Negron ups the ante in Senate President race

BY DARA KAM
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, August 26, 2015…… Sen. Joe Negron announced Wednesday that he has the votes to take the gavel of the chamber next year, but Sen. Jack Latvala, his opponent in the race for the Senate presidency, called Negron's victory declaration premature.

Negron, R-Stuart, issued a statement that said he has locked down 14 of the chamber's 26 Republicans, identifying them all by name, and also has the support of "an overwhelming majority" of candidates in 2016 Senate races.

"It is clear that the caucus is ready to formally designate its next Senate president," Negron said. "My fellow senators and I have a deep and abiding respect for the process and our caucus, and it is with that respect that we look forward to the designation ceremony in December and moving forward as one Senate."

Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, has scheduled a vote for Republicans to designate their pick for the chamber's next leader during the first week of December, when lawmakers will be in Tallahassee for committee meetings. The December vote "is in keeping with the traditional timeframe for the caucus to select a leader for the following legislative term," Gardiner spokeswoman Katie Betta said in an email.

Gardiner postponed a caucus vote on the issue after the November elections, despite pressure from Negron backers who insisted Negron had the votes.

But Latvala said Wednesday the actual vote for the Senate president will take place after the November 2016 elections and will be open to all 40 members of the chamber. The Senate includes 14 Democrats.

Three of Negron's named supporters will be forced out of office next year due to term limits, Latvala, a veteran lawmaker and campaign strategist, pointed out.

"The only thing that he's demonstrated is that he's only got 11 Republicans who are coming back next year out of 26, which is not a majority of the caucus. The only change is that prior to session he had 12. So he's going in the wrong direction," Latvala said.

The timing of Negron's statement raised eyebrows because the Legislature is preparing to return to Tallahassee in October to redraw the Senate district map. How many sitting Republicans could be forced to run for re-election in newly drawn districts remains unknown. Some Senate leaders have raised the specter that senators may need to run again even if they wouldn't typically be up for re-election in 2016, or that term limits might cause an early exit for those who would otherwise be eligible for another two years in office.

Negron's announcement and demand for a GOP vote are "a very selfish disservice to the caucus, to the president and to the Senate," Latvala, R-Clearwater, said.

"We've got enough problems right now that he didn't need to lay this one on top of them," he said. "We need leadership in Tallahassee now more than ever. We've demonstrated a lot of dysfunction up there the last couple of months. But I think the leadership now is a whole lot more important than leadership in the future and he's not demonstrating leadership now."

The battle between Negron and Latvala over who will assume the helm of the Senate after the 2016 elections has raged for years.

Latvala helped ensure Gardiner's presidency three years ago when then-Sen. John Thrasher, aided by Negron, launched a failed leadership coup in an attempt to oust Gardiner from taking over as president in late 2014.

A fractured Senate GOP caucus could also deepen divisions between the House and Senate, both controlled by Republicans. Lawmakers failed to pass a budget on time earlier this year and last week adjourned a special session without reaching agreement on a congressional map after being ordered by the Florida Supreme Court to come up with a new plan.

Leaders in the two chambers are now fighting over how to handle the fallout from the failed special session.

The Senate GOP schism could also make it more difficult for lawmakers to reach consensus on the Senate map.

"To make a determination that someone has won or lost is asinine at this point in time because we don't know who's going to be running against whom and what changes are going to be made to the map," Sen. Greg Evers, a Baker Republican and Latvala supporter, said "I think it was very premature and very childlike to come out with someone like this at this stage of the game. It's time for us to worry about doing the people's work. We can worry about our internal politics at a later time."