Backroom Briefing: Bullard not going anywhere

By DARA KAM AND JIM TURNER
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, April 14, 2016.......... State Sen. Dwight Bullard put the kibosh on rumors that he'll bow out of his race in a newly drawn Miami-Dade County district that could pose an uphill battle for the incumbent.

Bullard, an heir to a political dynasty founded by his late mother, Larcenia, told The News Service of Florida on Thursday that he has no intention of stepping away from what is expected to be one of the most contentious Senate battles this year.

"I plan on qualifying in June. I'm not going to pull any bait-and-switch," Bullard, a Miami Democrat, said.

Bullard, who so far doesn't have a primary opponent, is facing off against state Rep. Frank Artiles, a Miami Republican who raised a whopping $209,669 in little more than two weeks in March after throwing his hat into the race. In all, Bullard has raised about $70,000 in cash --- and received a $20,000 in-kind contribution last month from the Florida Democratic Party for polling --- for his re-election effort, and has spent almost $50,000 so far.

The newly-drawn Senate District 40 could have pitted Bullard against fellow Sen. Anitere Flores, a Miami Republican who opted to run for a nearby seat instead.

While Bullard's new district leans Democratic, it also has a 2010 Hispanic voting-age population of nearly 75 percent and a black voting-age population of less than 10 percent.

Bullard, who's also the county Democratic chairman, acknowledged that local Dems have struggled to recruit Hispanic candidates to run for Senate posts.

"As one of the chief recruiters, I'd be the first to tell you if I was trying to find somebody to replace myself in the Senate, which I'm not," he said. "Listen, I'll be the first to say this new seat, from a demographic standpoint, people could argue that it's going to be a challenge or it's going to be uphill or it's 'a seat that should be represented by a Latino.' I've kind of heard it all at this point. All I know is, I stand on my record of being a fighter for the people, a good Democrat, someone who believes in making sure that government is responsible and is concerned for working class people. So that is just really where I'm at, and where I will continue to be."

Longtime lawmaker Larcenia Bullard served in the House and the Senate. Her husband, Edward, succeeded Larcenia in the House. Dwight Bullard was elected to the same House seat in 2008 and took over his mother's Senate seat in 2012.

Bullard said that the "unfortunate reality of the new map" split in two the black community that was home to many of his base voters in the southern portion of the county.

"That being said, those residents deserve an equal opportunity to get representation regardless of ethnicity or ethnic background," he said.

The Bullard clan's previous electoral fights came in primaries. But the senator predicted that this year's presidential politics will give him a leg up in November, when Democrats typically show up in larger numbers than in midterm elections.

"The luxury that myself and other Dems, especially this particular cycle, are going to have is that you're going to have a national race in November driving the electorate. You're going to have clear philosophical distinctions between the two (presidential nominees), that, whoever they are going to be, are ultimately going to push voters to the polls. So I think it's a grand opportunity for not only picking up additional seats in the Senate … but, just from that standpoint, that's kind of the overall philosophy we're looking at as Democrats," Bullard said. "If you have a Trump candidacy or Cruz candidacy driving the top of the ticket, that is not something people are ready to stomach."

ON THE (TRADE) ROAD AGAIN

The frayed relationship between Gov. Rick Scott and his business recruitment agency was highlighted this week amid mixed messages over upcoming travel plans.

During a conference call on Wednesday, Enterprise Florida business development leader Luis Orbegoso claimed that Scott is planning to attend Medica 2016, an international medical trade fair slated for November in Düsseldorf, Germany, as well as the Farnborough International Airshow in England in July.

"The governor will also be attending that (Farnborough) show and announcing three aviation-related projects," Orbegoso told other board members.

But EFI spokesman Stephen Lawson later made a point to clarify that Scott hasn't agreed to travel to the air show, a mission he's taken in the past to promote Florida.

"No decision has been made, but we are working with the Governor's office to explore the possibility," Lawson said in a statement that didn't address the Medica trade fair.

Scott's office didn't immediately respond to questions on Thursday.

The trips would put back Scott back on the international circuit to drum up business for the Sunshine State, something he's only done once in his second term --- attending an air show in Paris in June 2015 --- after traveling to Panama, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Chile, France and Japan during his first four years in office.

The travel kerfuffle comes as details continue to be finalized on Enterprise Florida President and CEO Bill Johnson's transition out of his post after lawmakers failed to grant Scott's $250 million request for the “Quick Action Closing Fund” economic incentive program.

Without the incentive program money, Scott is asking the agency --- which has a $9 million payroll for about 90 employees --- to trim about $6 million in spending on office space and staff. Scott also wants the board to consider services that could be run entirely by the private sector.

Meanwhile, a new organizational chart has the agency --- now overseen directly by Scott - reporting to one of the governor's deputy chiefs of staff, Frank Collins.

Scott expects both proposals to be discussed at the board's May 11 meeting, which will take place at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, a luxury beachfront resort in the governor's hometown.

Board members downplayed the agency's current situation during the conference call.

Vice Chairman Alan Becker accused the media of making it appear that "we're out of business."

"The fact is business is good. We're doing well. We're doing what we're supposed to be doing," Becker said. "Yes, we do have some challenges without the closing funds, but we have so many other advantages to sell and so many other tools to use, that, while we may suffer on some of the big, high-profile projects, we've got 278 in the pipeline, and we're doing a good job with what we've got."

TWEET OF THE WEEK: "Congrats to @RonDeSantisFL on gaining the support of a man widely considered to be the worst surrogate of all time!" --- Florida Democratic Party spokesman Max Steele (@maxasteele), on onetime-presidential candidate Ben Carson's endorsement of Florida Congressman Ron DeSantis in his GOP primary bid for the U.S. Senate.