Florida governor's race will be tale of 2 economies

[Baitball Blogger]

TALLAHASSEE — Floridians may want to brace themselves gastronomically for a factually overcooked 2014 gubernatorial fight centered on the trajectory of the economy. So here's a double dose of antacid. Gov. Rick Scott's campaign, the Republican Party of Florida and surrogates already have revealed their ingredients: claiming credit for Florida's economic turnaround and blaming former governor-turned-Democratic challenger Charlie Crist for digging the hole.

Crist and veterans of President Barack Obama's national political machine will argue Florida's situation would have been worse if Crist had not made hard budgetary decisions — accepting billions of dollars in stimulus cash to keep teachers employed, for example.

Both narratives take liberties with economic theory and recent history

First the economic reality: Florida's recovery, while very real, is spurred by global and national conditions — consumer confidence, corporate profits and gross domestic product, for example — leading to increased tourism and population migration into the state.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-capview-column-deslatte122913-20131227,0,7510043.column

[blkmusclmachine]

1. Florida governor's race will be tale of 2 Republicans

(Fixed it for you.)

[William769]

2. I take it wit is not your forte?

[Baitball Blogger]

12. Unfortunately, he's not wrong.

You can't blame him. It takes a lot to suspend disbelief around here when you follow the political roster. For example, Crist works from the John Morgan law firm--the same John Morgan who President Obama visits whenever he's in town. In the same law firm you will find Frank Kruppenbacher, who was listed in yesterday's paper (Orlando Sentinel) as the 23rd most important person in Central Florida. He's the chair of the Aviation board, where he tried to push through hefty budgets for future construction plans. (I wonder who was going to benefit from all that construction money?) The O.S. reported on the matter, which I'm sure helped bring the budgets down considerably. Mr. Kruppenbacher is a known rainmaker for Republicans. Per the paper he is closely affiliated to Rick Scott. When Crist was Governor, I'm sure he enjoyed some of the donations from donors who responded to Mr. Kruppenbacher's meet and greet emails.

For many of us who have followed Mr. Kruppenbacher's trail of political decisions in the public sector, you can't help wondering if it is this close relationship to Democrats and Republicans that continues to buoy his career. Because seriously, there are some decisions that just boggles the mind.

Personally, my opinion is that this close association between political parties under the same legal roof is a terrible model for lawyers everywhere. It creates conflicts that constipates justice for the rest of us. For example, in a meeting where his client, the city, was wronged by a lawyer (Ross & the dueling Mall issue, '95), Mr. K, who was the city attorney, had to bring in a special attorney to review the matter because Mr. K said he knew lawyers in the same law firm. In other words, he would not personally file a grievance against a lawyer that wronged his client because he knew lawyers who worked in this lawyer's law firm. Do you have any idea what message that sends to the rest of us? It tells me that if a lawyer knows anyone on a directory of a law firm, he will not personally take action against a lawyer who wrongs his client! I don't remember seeing this on the list of rules for Professional ethics for lawyers.

I haven't been able to wrap my head around that one and I've had many years to try. Here's my quandary, if city attorneys aren't turning in questionable attorneys or corrupt elected officials because they have private business they're afraid to jeopardize, then who is left to clean up the corruption? Are they seriously expecting housewives with no financial resources to do all the hard work? No offense but, WTF!

See how crazy our world has become for us in Florida?

So, I'm sure you'll forgive us if many of us have the Chinatown syndrome with Crist, where we alternate between, "He's a Democrat, He's Republican, He's a Democrat, He's a Republican..." We really don't know.

[William769]

3. Sometime in 2014 Florida will exceed New York in population.

Which is good for the Democratic nominee (given we have gone from red to purple to very light blue).

Even your average republican can't stand Scott (of course the rabid one's love him).

You can take it to the bank the next Governor of Florida will be a Democrat.

[hollysmom]

5. wow! that is going to make for some big evacuation when the water level rises.

I thought I heard 10 years until Miami is under water. Maybe 20?

[William769]

6. I guess I should sell my condo on Miami beach then.

[hollysmom]

7. depends on how long you expect to live

I had a place at the Jersey shore on the highest part of an island - we got hit dead center with Sandy and got full storm surge and now I don't have a place there,. PS check on how reliable your flood insurance is, we still have not been paid for the damage - the flood insurance said "whoops, we should have never insured you, here is your last 10 years of premiums"

ETA: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/09/3277234/deep-trouble-how-sea-rise-could.html
this article said some new condos will be useless in 20 years - they are building new in lowest parts of Miami.

[William769]

8. I went through Andrew in Homestead.

I know what living here can do.

My house is now on the caloosahatchee river in Fort Myers but I still have a condo on Miami Beach.

Thanks for the link.

[hollysmom]

11. w\hen you have a problem, come visit me.

town elevation 91 feet and I live on top of a hill.

[dsc]

13. unless you lied on your application

I can't see how they can get away with that

[hollysmom]

14. ask the hundreds of others who are dealing with it.

I heard from someone in Oklahoma who said the insurance company did the same to them when most of their town was destroyed. If people accept the check, then it is a done deal, if they fight it, they have no money. They claimed that our area was misclassified and the insurance was no applicable to us. Happens all the time apparently usually in catastrophic conditions. And the town seems to be going along with it because they can redevelop the area with higher ratables than with trailer parks. Even very nice and old trailer parks.

[Harmony Blue]

9. I live inland and in 20 years my house will be

beach front property. Global climate change is real.

[tsuki]

4. One of the big issues, or rather two of the big issues, I encountered at

parties this season.

Republicans are pushing a metering tax on lawn pumps equal to the water and sewer rates. In my county that is a $50 minimum. And the second is a $100 tax on any solar rooftop panels. This is becoming a big issue, even though there is a total black out on news reporting.

[Harmony Blue]

10. Crist has been consistent on wanting to rely more on green energy

or alternatives. This is why I believe he has a good chance of winning. Plus as others have said even Republicans don't like Scott.