Florida pols find center field
Looks like the political middle is going to be crowded in 2007.
Gov.-elect Charlie Crist’s centrist approach to leadership is suddenly catching on with fellow Republicans, perhaps another sign that Gov. Jeb Bush’s my-way-or-the-highway style is waning.House Speaker Marco Rubio and Senate President Ken Pruitt last week gave Democrats unprecedented access — at least on paper — to power in both chambers, showing the GOP is ready to share after a decade in command of the Legislature.
Pruitt went the furthest, handing five committee chairmanships to Democrats last week, giving them influence over health policy, government operations and Everglades oversight.
The Port St. Lucie Republican said the Nov. 7 elections, both nationally and in Florida, inspired his move toward the middle.
“We wanted to ensure that we had a product that was bipartisan, not just lip service,” Pruitt said.
Some of what Pruitt did was historic, with Sen. Mandy Dawson, D-Fort Lauderdale, becoming only the third black woman to serve as a committee chairman.
Some look a bit bizarre. Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, was named vice chairman of the Education Pre-K-12 budget committee, just more than a month after being sentenced to probation for misappropriating state funds.
Still, Democrats clearly are pleased with their early holiday presents. Senate Democrat Leader Steve Geller of Hallandale Beach said, “I’ve never seen a leader give as much input to the minority party as Sen. Pruitt has done.”
Rubio, with more Republican lawmakers to satisfy in the crowded House, kept a tighter leash on committee posts. But ranking Democrats were given rare office space in council suites, giving them a bigger role in committee action.
“These are not token gestures, but real reform,” said House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach.
What remains to be seen is how much the Republican outreach will mean. The GOP holds an almost 2-to-1 advantage in House seats and a 26-14 edge in the more volatile Senate. That means Democrats are certain to be run over plenty.
But for Republicans, their new-found position in the middle of the road could prove a good direction for the long haul.
Crist, after all, defeated Democrat Jim Davis by 7 percentage points. But he managed to pull from his rival the support of 14 percent of Florida Democrats.
A few token gestures of power-sharing by House and Senate leaders might make them as tough a target for Democratic criticism as Crist was during his campaign.
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