Former governors offer stern warning about Florida's future

[teach1st]

Source: Tampa Bay Times

GAINESVILLE — Five of Florida's living former governors met at the University of Florida Friday and offered up a stern bipartisan warning about the future direction of the state.

The governors — Reubin Askew, Bob Graham, Bob Martinez, Buddy MacKay and Charlie Crist — lamented the loss of environmental protections, the dismantling of guided growth management, and the recent partisan assault on the Florida Supreme Court.

Absent from the panel was former Republican Gov. Jeb Bush. The "Conversation with Florida Governors" was sponsored by the UF law school's Law Review as part of the Allen L. Poucher Legal Education Series.

Askew, who as a Democratic governor in the 1970s ushered in judicial reform and the nonpartisan merit retention elections for the Supreme Court, said he was disappointed that the Republican Party had joined in the push to oppose the three justices up for merit retention. He chided critics who claim that the justices should not be judged by their records.

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/former-governors-offer-stern-warning-about-floridas-future/1256147

[onehandle]

1. Florida gets what it deserves.

They might as well declare themselves part of Mississipabamaeorgia.

[DonCoquixote]

2. wrong

There are many of us bustig our ass to get people to vote, and we DID become a blue state last time.

[Cha]

3. Exactly! Too many good People in Florida

do Not deserve Rick Scott and the teabagger state destroyers. Just like America does not deserve..



http://theobamadiary.com/

[ellenfl]

5. yes sirree. eom

[MrMickeysMom]

14. You're damned right you were a blue state... Try Walkin Lawton Chiles era...

I think McKay would remember.

That's a Florida I remember... and where my heart still lies in hopes of returning to some day.

[L0oniX]

10. So you don't need our Democratic votes either huh?

[Baitball Blogger]

4. We'll soon see how committed Charlie Crist is to Growth Management Laws.

[1monster]

6. Care to expand on that? Charlie Crist was Governor of Florida for four years

and didn't dismantle any growth management laws during that time. Currently he holds no public office, so how would he undermine them now?

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Because he has Republican buddies who risked their careers to wrangle control

of Growth Management from the state. And we're not talking about cities that were too concerned about homeowner rights. What they started in the nineties, was finally achieved by the Republican Florida Legislature last year.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Hey, where was Jeb?

[NBachers]

11. He's off living it up with Miguel Recarey

"Nearly every American blunder in the last 50 years, in fact, have ties to one Bush or another."

The Secret Problem with Jeb http://nomadicpolitics.blogspot.com/2012/03/secret-problem-with-jeb-why-another_04.html

[starroute]

9. It'll all be moot if we don't get global warming under control

[1monster]

16. Hey, I have a house in Florida that I might be willing to sell... looks like it might

be water front in a few years. Any takers?

[lib2DaBone]

12. Growth Management is no longer the problem... Survival is now the question...

Florida can sink no lower than pRick Scott.

OF COURSE Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are absent. They are waiting for the State to collapse.. then they will swoop in and buy ocean-front property for pennies.

[Capn Sunshine]

13. Isn't that the plot to a Superman Movie?

Pretty wild accusations there, pard.

[lib2DaBone]

17. I guess you dont own property in Florida

.If you did.. you would know that it is a losing preposition.. unless you are politically connected...like Jeb Bush Reality and Marco Rubio Reality.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

15. Florida Not Counted in Presidential Campaigns

Since George Bush vs Gore - I think US citizens automatically give Florida to the Republicans. The Florida system is just so corrupt that individual votes just do not count; in other words, Florida citizens, through their elected officials, allow the Republicans to cheat in order to win.