It's rare but not unprecedented for Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos to bring down the hammer, and he did so on Wednesday, stripping Pasco County state Senator Mike Fasano from his chairmanship of the Criminal and Civil Justice budget committee.
The move happened after Fasano, a critic of the Senate leadership's plan to privatize state prisons, delayed for the second straight day a measure that would outsource all Department of Corrections operations in 18 counties in the southern portion of the state.
“In my 18 years of elective office I have always and will continue to vote my conscience," Fasano said in a statement. "I have stood up for the little guy and gal, those who otherwise would not have a voice in the legislative process. I will always speak out when I see injustice, no matter what the consequences may be."
He continued, “No matter how big the bully in the schoolyard may be, if the loss of a chairmanship is the result of taking a stand for what is right, I wear that loss as a badge of honor."
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2012.