(Updated). The organized campaign against retaining the three Florida Supreme Court justices on the ballot this year has already become more political than any previous merit retention vote in the state's history, but the decision last week by the Republican Party of Florida's executive board to enter the fray is turning off a lot of people — including some members of their own party.
At a candidates forum that took place in Gulfport Tuesday night, both state House Representative Jeff Brandes and Pasadena Mayor and state House District 69 candidate Kathleen Peters spoke out against the state GOP's decision to oppose retaining justices Fred Lewis, Peggy A. Quince and Barbara J. Pariente. Lewis and Pariente were appointed by the last Democratic governor of Florida, Lawton Chiles, while Quince was a joint selection of Chiles and Jeb Bush in 1998.
"To be honest, the party does its own thing, and the members do our own thing and rarely the two shall meet, except on certain issues," Brandes told the audience at the Maria Center of the Holy Name Catholic Church. "This is one of those issues where they don't consult us, they don't discuss it with us, and they're going to do their own thing on this issue."
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2012.