Charlie Crist

First Peek at What an Independent Charlie Crist Looks Like

Charlie Crist hasn't officially declared he'll run as an independent candidate for U.S. Senate. But in the video above, from Saturday, it's clear that he's laying the groundwork for exactly that. Crist's veto of Senate Bill 6 -- the teacher merit pay bill -- makes a perfect springboard for an indep ... More >>

Jim Greer: Enjoyed the Spoils of Cronyism a Bit Too Much

Greer​If you ever find yourself being interviewed for a job with Charlie Crist, don't worry about such things as a crummy résumé or a pending criminal investigation. Just give an answer of "Hell, yes!" to the question of whether you'll be loyal to the Crist political franchise.Judging by this fa ... More >>

Morning Juice: Crist Veto May Signal Indy Run; Life for Killer in Sunrise

​A glance through the Friday-morning headlines:Charlie Crist's veto of Senate Bill 6 has touched off conflict with fellow state Republicans, leading to more speculation that Crist will declare as an independent in the race for U.S. Senate. [Sun-Sentinel]The tea partiers did their tax-day thing out ... More >>

Crist Chooses Popularity Over Politics, Vetoes Bill on Teacher Merit Pay

Flickr: kevinamblerTo sign? Or not to sign?​Everywhere Charlie Crist goes on the campaign trail lately, the teachers have him. Yesterday stalked him all the way to his office.And today, he vetoed Senate Bill 6, a piece of legislation that gave him an opportunity to prove with action what he's expr ... More >>

Crist to Decide on the Most Heated Bill Since Our 42nd President

Source: flgov.comWill he or won't he?​In recent press, Gov. Crist has said that he's human. That's what Palm Beach County school teachers are counting on as Crist, currently campaigning for the Senate, reviews a bill that would end tenure and hinge teachers' pay on student performance on standardi ... More >>

Noun, Verb Marco Rubio: Giuliani Slams Crist, Hits Talk Show Circuit for Rubio

Gotta love how Fox & Friends skips the pleasantries and fires away with the tough question to Rudy Giuliani about whether his endorsement of Marco Rubio is payback for Charlie Crist's treachery in 2008.And yet, by the eager way he answered the question, it's almost like Giuliani told Fox & ... More >>

Marco Rubio's Attack on Charlie Crist's Supreme Court Pick a Solid Half Truth

Much of the analysis in the media about yesterday's Marco Rubio-Charlie Crist debate on Fox News Sunday was spent on Rubio's "slush fund," as the governor put it. But among the other jabs thrown by both sides: that Crist has appointed liberal judges to the Florida Supreme Court.The attack comes at 1 ... More >>

[UPDATED] Some Atheists Cruised, Others Cursed by Crist

Photo: JREFWhile a religious war broke out in Florida, atheist in chief James Randi hit the beach.​An atheist named Michael Middlebrooks has accused Gov. Charlie Crist of having a bigoted view of nonbelievers following what he said was a brief encounter in St. Petersburg on March 5. Millbrooks des ... More >>

Rubio Secretly Hoping Crist Declares as Independent?

Flickr​A pollster's analysis of Florida's Senate race suggests that if Charlie Crist declared as an independent candidate, he would be doing adversary Marco Rubio a big favor. Public Policy Polling found that while Rubio has flipped the race in the Republican primary, he may be a tad too conservat ... More >>

Florida's First Couple Attend Weekend Event (Together!)

Above: video evidence that Gov. Charlie Crist is acquainted with his wife, Carole. The two can be seen together at a party in New Port Richey. It's not clear whether they came together or if they bumped into each other by sheer coincidence. The legitimacy of this marriage has been in question since ... More >>

Wearing Sweatpants in Public: A Sign of Crist Coming to Terms With Defeat?

Sweatpants aren't just comfortable exercise attire. They're also a subtle way of telling the world you've just. Stopped. Trying. In the video above, it's hard to tell whether Gov. Charlie Crist has reached that point in his senatorial campaign -- or if he really is on the way to a race, as he claims ... More >>

All Eyes on Obama-Crist Greeting; Hands Above the Waist, Gentlemen!

