Politics

Rep. Allen won't be known for legislation

By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published July 14, 2007

Two weeks ago, the Florida Police Benevolent Association named its "Representative of the Year" for 2007.

The choice was obvious.

It was Rep. Bob Allen, Republican of Merritt Island, who sponsored a bill creating a separate collective bargaining unit for state troopers.

"He's always been a big supporter," said Matt Puckett, the PBA's deputy director. "He carried the water for us."

The lawmaker who carried a police union's water is carrying some extraordinarily heavy political baggage.

Allen now stands accused of offering to perform oral sex on an undercover Titusville policeman, and pay $20.

Allen, 48, has pleaded not guilty to a second-degree misdemeanor and asks the public not to jump to conclusions.

"Forget politics. The worst thing in the world is what's happened to our family," said Allen, who is married and has a teenage daughter getting ready for college. "But I'm holding my head high, because I am not guilty."

The alleged solicitation occurred Wednesday afternoon in a men's room at a park with a plaque that bears the name of its founding members, including Bob Allen.

The police report said Allen entered a men's room three times, finally opening the door of a stall and saying to an officer inside, "This is kind of a public place, isn't it."

As a legislator, Allen has not done much of lasting significance. Confrontational at times, he is largely devoid of finesse.

One of his bills in 2007 would have forced cruise ships to deposit their wastes onshore.

He chairs the House Energy Committee that produced a bill Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed, saying it didn't go far enough.

Allen put $100,000 in the budget for improvements to the Spacewalk Hall of Fame Riverfront Park. Crist vetoed it.

But Allen still has supporters in his Space Coast district, which includes the Kennedy Space Center.

In an e-mail message, Steve Webster of Citizens for Florida Waterways called Allen "a good guy with an outstanding sense of humor, and I can't help but hope that's what got him in this situation."

Allen's going to need his sense of humor.

Any time a Florida politician is mentioned by name in Jay Leno's monologue, it's definitely not a good career move.

Leno found a way Thursday night to link the arrest of Allen with his role as one of the Florida co-chairmen of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign and the campaign's financial problems, reversing the alleged cash transaction for comic effect.

"How broke is the McCain campaign?" Leno asked. "That's not a good sign, when you send the guys into the men's room to raise money."

To some of Allen's House colleagues, there's nothing funny about him hanging around for another 18 months.

But as a legislator, he's subject to discipline only by his colleagues. Even if he's convicted, House rules don't require his removal, but House Speaker Marco Rubio issued a carefully worded statement that seemed to leave open that possibility.

Allen is even plowing ahead with his campaign for a Brevard County Senate seat that's expected to be vacant in 2008.

He'll soon have company in the Republican primary for the seat in a conservative district. The Web site photos of an unshaven Allen in police custody are destined to live on in his next political campaign - if there is one.

Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or 850 224-7263.

[Last modified July 13, 2007, 23:06:07]