Charlie Crist, Plaintiffs' Lawyer!

Oh heavily tanned one, you could have picked a better time what with all these silly legislative proposals your successor is kicking around, but welcome back anyways to the profession of law.

(h/t here)

Charlie Crist Gets A New Job!

The tan one is taking a job at Morgan & Morgan, that big time PI firm upstate:

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has joined Morgan & Morgan. While serving in office, Crist was often referred to as “the People’s Governor.” His dedication and commitment to the people of Florida will remain the same as he works with the firm’s mass tort and class action department, fighting “for the people.” Crist said, “It's truly a privilege for me to have this opportunity to work all over our beautiful state. John Morgan has set up an incredible firm of very gifted people and it's truly an honor and a privilege to have this day come.” 

Morgan & Morgan was founded in 1988 with a single office and three attorneys; the firm has since grown into one of the largest in the southeast with 13 offices and over 170 lawyers, with a staff of more than 500 people. The growth and success of the firm can be attributed to a steadfast commitment to representing the people, not the powerful. It is this focus that appealed to Crist: “It’s really such a natural transition for me; to be with Morgan & Morgan and work with my dear friend John Morgan… he really is all about the people. That’s what I’ve always tried to do and aspire to do as a public servant. Now I’ll do it in the private sector.

I'm happy for him and think he'll do quite well at PI  (assuming Rick Scott will still allow people to sue) -- he's affable, easy going, quick on his feet and connects well with people.

Not everyone, of course, is thrilled.

For example, early Rubio-booster NRO thinks this is just, well, tacky and icky for any self-respecting elitist lawyer who should instead make big bucks representing mega corporations at [fill in the blank] BigFirm (perfectly ok by me btw):

All of which explains why some of my (admittedly, and archly, white-shoe) lawyer pals said yesterday when Morgan & Morgan announced its newest partner, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Hold on.

Just who are these "lawyer pals" -- Winthorpe's former friends at the club?

"And she stepped on the ball!"



And let me clue these condescending white-shoe ninnies in on something -- in Florida we actually have some prominent GOP conservative types who make a lot of money doing plaintiff's work -- Dean Colson for one comes to mind.

This means, you know, they actually have to interact with -- gross -- real human people, some of whom are poor, desperate and victimized, and try to help them with their problems and hope these lawyers get paid somewhere down the line and, even then, only if they are successful.

(This type of stuff never happens in white-shoe world).

If memory serves, as a matter of fact, former Senator and GOP chairman/original Hispanic poster boy Mel Martinez was a longtime partner at  -- yikes! -- Orlando PI firm Wooten Kimbrough.

What in the world would these "archly white-shoe lawyer pals" think of that?

(On second thought, don't answer that.)

3d DCA Watch -- Exciting New Changes in the Bunker!

Slim pickings inside the concrete hall of justice, kids.

Maybe it's because while the 1st DCA fends off calls by Governor Crist and Alex Sink to have the JQC investigate its letter-writing Chief Judge, our own Robed Ones have been delighting in a new coffee pot in the attorney's lounge which - rumor has it -- apparently includes genuine vending machine paper coffee cups with a wild card on the bottom!

Extravagant, even decadent perhaps, but the denizens who toil inside the bunker deserve nothing less.

So enjoy your flat screen empty, granite top missing, 100% African Sapele wood-free 3d DCA roundup:

Deno v. Lifemark Hospital:

Why would anyone voluntarily arbitrate under this med mal statute?

Barnett v. Bank of America:

Am I reading this wrong or did the bank allegedly try to intentionally injure its Bay Harbor employees?

Centennial v. Dolomite:

Judge Schwartz, in a vigorous dissent, has an aggravated case of "law of the case."

I had this once.

May I suggest some hydrocortisone cream and a nice oatmeal bath?

Does BP Dream of Electric Gene Stearns?

Charlie Crist thinks so:

The council recruited veteran Miami attorney Gene Stearns as an unpaid adviser. Stearns is a former aide to Democratic Gov. Reubin Askew and a champion of minority voting rights. It also recruited Dan Gerber, a Republican and a “toxic tort” expert who is a member of the conservative Federalist Society. Both are routine inhabitants of Florida Trend Magazine’s “Legal Elite.”

