is an example of judicial activism, and this is why we are immediately going to appeal this decision," Haridopolos said.

.....

Haridopolos tries to rush Jeb Bush's "Parent Trigger" bill through Senate in tandem with Sen. JD Alexander, cutting off parents' attempts to speak, March 6, 2012

Ultimately, Jeb's latest scheme to trick parents into relinquishing their influence over a "failing public school", so it could be privately controlled to enrich wealthy investors, went down in flames.

See how all of these vultures operate?

And they've held Florida's government hostage ever since 1999, when the hard rightists took over the House, the Senate, and Jeb Bush besieged the Governor's office.

23. Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto, (R-Wellington) (represents parts of Charlotte, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Palm Beach]

She's endorsed by Florida Right to Life PAC; was in hot political water in 2006 as she was accused of 105 election law violations in her local municipal election campaign.

She introduced the highly controversial "Parent Trigger Bill" pushed by Jeb Bush, that ultimately was defeated with a tie vote in March, 2012.

As payback, we suppose, Jeb Bush has recently endorsed her campaign for 2012; a point of note from that link:

As of May 23, 2012, she faces no primary or general election opponent so far.

This is colossally unacceptable, to allow default right wing ideologues to take positions in our state government, unopposed.

24. Senator Joe Negron, (R-Palm City) (represents Martin, parts of Indian River, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie)

This man replaced early-retiring former Senator Ken Pruitt in a special election in 2009. Pruitt went back to the private sector, working as a property appraiser and Tallahassee lobbyist, representing clients before his former legislative colleagues.

Nice how that works, isn't it?

Back to Joe Negron. He is one of Jeb Bush's "Education Reformers", pushers of privatization of public education.

Not to be overlooked, also on that linked list of Jeb Bush loyalists are, coincidentally, (--not so much---),

FL Senator Don Gaetz;

FL Senator John Thrasher;

Gerard Robinson, who is the Florida Commissioner of Education who is trying to explain to furious Floridians the colossal failure of this spring's FCAT debacle;

... and Will Weatherford, who is slated to become Florida's Speaker Designate of the Florida House, if he is reelected.

Jeb's operatives are salted throughout the legislature for the sole purpose of accomplishing what Jeb is determined to do, and that is to annihilate public education, both in Florida and across the country.

Jeb Bush especially likes Florida House Speaker-Designate Republican Will Weatherford's ideas:

Jeb Bush ‏@JebBush 18 May

Provocative idea by @willweatherford. We need disruptive innovation in higher education.
http://ow.ly/b0JwA

Here is some of Jeb's "disruptive ~~interference~~ innovation" for 'Bold Education Reform' with gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory in Raleigh, North Carolina.

And he's coming to Asheville to lean on McCrory again on July 19.

What must be recognized by people is that Jeb Bush's push to starve public education and privatize its remains, is poison for the future of our children and the country.

One day, hopefully, people will figure out that hitching their wagon to Jeb Bush is guaranteed failure.

25. Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, (R-Miami) (represents part of Miami-Dade)

I will defer to local political observers about this Senator. Interestingly, there is a lot of jockeying for state political position going on in his family.

Diaz de La Portilla Brothers Set Their Sights On State Legislature, June 14, 2012

Tallahassee, be very afraid. If all goes according to their plan, not one, not two, but all three Diaz de la Portilla brothers will be members of the state Legislature come November. They're already one-third of the way there. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla did not draw a challenger for his state Senate seat. However, his siblings Alex and Renier will face some stiff opponents for two state House seats. If the trio get elected, the Diaz de la Portillas will once again be the most powerful Cuban American oligarchy next to the Diaz-Balart clan.

As the Diaz de la Portillas gear up for their campaigns, we took a peek at their financials to find out which bro is banking the most money.

.....

More of his recent activities:

Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla's firm lobbies for FPL in South Miami, which is at odds with...FPL, May 10, 2012

When South Miami commissioners were readying to take a vote opposing Florida Power & Light's proposed base-rate increase, Mayor Philip Stoddard got an unexpected phone call -- from his state senator.

Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a lawyer and lobbyist, called on behalf of his firm's client: FPL.

"He did ask me to delay it, and I think they wanted me to delay it again," said Stoddard, who pushed back the resolution for unrelated scheduling reasons. "I wouldn't delay it a second time."

It's not the first time that Diaz de la Portilla or any other lawmaker lobbies a city in his or her district. Nothing prohibits them from doing so.

But Diaz de la Portilla, a Coral Gables Republican who works at Becker & Poliakoff, is not a registered lobbyist in South Miami. And South Miami -- along with Coral Gables, Miami and Pinecrest -- is engaged in an ongoing fight against FPL over the company's proposal to build power-transmission lines along U.S. 1.

Diaz de la Portilla called the brouhaha an attempt by "liberal Democrats ... to slander a Republican Senator."

.....

This Republican state Senator, Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, is another example of a default right wing conservative candidate assuming power in Tallahassee, with no opponent in the election.

This is of major consequence if Floridians ever want to return the levers of power to those more attentive to the needs of regular people.

26. Senator Garrett Richter, (R-Naples) (represents parts of Collier and Lee)

Among his details:

Rated A by the NRA. Voted in favor of random drug tests for state employees. Rated 100% in policy positions by both the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Builders and Contractors...

On November 4, 2008, Richter won election to the Florida Senate from Florida's 37th Senate district. Richter ran unopposed in the election. He raised $143,593 for his campaign.<2>

And here is another consequence of what we get when Republicans are allowed to win power in Tallahassee by default.

This very damaging trend must be reversed.

But, the Florida Democratic Party is virtually nonexistent in locating and supporting progressive candidates to oppose the Republican monopoly in our state legislature.

And that is shameful.

27. Senator Anitere Flores, (R-Miami) (represents part of Miami-Dade)

Senate panel passes new restrictions for abortions, in bill sponsored by Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami

February 22, 2012

Before Flores came to the Senate, she entered the Florida House in 2004.

Flores was then subsequently re-elected with no opposition in 2006 and 2008. ---Link

Again, this trend of sending default Republicans to Tallahassee with no opposition must be stopped.

The future of Florida depends on it.

28. Senator Rene Garcia, (R-Hialeah) (represents part of Miami-Dade)

This Republican senator deserves credit for this action:

MAY 02, 2012

Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, called on Gov. Rick Scott Wednesday to address abuse and neglect in assisted living facilities in the face of this year's failed legislation.

Garcia's suggestion: Another Agency for Healthcare Administration workgroup similar to that established last year after the Miami Herald's Neglected to Death series unveiled gross mismanagement at the state's 2,850 assisted living facilities, resulting in nearly one death per month.

The series prompted Scott to promise sweeping changes. But he seemed reluctant to broker reform as politics and special interests crushed what was expected to be the most meaningful overhaul in a generation.

Scott's office did not immediately answer phone calls asking whether he would create the proposed work group.

.....

This ends a look at the members of the Republican majority in the Florida Senate; all Senate seats are up for election this November, as are all seats of the Florida House.

With the current debacle sitting in the Governor's mansion, the only way to put a check on Rick Scott is to elect Democrats and Independents into the majority of both the Senate and the House this November.

This can be done.

And it is high time to send the message that we have had enough of this authoritarian right wing monopoly that has absolutely corrupted Florida's state government since 1999.

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1. FL needs to GOTV!! - n/t

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