The Gantt Report
Florida’s Republican attack dogs are looking at the state’s Democratic Primary race for Attorney General like a bloody jawed wolf looks at a defenseless flock of sheep!
One of the candidates for the Sunshine State position of “top cop” has been asked by more than a few politicos to step aside because of concerns that candidate may have violated at least one law regarding residency requirements for candidates for Florida Attorney General.
People are suggesting that the questionable candidate is trying to run a boo game on Florida voters. Others say the candidate is a false political prophet. Even more say the candidate is a political snake out to bite unsuspecting Florida Democrats with a venomous forked tongue!
According to the Florida Constitution, candidates for attorney general must reside in the state the preceding seven years before that candidate attempts to run as a candidate for Attorney General.
From 2011 to October 2013, the Democratic candidate that the Republicans are waiting to attack held a $179,000 job at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that required him to live, at least part-time, out-of-state.
The candidate in question says there’s no problem because he claimed Florida’s $50,000 homestead tax exemption for one of his two Tallahassee homes. He said he didn’t rent out the home and would visit it periodically. And he kept his voter registration in Tallahassee.
Hmm? Let me see. If I own a house in Alaska but I work in Maine for two years, live somewhere in Maine for two years and occasionally visit the frozen Northwest can I put on my opportunist clothes, go to Alaska, pretend I have always lived in Anchorage and run for political office even if the law clearly says I should be a resident in the state where I run for office?
Even Stevie Wonder can see through a declaration like that!
To prove the Republican attack target did not live in Florida someone got a recent email sent to the Florida Bar in which the candidate said he had been living out-of-state. He was seeking to qualify for an exemption from a Florida Bar requirement to take continuing legal education and to reinstate his eligibility to practice law.
“I was acting assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services living in Washington as demonstrated by my address in Washington,” the candidate reportedly wrote to Michelle Francis, the Bar’s education compliance and accreditation manager. “As such, I am exempt for those years from the CLE requirement and assumed that the Bar was aware of my status.”
It seems the candidate lied to the Florida Bar when he said he was living and working out of the State of Florida or he lied to Florida election officials when he said he met residency requirements and was truly qualified to seek the position of Florida Attorney General.
The problem is this. If the candidate doesn’t step aside as so many Democrats have suggested he should, I expect should he win the Democratic Primary, Republican consultants and strategists will paint EVERY Democratic candidate as a political liar and a public office political opportunist.
The good thing is, if the candidate is a true Democrat he will end his fake, false and misleading campaign and throw his support behind the other candidate in the Democratic Primary race for Florida Attorney General.