Ok, I have no problem adding Gene Stearns to any "legal dream team," and I happen to know and like Dan Gerber but first of all -- Dan's from Orlando.

Also, I wonder if there's any issue conflict at a minimum with some of Dan's writings or positions taken in the past with respect to the damage issues that will have to be sorted out before Special Master Feinberg?

Oh well, I'm sure they'll sort all that out.

Besides, what do I know?

Just like nearly everyone on these here intertubes, my strongly-held opinions are factually inaccurate and not especially subject to change, even when presented with direct proof that my "facts" are wrong.

(It's a self-esteem issue.)

Ben Solomon Hearts Charlie Crist!

I'm not a huge fan of pda, but in this case we can make an exception:

"It's exactly what we need," said Ben Solomon, a Miami real estate lawyer who isn't registered with either party. "The question is, 'Do you think independently?' The answer should always be 'Yes.'"

Solomon said he was already planning to vote for Crist, but after the governor decided to go independent, he will actively work for him, helping him raise money and recruiting support. Crist has said he plans to change his voter registration to no party affiliation.

I'm with ya, Ben -- ABR (Anyone But Rubio).

Like almost everyone in town(?), Ben used to be with Duane Morris, but now has a nice boutique practice in North Bay Village.

Hooray for Governor Crist!

First good thing to come out of Tally in a while.

(OK, make that second?).

Florida KidCare Or "Hot, Horny Girls"?

Gotta love the Governator:

In a message callers hear when they get put on hold after calling Gov. Charlie Crist, Crist transposes a couple of numbers and turns the phone number for Florida KidCare into the number you’d call for “hot, horny girls.”

Here's what you hear if you dial the number:

“Hey there, sexy guy. Welcome to an exciting new way to go live, one on one, with hot, horny girls waiting right now to talk to you.”

I suppose this is better than if the number went to a hotline for "hot, horny guys"?

A Children's Treasury of Kim Rothstein Photographs!

I'm bored to bits here.

Can someone explain how a lawyer who has accepted voluntary disbarment is still on the 4th DCA JNC and our Governor has "no immediate plans" to remove him?

I also love the ridiculous application he made to the Governor for appointment, preceded and followed by boatloads of cash (was any of it his?):

"I am driven to insure (sic) the integrity of our judiciary,'' Rothstein wrote. "I will accept nothing less than professionalism and integrity.''

Rothstein was a major contributor to Florida's Republican Party and donated to Crist's campaign for attorney general and governor. A photo hanging in Rothstein's law office when the investment scandal broke late last month shows Crist hugging the lawyer with a handwritten note from the governor: "Scott – You're amazing!''

Ivey did not respond to questions about whether the governor's relationship with Rothstein or his political support influenced the appointment. Rothstein's term is up in 2012.

Earlier this month, the Florida Bar removed Rothstein from a Broward County grievance committee that hears complaints against attorneys.

The Best Lawyers in America had included Rothstein in its lawyer referral database since 2005 but removed him on Nov. 4, the day of an FBI raid on Rothstein's office, a spokesman said.

Rothstein touted his inclusion in Best Lawyers in his gubernatorial application. He also noted that he had handled more than 150 jury trials, and he had a "unique insight into the judiciary.''

"I am a confidante (sic) of many members of the judiciary and am called on regularly for counsel,'' Rothstein wrote.

Rothstein listed auto magnate Ed Morse Jr. as one of three character references. Morse's family now says that Rothstein swindled them out of millions.

The governor selected Rothstein and two other attorneys for the commission from a pool of 24 applicants.

At the time, Rothstein, his partner and their immediate families had donated over $200,000 to the Republican Party of Florida, and Rothstein had contributed $8,500 to Crist. Four days after the appointment, Rothstein contributed $140,000 to the GOP.

Once again, the question arises -- how did this man get this far in the South Florida legal community without anyone calling bull@($t?

A middling Broward employment defense lawyer but he claims to have tried 150 jury trials?

Hey, did he mention his $57 million sanctions order before Judge Marra?

Love ya South Florida!!

Hard To Pick Just One!

They're all special in their own way.

Good Lord Am I Sick of Scott Rothstein!

How many news cycles can this story dominate?

