Florida Government And Politics Weekly Update (Week Of February 2, 2009)

Legislature: House Speaker Ray Sansom Steps Aside

Florida House of Representatives Speaker Ray Sansom (R-Fort

Walton Beach) has stepped down from the office of speaker. In a

January 30, 2009 e-mail to House members, Rep. Sansom wrote,

"Effective immediately, I have decided to recuse myself from

the exercise of my duties as Speaker of the House of

Representatives." Although Rep. Sansom's apparent intent

was to step aside temporarily, his future status was not

immediately clear.

In his e-mail, Rep. Sansom declared that "Ongoing legal

proceedings have temporarily created an inability" for him to

carry out his duties as speaker and, that under the House rules,

the Speaker Pro Tempore, Rep. Larry Cretul (R-Ocala), would

exercise the powers of the speaker during the temporary inability.

Several House members argued that rule relied on by Rep. Sansom

does not allow for temporary removal from office and requires the

election of a new speaker.

On February 1, 2009, the House Rules & Calendar Council

Chair, Rep. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), issued his analysis and

recommendation. Rep. Galvano stated that the relevant House rule is

ambiguous in that it does not expressly provide for or allow a

transfer of authority back to Rep. Sansom. He recommended that the

House, "[i]n an abundance of caution and in order to ensure

certainty and avoid any further ambiguity" elect a new speaker

when the regular legislative session convenes on March 3, 2009.

Rep. Galvano also declared that he was not seeking the

speakership and would not accept a nomination to serve as

speaker.

A meeting of the House Republican Conference has been called for

9:00 p.m, February 2, 2009. Florida newspapers are reporting that

House Republicans are likely to select Rep. Cretul to succeed Rep.

Sansom as speaker. Newspapers also are reporting that J. Dudley

Goodlette, who served in the House from 1998 to 2006 as a

Republican Representative from Naples, will replace Mike Hansen as

House chief of staff. Mr. Hansen previously served as the staff

director of the House Policy & Budget Council and as director

of the Governor's Office of Policy and Budget in the Jeb Bush

administration.

Earlier in the week, a Tallahassee grand jury voted to

investigate Rep. Sansom's relationship with Northwest Florida

State College and a Destin-area developer. Rep. Sansom also is the

subject of a complaint filed with the Florida Commission on

Ethics.

Insurance: State Farm Florida Announces Its Withdrawal From the

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