After 'Veto Corleone,' expect Crist to have lighter budget touch Rookie Gov. Charlie Crist faces another big first this week. Crist has until Thursday to sign the $72 billion budget the Florida Legislature sent to him earlier this month and to decide which of the dozens of hometown projects lawmakers stuffed into it to strip out. It's a decision that will offer one of the clearest windows yet into the differences between Crist and his predecessor. Nine years ago, then-first-term Gov. Jeb Bush stunned lawmakers by vetoing an unprecedented $313 million from the state budget, axing hundreds of hometown projects, or "turkeys" in Tallahassee parlance. He broke his own record in his final year in office when he slashed nearly $449 million from the budget last spring. All told, Bush vetoed a staggering $2 billion-plus from the budget during his two terms in office, earning the nickname "Veto Corleone." And he was never bashful about it. Most expect Crist to apply a lighter touch to his first budget. Unlike Bush, Crist served in the Legislature he was a state senator from 1992 to 1998 and he knows the value for lawmakers of bringing home the bacon come election time. But Dominic Calabro, president of Florida TaxWatch, which annually compiles a list of budget turkeys, thinks Crist will still find plenty to veto. The new governor just might be a little more diplomatic than Bush about it, he said. "The reality of it was Bush's style of doing it was sort of rough," he said. "I think Crist will do it with more, 'I hate to do it, but I gotta do it.' " CAPITOL VIEW JOHN KENNEDY & JASON GARCIA Adding some political intrigue to it all is that lawmakers are forcing Crist's hand a lot earlier than expected. There had been speculation that Crist wanted the Legislature to delay sending him the budget until after next month's special session on property taxes, because once the governor receives the budget, he has only 15 days to act on it. Waiting would have allowed Crist to use the threat of budget vetoes while trying to drive lawmakers together on taxes. Lawmakers, however, sent him the budget early, negating that strategy. That could make Crist more reluctant to slash turkeys for fear of alienating lawmakers ahead of the special session. Or it could make him more likely to use his veto pen by giving him the rationale that he simply hadn't had enough time to review them. One thing is for sure, Calabro said. "I know they wouldn't have done it with Jeb Bush." Wild about Charlie Despite the Legislature's deadlock over cutting property taxes, Crist's popularity is climbing, according to a new Florida Chamber of Commerce poll. Crist drew favorable marks from 75 percent of respondents in the chamber survey of 1,000 likely general election voters, conducted April 29-30 by McLaughlin & Associates. Only 6 percent gave the governor poor marks. A chamber poll in February gave Crist a 65 percent approval rating. Crist's strong numbers come even though Floridians seem lukewarm about the direction the state is heading. Forty-three percent of those surveyed said Florida was going in the right direction, while 41 percent said wrong direction. Crist aide to GOP Another Crist ally is moving in at the Republican Party of Florida's headquarters. Jim Rimes, who until recently was a deputy chief of staff to Crist, has been named the new executive director at the state GOP. He'll go to work under RPOF chairman Jim Greer, the former Oviedo City Council member who was Crist's handpicked choice to lead the party. Rimes will replace Andy Palmer, who is stepping down in June to join a Tallahassee political-consulting firm headed by Randy Enwright, another former RPOF executive director. Rimes himself spent six years at Enwright's shop before going to work for Crist's gubernatorial campaign. For more insider information and insights on Florida politics, go to Central Florida Political Pulse at orlandosentinel.compoliticalpulse. John Kennedy can be reached at jkennedyorlandosentinel.com. Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarciaorlandosentinel.com. Both also can be reached at 850-222-5564.