Scott, this scandal has officially joined the list of Things That I Hate -- in no particular order:

1. Flatbread;
2. The Case That Dare Not Speak Its Name;
3. Any current or former lovers of Drew Barrymore;
4. Metadata;
5. Flavored vodka;
6. Jeremy Piven and/or Brett Ratner;
7. Pesto wraps;
8. Certain Herald TV critics (Glenn was right about V however -- it rocked).

Oh the melodrama:

Rothstein mused that he had three options -- kill himself, live life "on the lam as a fugitive'' or go to prison and risk being killed there because he had made enemies, said the law firm's co-founder, Stuart Rosenfeldt, according to the website. Rosenfeldt talked to Rothstein, urging him to "choose life.''

I bet that's the first time a George Michael T shirt saved a high-powered lawyer from suicide.

Scott seems to possess a perfect storm of characteristics -- talented yet narcissistic, delusions of grandeur, persecution complex, excessive displays of wealth even by South Florida standards, megalomania and a sense that the entire world revolves around him -- in other words, your typical successful South Florida trial lawyer.

Consider the stories coming out -- private elevators, a car fetish, carrying a gun in an ankle holster, blowing $10 million a month.

Indeed, look at the comments section of Bob Norman's "Jewish Avenger" story -- there is definitely something not right about the way Scott engages Norman.

Are there some chemical or other disorders at work here?

Now that he's down, it seems everyone has a negative Rothstein story -- yet some of these folks sat on their feelings or refused to act on them, no?

Roger Stone now says Scott "never added up"; Bill Scherer says "[w]e all wondered where the money came from"; Michael Goldberg says Scott's spending "made no sense." Sunshine Charlie says "I think everybody heard rumors."

My friend Brian Tannebaum wonders how in this recession a firm can go from seven lawyers to seventy and no one questions why or how?

He relates a story of how he drove 40 minutes to meet with Scott for lunch, only to be totally stiffed:

I never met Scott Rothstein. He ducked out a few minutes before our lunch a few years ago. His secretary telling me and his colleague, who set up the lunch: "he went to lunch." There was no further inquiry as we were not entitled to even be standing by his office, an "off-limits" area of the firm. Instead I went to lunch with some other lawyers in the firm who felt they needed to take pity on me for my wasted 40 minute drive, all of them telling me in response to the unprofessional behavior of their king: "I'm not surprised." "That's Scott."

These out-of-control legal types, of which I know many, all have enablers -- those who justify, excuse, or clean up the mess left by the large lives of the bosses they serve, and who not coincidentally benefit from being near to the flame.

Now we know that a seventy lawyer firm, with only two equity partners, really only had one -- as Stuart Rosenfeldt apparently had no signatory authority on certain firm accounts and there is suddenly only $500k left in the firm's operating account.

Judge Streitfeld called Rosenfeldt "clueless" about the firm's finances at a hearing yesterday. Stuart has since invested a large chunk of his own money to keep salaries paid and the firm afloat.

There are lots of victims here, including many many fine lawyers at RRA, but a few of us in the South Florida legal and business communities should probably step up and acknowledge we could have been a bit more proactive on what some apparently suspected all along.

UF Frat Permitted to Be Most Boring In Nation!

I don't know about you, but I don't recall Charlie Crist or my rush hazing to be anything like this wholesome little frat at UF, which is the subject of this 11th Circuit opinion today written by Judge Tjoflat:

BYX is a national fraternity founded in 1985. It has twenty-two chapters in nine states. According to its constitution, it “exists for the purpose of establishing brotherhood and unity among college men based on the common bond of Jesus Christ.” BYX espouses a strict approach to the Christian faith, and membership in the fraternity is contingent upon what the fraternity deems “a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ.” This requires agreement not only with the traditional core Christian beliefs and values contained in such ancient expressions as the Nicene Creed, but adherence to a demanding view of the faith. In its doctrinal statement, BYX explains that members must “believe that the Bible is God’s written revelation to man, that it is inspired, authoritative, and without error in the original manuscripts.” Accordingly, BYX bars from membership non-Christians, Roman Catholics, and adherents to the traditional Christian orthodoxy taught by the mainline Protestant denominations.

BYX also demands moral and “sexual purity.” According to its code of conduct, BYX believes that “sex is a gift of God to be enjoyed inside the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, we will not condone such activity as homosexuality, fornication, or adultery.”

. . . .