Flickr: pauldfullerObama and Crist: a political Romeo and Juliet​Let's be real. Charlie Crist isn't trailing in the Senate race because he's a weak leader who surrounds himself with a coterie of crooked businessmen and conflicted advisers. No, those would be legitimate reasons. Rather, he's traili ... More >>

A Bad Time to Be Charlie's Frat Brother

Crist and his Delta Lambda brothers.​It used to be the best gravy train on the tracks: If you were a frat brother of Charlie Crist at Florida State, you could practically name your job. Harry Sargeant landed a prestigious gig as the finance chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Crist appoin ... More >>

Crist's "Split Attention" and the Haitian Crisis

Flickr user: UNDP GlobalWill Haitian refugees be welcomed in South Florida?​It's hard to watch the footage of injured, homeless Haitians without remembering the desperate Katrina survivors on the rooftops of New Orleans. Soon, the Katrina refugees were taken in by sympathetic citizens across the U ... More >>

Gambling Compact Bounced From Committee; Setback for Crist, LeMieux

​In yet another demonstration of Charlie Crist's plummeting stock in the state Republican Party, a legislative committee has rejected the compact his office hammered out with the Seminole Tribe last year that would have allowed the Seminoles to keep theirLas Vegas-style games in exchange for a ... More >>

Will Haitian Quake Be Crist's 9/11?

Flickr: The PeacekeepersA scene from yesterday's devastating earthquake in Haiti.​Charlie Crist juggled his schedule so he could fly down to Miami-Dade, where a press conference will be staged to comfort the Haitian people. But however little Crist has to lose in his Senate race against Marco Rubi ... More >>

Dishy Campaign Book Describes How Crist Overplayed Hand With McCain

Flickr: lowraineMcCain and Crist on the campaign trail in West Palm Beach.​It's hard to fathom, but some dishy new campaign tell-all book casts Florida Gov. Charlie Crist as a treacherous, ruthlessly self-interested politician looking to sell his endorsement in the 2008 presidential campaign to wh ... More >>

Governor's Office in No Hurry to Replenish Scandal-Plagued Hospital Board

Flickr​Among the many problems at the North Broward Hospital District (a pending criminal corruption investigation, a pending internal investigation for fraud, to name a couple), the district's board currently has an attendance problem. The kind that only Gov. Charlie Crist can fix.The governor ap ... More >>

A How-To Kit for Campaign Suicide, by Charlie Crist

Flickr: gary_rominWas this photo taken in Crist's campaign HQs?​Since late last year, when Sen. Mel Martinez announced he wouldn't be running for reelection to his seat in 2010, it was Charlie Crist's to lose. He was one of the nation's most popular governors, with a knack for charming his detract ... More >>

Charlie Crist Ducks Questions From Conspiracy Theorists

There's Charlie Crist trying to warm up an otherwise frosty crowd in Clearwater. None chillier than the men behind the camera, who (judging by the herky-jerky camera) are quivering in anticipation of rubbing elbows with the governor and U.S. Senate candidate.Awesome intro music, by the way. I thoug ... More >>

Should Politicians Have Known to Steer Clear of Rothstein?

Flickr​In his interview yesterday with the Sun-Sentinel, Charlie Crist said that he considered Scott Rothstein a "friend." He said that until Rothstein's Ponzi scheme was discovered, Crist gave the Fort Lauderdale attorney the "benefit of the doubt." It appears Rothstein enjoyed the same status wi ... More >>

Rothstein Funded Charlie Crist's VP Effort

Remember how Charlie Crist emerged on the "short list" to become John McCain's running mate last year? Maloman Photographers Crist with the Rothsteins at Versace mansion wedding.​Well, the behind-the-scenes money that helped make that happen came from, yes, of course, Scott Rothstein. Tho ... More >>

Terrifying Numbers for Crist in Rasmussen Poll; Can He Save His Campaign?

FlickrFor Crist, that shirt collar's fitting a little tighter these days.​So much for that insurmountable lead. Those are the latest numbers from Rasmussen, which finds Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio tied at 43.It's obvious that as Obama's popularity has plummeted among Florida Republicans -- and F ... More >>

Florida's Leading Republicans Offer Deafening Silence on Ethics Reform

FlickrCrist: I'll pass this political football, thank you.​Three of the state's most influential Republicans have "talked the talk" on ethics reform in Florida, but yesterday we asked them to "walk the walk." Make a public statement backing the effort by the Florida Commission on Ethics to free it ... More >>

A Crist-Miss Story: Florida's First Couple Celebrates First Anniversary... Separately

​Somehow, the marriage fraud for which Eric Affholter was convicted seems more honest than the marriage between Charlie Crist and Carole Rome. Both were high-profile attorneys for whom a marriage was rife with political intrigue. Only in Affholter's case, the marriage of his partner Pedro to a fem ... More >>

Will Charlie Crist, George LeMieux Back Bill for Empowering Ethics Commission?

