Amendments 5 And 6 Poised To Pass
November 3, 2010
A pair of constitutional amendments meant by backers to take some of the politics out of drawing legislative and congressional districts appeared headed for approval early Wednesday morning.
The proposals – aimed at keeping parties from drawing districts to favor themselves or particular legislators – looked likely to be one of the few dark spots for Republicans on an otherwise GOP night across the nation. Republicans are in power and set to draw the districts for the Legislature and Congress in 2012, and fought hard against the two proposals, Amendment 5 and Amendment 6.
The amendments were the culmination of efforts to limit the influence of politics on the drawing of the boundaries by a group called Fair Districts Florida. The measures survived constitutional challenges and a competing legislative proposal that was struck down by the courts.
Amendments 5 and 6, which early Wednesday morning were on course to reach the 60 percent. With more than 92 percent of precincts reporting, Amendment 5 had the support of 62.5 percent of voters. Amendment 6 was supported by 62.8 percent of voters, according to the Division of Elections figures.
The measures – one covering legislative districts and the other congressional – would require that voting districts be compact, contiguous and respect city and county boundaries when possible. The proposals’ thorniest provisions would prohibit line drawers from favoring incumbent politicians or political parties, a perk the majority party has enjoyed for generations.
Fair Districts spent nearly $9 million to promote the amendments. The measure’s major contributors were Democratic-allied groups, including the Florida Education Association, the National Education Association, and the Service Employees International Union. Supporters also include AARP, the Florida League of Women Voters and the state NAACP.
Opponents were led by state Republican lawmakers who called the plan unworkable and said it would dilute minority access to state and federal office by prohibiting districts from being drawn to ensure minority representation.
Such access districts were created during redistricting in 1992 and 2002 to create voting districts with as many black Democrats as possible. The changes helped clear the way for Florida to elect its first minority representatives in Congress since shortly after the Civil War, while also increasing the small number then serving in the Legislature.
But such minority-packed districts also reduced the Democratic population in surrounding areas. That allowed Florida Republicans to flourish and in 1996 win control of the Legislature for the first time in 122 years. Redistricting in 2002 only solidified the GOP’s grip on legislative power.
The Florida NAACP and most black Democratic lawmakers have rejected Republican claims that the changes would hurt minorities, saying federal protections are unaffected.
By Michael Peltier
The News Service Florida
Putnam Wins Ag Commissioner
November 3, 2010
Congressman Adam Putnam’s win in the agriculture commissioner’s race Tuesday gave Republicans a sweep of the three Cabinet seats, though they awaited a razor-thin governor’s race to know whether the governor would also be on their side.
Putnam defeated Democrat Scott Maddox. With most precincts in the state reporting, Putnam had a comfortable lead with 2.7 million votes, 58 percent, to Maddox’ 1.7 million votes, or 37 percent.
Joining Putnam on the all-GOP Cabinet will be Attorney General Pam Bondi, who defeated Democrat Dan Gelber, and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, who beat Democrat Loranne Ausley. The Cabinet meets with the governor, who isn’t technically part of the body.
“Agriculture is more than a traditional base of our economy, it is a vital and dynamic part of Florida’s bright future,” Putnam said in a statement. “Fostering these new employment opportunities, stewarding our state’s resources and protecting Floridians from those who would prey on them will by my daily focus.”
Putnam, of Bartow, served five two-year terms in Congress representing most of Polk County and part of Hillsborough. While serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, he became chairman of the Republican Conference, the chamber’s third highest Republican post.
Putnam was elected to the House in 2000 following a four-year stint in the Florida House, to which he was elected in 1996 at the age of 22.
A fifth generation Floridian, Putnam’s family runs citrus and cattle operations in Polk County.
He replaces Charlie Bronson, a Republican, who is retiring.