After admission into the fraternity as a pledge, the applicant must complete the pledge process. The purpose of the pledge process is to examine the applicant’s understanding of salvation, his personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and his willingness to accept and promote BYX’s doctrine. As part of the process, the pledge must participate in BYX’s “Big/Little Brother Program” and is assigned to an active member of the fraternity who serves as the pledge’s “Big Brother.” The Big Brother is required to watch over the pledge and ensure that he is conducting himself in conformity with the fraternity’s code of conduct. Ideological, theological, and moral purity are central elements of BYX’s foundational purpose, and the “Big Brother” program is designed as a safeguard against the pledge going astray. As BYX’s constitution states,

BYX has fulfilled its purpose over the years, and Satan hates it. He wants to sift this group like wheat and is roaming on [ ] campus like a roaring lion waiting for the chance to destroy us. If the devil sifts our group, he will probably do it primarily through alcohol, but also through sexual impurity or lust, pride, laziness, and contention. So be on your guard.

The “Big Brother” is the first line of defense against such impurities and influences infiltrating the group.

. . . .

All BYX members and pledges participate in Cell Groups, which are weekly meetings where the members and pledges hold one another accountable to living consistently with BYX’s Christian beliefs and values. BYX also holds weekly meetings, which include prayer, worship, encouragement of specific members, a testimony or Bible message from a fraternity member, and announcements pertaining to fraternity business.

Ummm -- sounds like fun??

Forget Fast Times, Animal House, or even Revenge of the Nerds.

Haven't any of you guys seen PCU? Real Genius? Back to School?

Does any of this ring a bell at all?

Related -- do any of you know a lawyer in Leesburg?

BREAKING -- Pepe Le Pew Named New US Senator!

So I see everybody is buzzing about that French love-sick skunk being named the new US Senator from Florida.....

Huh? You mean it's not...?

Oops -- apparently the new US Senator is in fact Gunster chairman and former Crist chief of staff George LeMieux.

You can read more about George in his self-styled The Lemieux Report.

Roberto the trial lawyer and I apologize for any confusion.

Pig Roasts For Everyone!

Hi kids, it's a slow news day huh?

Doesn't anyone have anything interesting to share with your humble South Florida civil law blogger?

Sure I could regale you all with stories about a phone call I just had, or a letter I just wrote, or even a hearing I am getting ready for.

Hey, later I'm gonna edit a response I am working on and have a meeting with some of my partners!

ZZZZZ

So let's discuss pig roasts:

In a news release from the Republican Party of Florida e-mailed at 9:12 a.m., Gov. Charlie Crist confirmed the worst-kept secret in Florida politics: He'll run for the seat to be vacated by the retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez.

''Here in Florida, we've shown that when we put people first and work together, much can be accomplished, and I intend to bring that same approach to Washington,'' Crist said. ``That is why, after thoughtful consideration with my wife Carole, I have decided to run for the U.S. Senate.''

His low-key announcement -- no press conference, no statewide fly-around -- starkly contrasts with the high-stakes political firestorm it triggers. Florida is likely to see as many as five statewide races for open seats in 2010.

Crist already has the endorsement of the NRSC over his opponent, local lawyer Pat Toomey, I mean Marco Rubio.

So Marco will draw out all the crazies, who want to "purify" the party, while Charlie tacks to the hard right to appease the 20 percenters who manage to always get their letters published in the Miami Herald.

Should be fun.

Senator Charlie Crist?

Poor Charlie, he's always being told he has to run for something. First it's honorary pig roast captain, then it's Veep to McCain (that turned out well!), now it's Senator:

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) on Wednesday said efforts are ongoing to persuade Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) to run for his state’s open Senate seat.

“We’re going to continue to visit. It’s very early in the game, but recruitment is important and the ability to be competitive on the financial front is very important too. We’re working on both of those fronts,” Cornyn told The Hill.

So who would that leave for Governor? Big Danny Gelber, or maybe the Jebinator all over again?

Hooray -- Former Bush Aide Now Gets to Nominate Dade Judges!

Hmm, I was reading this article from the DBR on the new 11th Circuit JNC members when something didn't seem quite right:

Three new Miami-Dade judicial nominating commission members have been appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist.