Whattaya say to ethics reform, Senator? ​A bill that would expand the powers of the Florida Commission on Ethics has a snowball's chance in hell of being passed by the state Legislature -- unless...Unless the effort should attract political champions in high places. Two men who can move this mount ... More >>

Five Reasons Charlie Crist Wants You To Call A Phone Sex Line

flickr.com​If you haven't heard, the governor of this great state has been directing people to call a phone sex chat line.Anyone calling Charlie Crist's office heard a recording of the governor directing people to various social services, with URLs and phone numbers. The phone number he gave for F ... More >>

Charlie Crist's "Liberal Socialist" Agenda Revealed in Spooky Homemade Video

"I got a big problem with you wanting to be the Senator of Florida," says the man in the video below, speaking in a folksy North Florida drawl to Charlie Crist. "Because in my opinion, after looking through your record as governor, I believe you are a Democrat. You are not a Republican. You're a Dem ... More >>

[Updated] Crist's Crusade for Ethics: Act of Incompetence? Or Campaign Gimmick?

FlickrIt didn't make much of a splash in yesterday's news cycle, so let's try this again: The Florida Supreme Court has denied Charlie Crist's request for a special grand jury to investigate corruption in South Florida. From the get-go, it seemed like a bizarre request for Crist to make, especially ... More >>

Morning Juice: Deerfield Beach Burn Victim Talks; Governor Does Not

​Here's the view of the front page this Tuesday in Broward and Palm Beach:Charlie Crist came to Fort Lauderdale to drum up support from local Republicans and to duck questions about Marco Rubio. Check out the video -- Crist reacts to the Rubio name the way Captain Hook reacts to the ticking clock ... More >>

Note to Charlie Crist: In Making Case to Party's Right Wing, Best to Avoid Quoting Daily Kos

Flickr: delusion256A baby performing its Crist impression.​Anxious to break Marco Rubio's momentum in their Senate race, Charlie Crist gave one of those "wide-ranging" interviews to the St. Petersburg Times yesterday, during which he invoked the sacred ancient text of The Gipper: I believe in Reag ... More >>

Crist's Three Disciples: Men Closest to Governor All From Broward

LeMieux getting comfortable in the office Charlie scored for him.​Say this about young Broward County Republicans: They know a meal ticket when they see one. By my count, the three men who have the most crucial roles in getting Charlie Crist elected to the U.S. Senate are all from Broward.We know ... More >>

Morning Juice: Crist Taps a School Board Member; Heart Attack Killed Picower

​For fresh material on the breaking news item of the moment, the stabbings in Manalapan, scroll down. Here's what else is happening in Broward and Palm Beach:That's not the day's only stabbing story. A 15-year-old in Coral Springs stabbed his 14-year-old brother to death during a fight over the vo ... More >>

Carole Crist's Strangely Secret Cameo in Palm Beach

Try to invite a quorum next time, honey.​If the governor's wife holds a cancer-awareness event and no one is there to witness it, did it really happen?Yesterday, Carole Crist spoke at a luncheon at the Brazilian Court Hotel in Palm Beach. Her goal was to raise awareness about ovarian cancer. But o ... More >>

The LeMieux-Crist Master Plan Revealed: Senate Dominance by 2012

Yes, you heard right. In the closing moments of that Capital News Service video, the reporter says that Broward County trailblazer George LeMieux "is leaving open the possibility that he'll run for U.S. Senate in 2012," when that darned Democrat Bill Nelson is up for reelection. Which means if his ... More >>

Morning Juice: Senator Sidesteps Corruption Probe; Triple Murder in Lake Worth

​On what's unofficially the last week of summer, here's what's in the news:Florida's U.S. senator designate, George LeMieux, did not fall for an effort by Alan Mendelsohn, the Hollywood ophthalmologist and Charlie Crist fundraiser, to lure the administration into admitting complicity in the Mutual ... More >>

Shameless: Crist Taps LeMieux for Senate

It seemed too nakedly cynical to be possible -- and yet it just happened. Pass the smelling salts.We warned Charlie Crist this could be his Harriet Miers moment. He didn't listen -- to us or to the people in his campaign who must have had the same anxieties. If Crist gets just half the public backla ... More >>

Meek Lambastes Crist for LeMieux Appointment; Rubio, When Will You Tweet?

