Women to take pro tem posts in Legislature

By LISA BUIE and JULIE HAUSERMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 21, 2000

Two Tampa Bay area women are expected to be named to the No. 2 positions in the state House and Senate today.

State Sen. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, is expected to be elected Senate president pro tem, and state Rep. Sandra Murman, R-Tampa, is expected to be named House speaker pro tem.

"It's a position that is very prestigious for Hernando County and the counties I represent," said Brown-Waite, whose District 10 includes all of Hernando and Sumter counties, eastern Pasco County and part of Polk County. "It's kind of like being the vice president."

Brown-Waite will fill the largely ceremonial position under incoming Senate President John McKay, R-Bradenton. Murman will fill the similar role under new House Speaker Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo.

McKay said Brown-Waite earned it.

"She's a good person. She's hard-working," he said. "She's trusted by her colleagues. She's one of the senior members of the Senate. I think she'll do a great job."

In the House, state Rep. Paula Dockery, a Lakeland Republican, called Murman a "peacemaker."

Also this week, Democrats named another woman to fill a high-profile role in their party.

House Democrats elected state Rep. Lois Frankel, of West Palm Beach, as Democratic leader. She urged her colleagues to set aside hurt feelings from the campaigns and work in a bipartisan way to help Floridians.

Frankel got flowers from Gov. Jeb Bush Monday. Feeney, the GOP speaker, attended the meeting Monday in which she was elected Democratic leader.

Frankel, an attorney, was first elected in 1986 and is now in her seventh term in the state House. She is known for her advocacy for children and families. Among her priorities: reducing class sizes, increasing money spent on child care for working parents and reforming campaign financing and election laws.

Brown-Waite was uncertain whether she would serve on any committees as president pro tem or float among them. One thing she will not be able to do is succeed McKay in 2002 because term limits will force her resignation. However, she will be next in line if McKay has to step down as Senate president.

Brown-Waite, 57, began her political career as a staffer for the New York state senate. Before being elected to the Hernando County Commission in 1990, she worked as a contracts administrator for the Southwest Florida Water Management District. She was first elected to the Florida Senate in 1992.

In March, she took a $71,600-a-year job with Swiftmud as the agency's assistant director of community affairs. Some called it a conflict of interest because she would be voting on legislation that governs the agency she works for. But the Florida Commission on Ethics saw no conflict. And Swiftmud officials argued that she was uniquely qualified for the job, which entails coordinating Swiftmud's activities with local governments.

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