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Cost of votes: loss of top job

State Senate president Tom Lee fires Alex Villalobos as majority leaderfor failing to toe the party line on the class size amendment and school vouchers.

By STEVE BOUSQUET and JONI JAMES
Published May 2, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - Senate President Tom Lee on Monday night fired Sen. Alex Villalobos as majority leader after the Miami Republican cast the deciding vote to keep school vouchers out of the Florida Constitution.

It was the second time in four days that Villalobos broke with members of his party in a vote that had Democrats pumping their fists in triumph. Last Friday, he was one of six moderate Republicans who blocked an effort to weaken the 2002 class size amendment.

Minutes after the end of another tense day in the Senate, Lee told reporters he had lost confidence in Villalobos as a loyal lieutenant.

"You cannot be the majority leader if you are unwilling to lead the majority," Lee said. "Not only did I not get organized support, unfortunately at times I received organized opposition."

Lee's office said later that Sen. Daniel Webster, R-Winter Garden, a former House speaker, would take Villalobos' place as majority leader.

For months, Villalobos has been at the center of an increasingly bitter power struggle over who will lead the Senate in 2008. The moderate lawyer has appeared distracted for much of this session by a fierce challenge from a rival group of GOP senators.

Minutes after Lee's announcement, a deflated Villalobos sat in the Senate Majority Office he will soon have to vacate.

"I didn't wake up this morning thinking this was going to happen," Villalobos said when asked if he was surprised by Lee's move. "But I serve at the pleasure of the president, and it's his privilege to take it away, too."

Four of his Senate allies sat or stood alongside him, at times voicing outrage at Lee's action.

"I think if the voters out in the world knew that you can't vote for what you believe in without being retaliated against, they'd be appalled," said Sen. Nancy Argenziano, R-Dunnellon, a Villalobos loyalist.

Lee told reporters his decision had been a long time in coming and was based on a growing frustration with Villalobos, who remained angry about the highly public effort to dislodge him as a future Senate president. Lee suggested the infighting had so distracted Villalobos that he no longer was "a team player" who saw the "bigger picture" of the Senate agenda.

Villalobos shook his head in disbelief when a reporter told him of Lee's remarks. He said he was only acting out of principle when he voted against a voucher program that he said was too far-reaching.

"I never asked anyone to vote against the president, and I never will. I ask my colleagues to do what they need to do for their district," Villalobos said. "The team that got me here were the voters back home in a Republican district. I'm living up to their expectations."

Villalobos now finds himself facing a torrent of criticism from senators on the opposite side of the power struggle.

"Sen. Villalobos can't make up his mind if he's a Republican or a Democrat," said Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton.

Bennett, a leader of the anti-Villalobos faction seeking to hand control of the 2008 Senate to Sen. Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach, said Villalobos' actions have destroyed any sense that he's a team player.

"People who might have been leaning to helping him out have seen that there's absolutely no leadership and no loyalty," Bennett said.

--Times staff writer Jennifer Liberto contributed to this report. Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or 850 224-7263.

[Last modified May 2, 2006, 02:50:20]