Both Republican candidates running for the U.S. Senate have now taken Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge.

Gov. Charlie Crist’s campaign announced this morning that he was the first candidate to sign the “taxpayer protection pledge” of the Washington-based group Americans for Tax Reform. Hours later, ATR announced that former House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, had sent in his pledge, too.

By signing, they promise to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar-for-dollar by further reducing taxes.”

Norquist, the nationally known president of ATR, has been offering politicians the pledge since 1987. So far, 34 senators and 172 House members have signed, along with six governors and over 1,100 state legislators.

But the governor also pulled off a bit of one-upmanship with another headline — announcing that Sen. Mel Martinez, the man they both want to replace, will serve as a co-chairman of his campaign, along with former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack, the man who gave Crist his start in politics as an office aide more than 20 years ago.

Crist said the injustice and arrogance of the situation has angered him, and that he would have a statement on the situation in a few days.

“That concerns me greatly,” Crist said after the meeting. “We want to be a continuing partner to help.”

Earlier this month more than 120 farm workers and protesters rallied at the Capitol and criticized Crist for not meeting with them in person. Crist sent Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon to speak with the group.

Members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers said their meeting with Crist was both cordial and productive.

“It was a very intimate dialogue, but there is a lot of work to do,” said Gerardo Reyes, a CIW member.

The coalition had complained that some workers are forced to work the fields and then chained at night, and they said the workers haven’t received a raise since 1978. They said the average worker makes about $10,000 a year.

They asked Crist to clarify his opposition to such treatment and use his voice to eliminate slavery and low wages.

–Stephen D. Price

Read more…

A poll released this morning shows Crist’s approval ratings at a stratospheric 73 percent.

The poll was conducted for the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Political Institute by Public Insight Research, an arm of Cherry Communications. The survey of 610 likely voters was conducted from Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 and has a 4 percent margin of error.

Here’s what respondents were asked: “Do you strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove or strongly disapprove of the job Charlie Crist is doing as governor?”

The results:

• Strongly Approve, 19 percent
• Somewhat Approve, 54 percent
• Somewhat Disapprove, 13 percent
• Strongly Disapprove 7 percent

“Governor Charlie Crist’s approval rating is again rising, up from 68 percent in the November Florida Chamber of Commerce poll,” said Marian Johnson, vice president of Political Affairs for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “Clearly Florida voters appreciate the governor fighting to put people back to work during the past few months, and this rising approval rating reflects that.”

A Quinnipiac Universty poll released Jan. 21 pegged Crist’s approval rating at 65 percent.

–Jim Ash

Crist and his wife, Carole, visited a senior citizens center a few blocks from the Governor’s Mansion. He was asked about dipping into the Lawton Chiles Endowment for $600 million and gambling on quick ratification of his Seminole Tribe casino compact for another $135 million, which were pieces of the plan Crist sent to lawmakers late Tuesday.

Crist said the Chiles money will be repaid promptly. The late governor’s family has threatened legal action if the state includes the health-care fund among its sources of borrowing, and may ask that the Chiles name be removed from the endowment if it is treated like a regular revenue source.

More here: Crist seeks to ‘protect the most vulnerable’ with budget plan

Governor Charlie Crist

Gov. Charlie Crist has proposed spending cuts, sweeping trust funds for extra money, using Seminole gambling money and borrowing to build prisons to meet a projected $2.3 billion shortfall in the state’s spending plan.

The Legislature is set to meet in special session starting Jan. 5 to fix the budget. An economy in recession and a burst housing bubble has continued to drain tax revenue.

Crist’s proposal, released this afternoon, includes $561.5 million in spending cuts.

It pulls extra money from a variety of sources. The biggest is $600 million from the Lawton Chiles Endowment Trust Fund, set up with a portion of proceeds from the state’s settlement in tobacco litigation.

Read the rest of the post here: Crist proposes cuts, sweeps to make up $2.3 billion gap

Since the holidays fall on Thursdays, the governor said, a lot of employees use a vacation day for a long weekend. But with the state budget tightening, excluding any pay raises or other improvements in benefits over the past few legislative sessions, Crist said he wanted to show appreciation for state workers.

He also paid tribue to state Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, who suggested the paid time off. She joined Crist at a news conference and said she’d tried for a week or two, but was glad to get employees the two days.

Read more…