Rayfield McGhee of McGhee & Associates in Miami Gardens, GrayRobinson shareholder and Cuban American Bar Association president Marlene Quintana of Miami and Akerman Senterfitt associate Daniel Schwartz of Miami Beach were named to terms expiring in mid-2012.

Now the first two strike me as reasonable choices. But who is Daniel Schwartz? I have never heard of this Akerman associate. He's a 2004 grad and works in corporate, not litigation.

Ok, he must be some go-getter or really have some special credentials in order to be one of the chosen to nominate our trial judges to Governor Crist.

But then I saw this on his Akerman bio:

Prior Professional Experience
Executive Office of the President, The White House, Research Assistant to the Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, 2005-2006.

I am about to get all Carverriffic over this one.

....deep breath....deep breath..."Hello? I forgot my mantra!".....ok, I feel better now. Let's give Dan the benefit of the doubt and hope he's capable and willing to act independently and in the best interests of all of us.

Republican Plaintiff Lawyers Celebrate Crist's Marriage to Real Live Heterosexual Woman!

Howdy folks, so are you on the guest list to the Gov's big "marriage" thingy?

What's that, you won't say?

Oh I get it -- don't ask, don't tell.

Well the Herald leaked a few names anyway -- funny, they all happen to be hotshot Republican plaintiffs' lawyers: Roberto Martinez, Dean Colson, and Paul Huck, Jr., all of Colson Hicks.

Also good guy, former federal law clerk, and current power broker Manny Kadre. That guy gets invited to everything.

Have fun, boys!

Meanwhile, did anyone catch this story in yesterday's NYT on the fledgling "liberal" equivalent to the Federalist Society, something called the American Constitution Society:

When Eric H. Holder Jr. addressed a convention of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy in June, he urged young lawyers to get involved in the liberal legal network, saying America would soon be “run by progressives.”

“With this new administration that will be taking its place in January of 2009, you know, we are going to be looking for people who share our values,” said Mr. Holder, a member of the society’s board. He added that a “substantial number of those people” would probably be “members of the A.C.S.”

Six months later, Mr. Holder is preparing to take over the Justice Department as President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for attorney general. And the American Constitution Society, founded in 2001 to be a liberal counterweight to the conservative Federalist Society, is rising to power.

Although Mr. Obama has just started to fill the thousands of politically appointed jobs in his administration, the society’s affiliates are already well positioned to shape legal policy, hiring decisions and judicial nominations for years to come. In addition to Mr. Holder, other prominent officials in the new administration who have ties to the society include Lisa Brown, the White House staff secretary; Melody Barnes, who will direct the Domestic Policy Council; and Ronald Klain, chief of staff to Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Three other society board members are on the transition’s agency review team, and observers expect that the Obama team will turn to society members to fill subcabinet positions and judgeships.

“People who are committed enough to a progressive vision of the law to work for and with A.C.S. when progressives are out of office are going to be a natural resource when the electoral winds shift,” said Orin S. Kerr, a conservative-leaning law professor at George Washington University who has spoken at society events.

But with power comes temptation. Several society leaders said they were mindful that the Bush administration had gotten into trouble by considering applicants’ affiliations with ideological groups like the Federalist Society when hiring for nonpartisan positions.

“That will not be repeated in the Justice Department in the next administration,” vowed Dawn Johnsen, a law professor at Indiana University who is an American Constitution Society board member and co-chairwoman of the transition’s Justice Department review. “I feel like I can say that with confidence.”

While of course I know of the Federalist Society -- how many times do I have to see Richard Thornburgh at the Miami City Club drone on about constitutional protections in the Age of Terror? -- I personally have never heard of the ACS.

Yet apparently there is a South Florida chapter, run by Steve Rosenthal over at the Podhurst firm.

Since it's unlikely Steve will be at the big St. Pete wedding, maybe he can weigh in on what the ACS is doing locally. If it involves Dick Thornburgh and the City Club, count me out.

Charlie Crist Sets Example, Spends Only $430k on European Vice-Presidential Victory Tour

Yes it's Monday, I'm grumpy, plus I'm getting sick of this sub-70 weather.

Ok, let me try this again -- how was your weekend?

