Senate leader reproaches Bush for recent remarks

By LUCY MORGAN
Published April 28, 2005

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TALLAHASSEE - Senate President Tom Lee says Gov. Jeb Bush needs to watch what he's saying or he could quickly unravel good relations established between legislative leaders this year.

"Emotions tend to run high in the last week of session, and people get offended very easily," Lee said while speaking to the media Wednesday. "The decorum and tone that have been set by the speaker and I could easily be unraveled by a governor who really doesn't have a role in this process right now."

made the remarks in response to Bush's suggestion a day earlier that the Senate was playing games by refusing to confirm Alan Levine as secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration.

"I think the biggest game of the session has probably been played by the governor's office," Lee said, defending all the work the Senate has put into revamping growth management.

Bush has "cannibalized" and "plagiarized" the Senate's proposals, claiming them as his own after Bush's own proposals "fell flat on their face," Lee said.

He said he is not angry and is grateful the governor is supporting growth management reforms, but believes Bush should credit Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, for the work he and his Community Affairs Committee have put into the measure.

Lee said the House growth management proposal is looking like "something of a turkey pot" and does not provide long-term solutions to the problems. The House bill will not be considered in the Senate, he added.

A spokesman for the governor declined to respond to Lee's remarks.

"We will continue to have a productive dialogue with the House and the Senate," said press secretary Jacob DiPietre."The governor is just looking forward to a successful and productive end to the session that will address the needs of Floridians."