Pictured: Adam Putnam campaigns for Florida’s agriculture commissioner in April, 2009 at Fran’s Country Grill in Molino. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Republicans Pick Up Seats In Fla. House, Senate
November 3, 2010
he national Republican wave filtered down Tuesday to the Florida Legislature, where Republicans ousted at least five incumbent Democrats in the House picked up two more seats in the Senate to give them their largest modern majority in that chamber.
Republicans were poised to have 81 of the 120 House seats and in the Senate won two open seats that had been held by Democrats, one in the Tampa Bay area and one in South Florida, giving them a 28-12 majority in the upper chamber.
The gains give the Republicans a veto-proof majority in both chambers, should there be a bright spot for Democrats. In the governor’s race, Democrat Alex Sink could still win – with several votes yet to be counted the race remained too close to call late into the night.
The Senate’s Republican majority is shaping up as the largest by either party since Democrats held a 30-10 advantage over the GOP in 1986. In the House, Republicans held 85 seats in 2006, before Democrats made gains that fall and in 2008.
Two returning members led the way, as former Sen. Jack Latvala retook for Republicans the Tampa Bay area seat held by Democrat Charlie Justice, who was leaving to run for Congress. Latvala defeated Nina Hayden to put the Pinellas County seat back in GOP hands.
Former Rep. Gayle Harrell ousted freshman Adam Fetterman, D-Port St. Lucie, to lead a wave of GOP challengers into the House. Other Democratic House incumbents who were ousted were Rep. Debbie Boyd, D-Newberry, Rep. Janet Long, D-Seminole, Rep. Bill Heller, D-St. Petersburg, and Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota.
The other Senate seat flipped by Democrats was the South Florida seat left open by Dave Aronberg, who quit for an unsuccessful bid for attorney general. Republican Lizbeth Benacquisto won the seat, defeating Democrat Kevin Rader.
As Republican legislative leaders looked at their broadening majority, they were already discussing a veto override session in mid-November to undo some of Gov. Charlie Crist’s vetoes from earlier in the year.
“Tonight’s successes demonstrate the strength of our slate of Republican members and candidates and highlight the fact that Republican values of lower taxes, less spending and limited government continue to resonate with voters across the Sunshine State,” House Speaker-Designate Dean Cannon said Tuesday night. “I look forward to joining our returning members as well as our more than 30 new Republican members as we work to cultivate a fertile economic environment by shrinking the size and scope of government, empowering the individual, and promoting the family.”
Boyd was defeated in House District 11 by Elizabeth Porter in a rematch of a close race in 2008. Long was defeated in House District 51 by Larry Ahern. Jeff Brandes defeated Heller in House District 52, while Ray Pilon beat Fitzgerald in House District 69.
Democrats also failed to win in seats where they had pinned some hopes of bucking what they knew would be a Republican trending night. The party had talked up Katie Edwards as a strong candidate to flip House District 119, which had been held by Republican Juan Zapata. But Edwards was defeated by Republican Frank Artiles.
Democrats had also hoped to unseat Rep. Chris Dorworth, R-Lake Mary, in a race in which a Tea Party candidate was also on the ballot. But Dorworth was easily on his way to defeating Democrat Steve Barnes and John DeVries, the tea party candidate.
In the Senate, Republicans held on to two targeted seats, with Sen. Steve Oelrich, D-Alachua, turning back a challenge from Democrat Perry McGriff, and Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher winning his northeast Florida Senate seat against a challenge by Democrat Deborah Gianoulis. Republicans also appeared set to keep control of the South Florida seat being vacated by Senate President Jeff Atwater, with Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff appearing headed for victory.
By David Royse
The News Service Florida
Pam Bondi Wins AG Spot
November 3, 2010
Former Tampa-area prosecutor Pam Bondi is Florida’s new attorney general, defeating Democratic state Sen. Dan Gelber Tuesday in the race to be the state’s top lawyer.
Bondi, who stepped down as a Hillsborough county prosecutor after nearly 18 years, swept past Gelber in the general election, touting her opponent as the ultimate insider, a death knell in an anti-incumbent and anti-Democrat year.
