Ain’t it great to have juice? Mayor Baker has done fundraising and numerous favors for Gov. Jeb Bush (not to mention Bush’s brother Dubya). So when it came time to cash in one of those chits, the winner was the Salvador Dali Museum. A $4 million grant for the relocating museum was dubbed a “turkey” by Florida TaxWatch, as was $5.5 million that Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio wanted for her Riverwalk and for a new parking garage for the Tampa Bay Lightning. But Baker personally lobbied Bush for the Dali dollars, and on veto day Jeb axed Pam (a Democrat) and rewarded Rick (a Republican).
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2006.