I love reading the papers nowadays. For example, there's this heartwarming story:

In a nod to the increasingly desperate times faced by Florida citizens, Charlie Crist got the hail out of the state with his "ladyfriend" and nine really hunky bodyguards (two photographed above), and visited anti-American places like Spain, France and England. The whole thing was done on the cheap, too:

Gov. Charlie Crist took a pricey 12-day trip to Europe this summer, hitting taxpayers with a $430,000 bill amid a sagging economy. Crist flew to London, Paris, St. Petersburg and Madrid to drum up business in July on a trip that was supposed to cost $255,000, but the tab came in much higher, The Sun Sentinel reported Sunday.

Expenses included Crist's entourage of more than two dozen, including a photographer and nine bodyguards, who alone spent more than $148,000 on meals, hotels, transportation and incidentals. The news comes as the state budget has a roughly $2 billion deficit.

`DISTRESS'

Crist's office says fostering overseas business is even more important when the economy is hurting and has been ''instrumental in keeping our state from greater distress,'' spokeswoman Erin Isaac said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Sunday.

State money was not used to pay for Crist's roughly $30,000 in expenses. Business executives who went on the trip picked up that bill -- which included a $2,179-a-night London suite, where he conducted meetings.

Some of the costs were: first-class tickets for about $8,000 round-trip; room service and minibar tabs of more than $1,300; and $320 on electric fans to keep him cool while giving speeches, the newspaper reported.

It must suck to be spokeswoman Erin Isaac when asked to comment on a story like that. She probably didn't even get to go, and here she is justifying European electric fans to keep the Governor's delicate complexion at optimal thermal calibration. Give that woman a raise!

Speaking of papers, I did not read this in the Herald this morning:

The McClatchy Co., burdened by debt and a steep slide in newspaper advertising, wants to sell one of its most prized properties, The Miami Herald, according to people briefed on the company's plans.

McClatchy, the nation's third-largest newspaper chain, has approached potential buyers for The Herald, said these people. But they said they knew of no serious offers for the paper, reflecting the evaporation of major investors' interest in buying newspapers.

That's why I was surprised to hear the DBR publisher talk about expanding their paper at the Most Effective Lawyers luncheon on Friday. I like the new format, and wish them well.

BTW, you can see the finalists and winners here.

Please Governor, Don't Pick A Whack Job. Is That Too Much To Ask?

Now that Charlie Crist is getting everything in order in case new BFF John McCain decides to make him his number two, I'm starting to get a little worried about his Florida Supreme Court picks.

Before Charlie made his swoon, I actually thought he's been a pretty good Governor. And I still think that.

But then he starts having BBQ with McCain in Sedona, taking that wrinkly old dude out to the Everglades, and the next thing you know he reverses himself and now supports drilling off our beaches. Worse yet, he's even getting married! Talk about desperate.

I don't mind a middle-of-the-road Republican, just not some nasty partisan pick to prove yourself to Poppa McCain. The DBR has more on the selection process:

Applicants for the two high court vacancies include some with obvious political connections, starting with 1st District Court of Appeal Judge Clay Roberts.

He was Crist's chief deputy in the attorney general's office and one of his first judicial appointments after becoming governor. Roberts ! also was the top legal adviser to then-Secretary of State Katherine Harris during the 2000 presidential election recount.

Another is 2nd District Court of Appeal Judge Charles Canady, a former Republican legislator and congressman who was a House manager in ex-President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. He later served as Jeb Bush's legal adviser.

Then there's former Republican state Rep. Dudley Goodlette, who was legal adviser to the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, and another former Jeb Bush legal adviser, Frank R. Jimenez, who also was on President Bush's recount team during the 2000 election dispute. Jimenez most recently was the Navy's top civilian lawyer.

Most of Crist's appointments to the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission have solid Republican credentials.

They include State Board of Education member Kathleen Shanahan, a former chief of staff for Jeb Bush when he was governor; commission chairman Robert Hackleman, who served! on Crist's transition team; Jason Unger, once a lawyer for the Florid a Republican Party and husband of Jeb Bush's 2002 re-election campaign manager; and Howard Coker, an early Crist campaign supporter.

Crist delayed accepting the Cantero and Bell resignations until June when the terms of three Bush-appointed commissioners expired.

He then named Shanahan, a non-lawyer, and two attorneys, Martin Garcia and Katherine Ezell. That brought Crist's appointees to six, a clear majority.

Ok, it could be worse. Keep your fingers crossed.