She also got a boost from outgoing Attorney General Bill McCollum, who led the lawsuit against President Obama’s health care overhaul. Bondi fervently supported the lawsuit and talked it up at every campaign stop, earning her the immediate support of Republican-friendly groups including the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Florida.
“As your attorney general, I pledge to make you and your family safer, our neighborhoods more secure, and I will be a vigilant watchdog for our taxpayers,” said Bondi, in a speech to supporters who watched results with her at the Pepin Hospitality Center in Tampa. “And I vow to stand up to a federal government health care takeover.”
The big Republican embrace of Bondi pumped cash into the candidate’s campaign account, allowing her to mount an aggressive television campaign. In TV commercials, she pushed hard against Gelber’s votes as a House and Senate member, particularly a vote for a now repealed measure, called the “Scarlet Letter” law, which required women to publish their sexual histories if they put a child up for adoption and did not identify the child’s father.
For weeks, polls had been giving Bondi the edge over Gelber in the race to replace Attorney General Bill McCollum, though there was still a rather large contingent of undecided voters because the race received less attention than some other races in the state, such as senate or governor. She ultimately claimed victory by a margin of 56 percent to 40 percent.
Bondi’s victory was immediately praised by Republican supporters who campaigned on her behalf.
“We need a strong Republican in this position to continue the federal health care lawsuit and ensure our Constitutional rights are upheld,” said incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos.
Gelber, a state senator and former House minority leader, called Bondi to congratulate her and in a two minute speech to supporters in Miami, recounted the last few days of the campaign, comparing it to a “dysfunctional family vacation.” The political winds were not in his favor he admitted, but said he believes Bondi will do “just fine” in her new job.
“I want her to do well,” he said. “Because frankly, if she does well, Florida does well. And that’s something we should all understand very deeply.”
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service Florida
Land-Use Amendment 4 Rejected
November 3, 2010
A seven-year effort to give voters more control over local growth decisions went down in defeat Tuesday as opponents of Amendment 4 rallied to defeat a proposal they said would have cost thousands of jobs and billions of dollars.
Amendment 4, the so-called “Hometown Democracy” amendment, would have required local voters to approve changes to their communities’ comprehensive plans to prevent the “development gone wild” atmosphere that became synonymous with Florida in the ’60s and ’70s.
But in a down economy, the notion that it might check recovery appeared to sway voters.
With more than 50 percent of votes cast in the statewide race, backers of the measure held only 33 percent of the vote,far from the 60 percent majority they needed to place the requirement into the Florida Constitution.
Business interests and many local governments banded together to defeat the measure, which they said would grind development to a halt and prevent growth, regardless of merit.
“Voters have sent the signal loud and clear that they do not support a no-growth agenda,” said Ryan Houck, executive director of Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, a business-backed group that spent millions to defeat it.
Backers of the proposal saw it differently.
“Voters were subjected to the full financial power of those special interests that are committed to maintaining a death grip on their ability to control the status quo of sprawl and overbuilding in our state,” Florida Hometown Democracy founder Lesley Blackner said Tuesday. “We nonetheless respect the voters’ judgment at the ballot box.”
Amendment 4 backers, a coalition of environmental and slow-growth groups, contend local comp plans have become as malleable as modeling clay in the hands of deep-pocketed developers.
Since first proposing the amendment in 2003, Blackner, a West Palm Beach land use attorney, and co-founder Ross Burnaman were joined by others who said Florida growth laws enacted in the 1980s were being rendered meaningless by developer-backed changes approved by local officials ready to reap the tax revenue that new homes and businesses bring.
Backers of Amendment 4 also contended elected officials too often ignore the public’s wishes and instead side with developers and powerful business interests, who have frequent contact with government planners and elected officials. Such collaboration has resulted in urban sprawl, overcrowded schools, traffic and the loss of environmental lands.
Opponents said the amendment would have forced local governments to hold scores of special elections or bog down voters with a California-style ballot chock full of changes written in ‘techno-speak.’