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek​Congressman Kendrick Meek, the leading Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate just released a statement about Charlie Crist's announcement that he was appointing former chief of staff George LeMieux to the Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez.From the moment Senator Martinez a ... More >>

Lawyer Pals Cheer LeMieux at Fort Lauderdale City Hall

Photo by Lisa RabLeMieux hugs a friend while Crist looks on.​Standing next to Gov. Charlie Crist's famously tanned mug, George LeMieux looks positively pasty, like a British-transfer student on the first day of spring break. But no one cared this afternoon at Fort Lauderdale City Hall, where Crist ... More >>

Will George Lemieux Be Crist's Harriet Miers?

Crist and Martinez, whose Senate vacancy may be filled by the governor's "maestro."​That's the first name that popped into my head when I heard that Crist was serious about tapping his former chief of staff, George Lemieux, Broward County's most connected political player, to serve the remainder o ... More >>

Broward School Board Members Who Oversaw Rampant Overspending Just Make Things Worse

Tonight, Crist to Feed on Fort Lauderdale's Bluest Blood

Charlie Crist will appear at a fundraiser tonight at the Tower Club in downtown Fort Lauderdale. For those that want to roll VIP, the price is 5-grand.Sorry, Charlie (middle). You won't be able to wear his cutoff T-shirt to tonight's swankfest. ​Not sure if that's a discount from the club's monthl ... More >>

Ex-Husband Maligns Crist Donors

Flickr User: leyla.aJohnny and Michelle Damon: Baseball pays the bills, but politics -- and Crist -- is the passionCharlie Crist and wife Carole Rome are recently returned from a star-studded fund-raising trip to the Hamptons. Rome's ex, Todd Rome, was not invited, probably because he was a threat t ... More >>

In Turbulent Times, State Digs Deep for Crist

Flickr User: Michelle LylesIn an era of unprecedented financial insecurity for the state that Charlie Crist governs, the aspiring U.S. Senator achieved an unprecedented financial windfall. During his campaign's most recent 50 days he raised $4.3 million.That combination isn't lost on Adam Smith, pol ... More >>

Trump and Real Housewife Host Fundraiser for Crist

We have some rich friends, honey.Speaking of Gov. Charlie Crist's fundraising skills...This weekend for $1,000 a pop, Crist fans in Sag Harbor, New York can attend a party hosted by his celebrity pals: Jill Zarin, one of The Real Housewives of New York City, and Donald Trump.  Zarin is close fr ... More >>

Abused Kids Get $10 Million From State

Last year, I wrote a feature story about three little boys who had been horribly abused in the state foster care system. They were eventually placed with an adoptive family -- but the Department of Children and Families hid the boys' case files and backgrounds from the adoptive parents. As the boys ... More >>

The True Cost of Protecting Crist's Family

The St. Petersburg Times ran an intriguing expose today about the thousands of dollars it costs to provide state security to Gov. Charlie Crist's wife and her children. It's worth reading not so much because of what it says, but how much was left unsaid--namely, why anyone would care about this, if ... More >>

Conservative Blogosphere Stokes Mutiny After GOP Snubs Rubio

Flickr User: Americans forProsperityRubioMoments after Charlie Crist announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate last week, he received the endorsement of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, with endorsements from leading Republican Senators like Mitch McConnell soon to follow. The intent wasn ... More >>

But Does Charlie Like Fish Sticks?

In picking the week's best quotes for its "Verbatim" page, Time magazine prizes drama (a quote from the co-pilot killed in the plane crash near Buffalo), candor (Jesse Ventura saying what he'd do with a waterboard and Dick Cheney), and gaffes, especially the kind that reveal more truth than they int ... More >>

Movie Challenges Media to Question Crist's Sexuality

These days, Charlie Crist is surely wanting headlines to mention his Senate bid, not talk about his ex-boyfriends. But all that surfaces on the new movie Outrage, which opens locally tomorrow at Gateway in Fort Lauderdale.Outrage chronicles the many closeted gay Republicans who have surfaced over th ... More >>