Politics

Crist returns 'relax' to job

"Off time" doesn't exist, he says, though he beats Jeb Bush for taking weekdays off.

By STEVE BOUSQUET, Tallahassee Bureau Chief
Published August 20, 2007

TALLAHASSEE — Before Charlie Crist became governor, he sought wisdom from some of the men who had held the job before him.

Democrat Bob Graham's advice: Get plenty of rest and stay fresh.

"Being governor is not a 100-yard dash. It's a marathon," said Graham, governor from 1979 to 1987. "It's an important part of being governor to keep yourself in good shape, physically and mentally."

Crist has tried to follow the advice.

In the 7 1/2 months since he took office, Crist has taken all or virtually all of 19 weekdays off in addition to having most weekends off.

That's more downtime than his predecessor, Jeb Bush, took in any similar period of time.

Crist was off three days in February, two in May, four in June, four in July and six in August. On a couple of those days, his official events lasted two hours or less.

He said he has no regrets about taking time to relax.

"I'm never not governor," Crist said. "There's no off time, to be candid with you."

Crist's workload has included trying to get a grip on Florida's property insurance and property tax problems, devastating tornadoes in February in suburban Orlando, a goodwill mission to Israel, one regular legislative session, two special sessions and a third one next month.

Even some who have been very critical of Crist on policy matters don't begrudge him some time to relax.

"I'm not sure that the amount of time he spends at his desk really makes any difference," said Mark O'Connell, president of the Professional Insurance Agents of Florida.

O'Connell wrote a newspaper column that took Crist to task for backing changes that have greatly increased taxpayers' financial exposure for posthurricane insurance claims.

"The governor's no different than the average citizen in this country," said lobbyist Ken Plante, a former legislator who worked as a staffer in the Bush administration. "I don't think anything's not getting accomplished. It's obviously his style: He feels it's better to get away and recharge, and then come back and charge harder."

Crist is a notorious early riser who spends many weeknights hosting receptions or entertaining guests at the Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee.

Though listed as "personal days" on his schedule, with no other detail, some of those days aren't really what they appear. Crist may be doing political work such as raising money for the Republican Party.

Crist took six straight weekdays off between Aug. 3 and Aug. 10. His only official event was a 30-minute news conference at a Publix in Fort Myers. He spent part of the week on his 25-foot boat, Freedom, in southwest Florida.

"I went fishing. I didn't go catching, though. That's why they call it fishing," Crist said.

Chief of staff George LeMieux said the fishing trip was the first time since Crist took office Jan. 2 that "he's really gotten away and been able to basically turn the phone off."

For more than 18 months prior to the election, LeMieux said, Crist never took a vacation because he was always campaigning.

"He'll work six days and maybe get on his boat for an afternoon. That's an important place for him to decompress after a long week," LeMieux said.

The man has few distractions in his life outside of being governor. Crist, who turned 51 last month, is the first unmarried governor since Claude Kirk four decades ago.

He often holds official events on Fridays or Mondays in the Tampa Bay area so he can spend weekends close to his St. Petersburg home, and friends remark at how visible he is.

"He's everywhere," marveled former Gov. Bob Martinez, who saw Crist, in shorts, at a Tampa Bay Bucs exhibition game a weekend ago.

"I'm never off," Crist said. "I love the job and I'm always working."

Times researcher Nadia Mundy contributed to this report. Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or (850) 224-7263.

[Last modified August 20, 2007, 00:13:11]