There are certain things that exist in our system of governing in America that makes no sense, yet will probably never change. Things like the fact that the tiny New England state of Rhode Island has the same number of U.S. Senators as Florida or California has.
Or the fact that Florida has any need whatsoever for a Lieutenant Governor.
That's a legitimate subject in our view based on now former Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll's resignation yesterday. Carroll stepped down because she said her former association with Allied Veterans of the World, a Jacksonville-based Internet sweepstakes nonprofit at the center of a multi-state federal investigation would be "a distraction" for the Scott administration.
Though Governor Scott says he won't name a replacement for Carroll until early May, already some Florida bloggers are throwing out names like current GOP South Florida state Senator Anitere Flores or former GOP state Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff as possible replacements. But why does he need one at all? Is there anything in this position that is vital (a position incidentally that pays $127,398 annually)?
This is not the first time we (or others) have raised this issue. Back when Scott named Carroll as his running mate in early September of 2010 we wrote about the irrelevancy of this office. I mean even now, when people talk about Flores and Bogdanoff, they talk about they help Scott's electoral chances (both women, one a Latina, the other Jewish), not about what they would actually do as LG, because that would be nothing much.
As the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wrote back in the 90's, Florida got along quite well without a lieutenant governor for 82 years, from 1889 to 1971. With ethical problems in this office dogging not only this administration in Tallahassee but the last one, it should be time for Florida lawmakers to seriously consider eliminating it. But they probably won't.
In other news, Cl attended the fascinating experience that is a FAST assembly with Pinellas County officials on Tuesday night, this time held at Tropicana Field.
And the editor of the Miami New Times writes in their new issue that in fact they will not give over their documents to Major League Baseball that allowed them to break their exclusive in January regarding Alex Rodriguez and other baseball stars relationship with a Coral Gables anti-aging clinic dealing with performing enhancing drugs.
This article appears in Mar 14-20, 2013.
