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The Buzz: Florida politics

For family, campaign comes with benefits

By Times staff writers
Published December 11, 2005

Last week, the St. Petersburg Times noted that state Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, is among the biggest campaign spenders despite being unopposed for re-election. He has spent more than $100,000 since 2003, with no opposition.

We noted that his big spending has been good for a Temple Terrace florist who has received about $5,000 in orders from the Crist campaign, but we neglected to note that his spending has been good for his relatives.

Blame it on our carelessness. When we asked Crist, "Who is Emmy Fleeting?" - a person he paid nearly $20,000 in campaign money - we neglected to be more specific with our question. He told us she was his campaign manager handling his voter lists, fundraising and other political activity.

Which is true. Turns out she is Victor Crist's sister, too. And her husband, Mark Fleeting, earned $2,300 from working on his brother-in-law's campaign computers.

"You asked me her relationship to my campaign. You didn't ask me if she was my sister," Victor Crist explained, noting that her services are a bargain. "There is no one more trustworthy than one's closest friend or sister, and in a political campaign, you need one's closest confidante in key political positions."

RAY JAY AND HARRIS: Who says deep pockets are abandoning Katherine Harris? Raymond James Financial CEO Tom James is set to host a $500-a-head fundraiser for Harris on Monday at Ray Jay headquarters in St. Petersburg.

NO, REALLY, IT WAS WORTH IT: Sen. Mike Bennettof Bradenton, one of four Republican lawmakers to take a $48,000 trip to Canada this year on the dime of a gambling company, says the foursome, while coming home with just a $10,000 contribution for the Florida GOP, had pledges of $300,000 more, not the $50,000 in pledges previously reported.

Senate President Tom Lee, R-Valrico, said he believes publicity about the jaunt, for which the Republican Party reimbursed Magna Entertainment Corp., helped create the climate last week for the Legislature's extraordinary passage of a ban on all gifts from lobbyists.

Bennett, who went on the trip with local legislators Dennis Jones of Treasure Island and Frank Farkas of St. Petersburg, talks about it in an interview for Political Connections, airing at 11 a.m. today on Bay News 9. Starting Tuesday, the show can be seen on Channel 340 (Tampa Bay on Demand).

GENDER TRUMPS MONEY: Interesting poll numbers came our way in the lavishly funded GOP primary for Katherine Harris' congressional District 13 race in Sarasota. It seems the women in the race, state Reps. Donna Clarke of Sarasota and Nancy Detert of Venice, start out in the lead, ahead of the male rivals and fundraising dynamos Tramm Hudson and Vern Buchanan. Conventional wisdom has Buchanan and Hudson as the front-runners, in part because they are raising so much money - more than $900,000 between the two of them through September.

An Oct. 10-12 poll of 400 Republicans in the district by the Winston Group (working for Clarke) found Clarke and Detert tied with 18 percent support, followed by Buchanan with 13 percent and with Hudson 8 percent. The numbers are dated, but Republican pollster David Winston is among the best in the business.

Meanwhile, California Sen. Barbara Boxer stopped in Sarasota last week to help Democrat Christine Jennings raise more than $100,000 for that seat.

SINK'S RIGHT HAND: Chris Hand, former press secretary and speech writer for Bob Graham, is to be campaign manager for Democrat Alex Sink's campaign for chief financial officer.

CLERKS AND COPS FOR SMITH: Fourteen Democratic County clerks of court, including the clerks of the three counties with the largest number of Democratic voters, have endorsed Rod Smith for governor.

Smith touted endorsements in the Democratic primary from the Florida Fraternal Order of Police and the Florida Police Benevolent Association.

LT. GOV. MORALES? Former Miami-Dade Commissioner and mayoral candidate Jimmy Morales endorsed Jim Davis Friday amid a roaring crowd greeting Davis as he arrived at the state Democratic conference at Disney.

"As a south Floridian and a Hispanic Democrat, I'm proud of the fact that (Davis) has a tremendous record of bringing people together," said Morales, who is Democratic chairman in Miami-Dade.

"He's a great guy," Davis said when asked about Morales as a potential running mate.

The endorsement came a few hours before the gubernatorial candidates hosted receptions. Davis' media consultant, Anita Dunn, said she wanted all of Davis' staff members to make sure they hit Rod Smith's reception. Unlike Davis, Smith has an open bar. At $6 per drink, the Davis camp could guzzle a lot of potential Smith TV ad dollars.

Adam C. Smith and Joni James contributed to this weeks Buzz. For more political news, check out www.sptimes.com/blogs/buzz

[Last modified December 11, 2005, 02:15:36]