Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest Governor’s Mansion of them all?
With nearly $800,000 in new furniture and renovations, the answer is easy: the stately Greek Revival home where Gov. Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott reside.
Since moving into the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee, the Scotts have been busily nesting — acquiring new kitchen appliances, re-screening the patio and gilding Mrs. Scott’s bathroom with a $2,000 mirror.
Taxpayers spent $600,000 for renovations to the public side of the mansion, with companies and lobbyists who do business with the governor picking up the rest.
The governor’s private quarters were remodeled with help from U.S. Sugar; Florida Crystals; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida; the chief executive of GEO Group, a private prison company; and Brian Ballard, the highest-grossing lobbyist in Tallahassee.
They spent $200,000 to re-screen the pool area, buy $38,000 in rugs and install the big-ticket bathroom mirror, according to WTSP Channel 10.
Of course, the work at 700 North Adams St. is not a DIY project, with the governor zipping over to Home Depot for a can of paint or clearance prices on a side-by-side stainless steel refrigerator. The governor and his wife did add $93,000 worth of their own furnishings and exercise equipment, WTSP reports.
Scott has made thriftiness in government spending a hallmark of his administration, slashing or withholding taxpayer dollars to many programs.
According to the Department of Management Services, the $600,000 taxpayer-funded upgrades covered painting, wallpaper and other much-needed renovations for upkeep and maintenance.
House-hunting candidate: Alex Sink, Florida’s former chief financial officer, is house-hunting in Pinellas County, now that she is running to fill the seat of late Republican Congressman Bill Young.
Sink disclosed to the Tampa Bay Times that she is seeking the post held by Young for 22 terms.
Although Sink now resides near Lakeland, she told the Times that she is actively looking for a home in Pinellas County, located in the district that Young represented.
Sink, 65, is a former Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
No Republican has formally entered the race. But Young’s widow, Beverly Young, who made headlines for banning some Florida Democrats from her husband’s funeral, has said she is considering a run.
Billy Young, Young’s son, also has been talked about as a potential candidate, as has former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker.
Wednesday morning, Sink’s Facebook page made no mention of her bid for Congress. But well-wishers already were reacting to the news.
“The announcement of your run for the senate seat sure put a smile on my face. Good Luck and you have my support,” Douglass Wells wrote on Sink’s Facebook page.
Will GPS projectile replace police chase?: With high-speed pursuits a controversial issue in St. Petersburg, police are testing a GPS device that sticks to a suspect’s vehicle like no-see'ums during mating season.
TechSpot.com reports that St. Petersburg is the first city in Florida to publicly test the GPS device, which shoots out of a cannon-like device mounted on a patrol car and attaches to the suspect vehicle with a sticky substance. Lasers enable the system to precisely target the vehicle.
Starchase, the company offering the product, says that it decreases the need for pursuits, as the GPS tracker allows police to follow and find a vehicle without a risky high-speed pursuit.