With Florida still recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, slowing government’s hand would be catastrophic, they said.
Atwater Elected Fla. CFO
November 3, 2010
Overshadowed by record-breaking and history making elections farther up the ticket, Republican Jeff Atwater was elected chief financial officer Tuesday in what appeared to be a developing Republican sweep of Cabinet seats.
Atwater, R-North Palm Beach and the outgoing Senate President, outdistanced Democrat Loranne Ausley, a former House member who he outspent by more than two to one margin in a campaign that avoided public debates and relied almost entirely on paid advertisements and staged events.
With more than 4 million votes cast, Atwater held nearly 59 percent of the vote prompting Ausley to throw in the towel.
The chief financial officer’s post on the Cabinet was put into the Constitution in 1998, but a contested election for the office wasn’t held until 2006, when current CFO Alex Sink, a Democrat, beat Republican former Senate President Tom Lee for the job.
Ausley left the Legislature in 2008 after eight years in the House and is a lawyer in Tallahassee and is from a prominent, politically-connected family and law firm. But she found her name wasn’t as well-known outside the capital city.
“I am proud of the competitive race we have run, but with the election behind us, it is important to put aside partisan battles and begin working together to move our state forward.,” Ausley said in a concession statement.
Looking likely to join Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner-Elect Adam Putnam on the Cabinet was Pam Bondi, the Republican attorney general candidate who was leading Democrat Dan Gelber 56 to 40 percent with more than 4 million votes cast.
Atwater, a former community banker, has served as Senate President for the past two years, arguably one of the most powerful jobs in state government, along with the governor and House speaker.
“Having worked alongside CFO-elect Atwater in the Senate, I know his conservative principles will be an asset to the Florida Cabinet, as we work toward securing the futures of Florida’s families,” incoming Sen. President Mike Haridopolos said in a statement Tuesday.
Bob Cole Returned To Santa Rosa Commission
November 3, 2010
Incumbent Santa Rosa County Commissioner Bob Cole has been re-elected. The two-term incumbent faced political newcomer Prudence Caskey.
Unofficial results from Santa Rosa County races:
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 2
Robert “Bob” Cole (REP). . . . . . 36,476 76.99
Prudence Caskey (CHR) . . . . . . 10,903 23.01
Robert Bentley Defeats Ron Sparks For Ala. Gov.
November 3, 2010
Robert Bentley handily defeated Ron Sparks for Alabama governor.
The retired Tuscaloosa physician campaigned on promises of creating jobs with tax breaks and stronger ethics laws in Alabama. The Republican also promised not to accept a salary as governor until the unemployment rate in Alabama returns to normal levels.
Photos: Walnut Hill Tornado?
November 3, 2010
A NorthEscambia.com reader took these interesting photos that appear to show a possible funnel cloud Tuesday afternoon. Steven Godwin snapped the photos with his cell phone as he traveled along Highway 97 near Kansas Road in Walnut Hill.
WEAR TV 3 Meteorologist Allen Strum told NorthEscambia.com that the pictures “certainly look like a funnel cloud”; however, he said that radar did not indicate any severe weather near Walnut Hill Tuesday afternoon.
There were no weather watches or warnings for North Escambia Tuesday afternoon, and there were no damage reports received.
Submitted photos by Steven Godwin for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning — Central Escambia And Santa Rosa
November 2, 2010
The National Weather Service in Mobile has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
east central Escambia County in northwest Florida…
this includes the city of Ferry Pass…
west central Santa Rosa County in northwest Florida…
this includes the city of pace…
* until 715 PM CDT
* at 624 PM CDT… National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated a
severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter size hail… and
damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. This storm was located near
Ferry Pass… or near Avalon Beach… and moving north at 15 mph.
* The severe thunderstorm will be near…
pace around 645 PM CDT…
This includes Interstate 10 between mile markers 13 and 20.