Following the adjournment of the Republican-led House and Senate on Tuesday, during which they failed to craft and pass a constitutional ban on oil exploration off Florida coast, Governor Charlie Crist, blasted the Legislature, calling it the “do-nothing Legislature.”
Expressing great disappointment, Crist described the actions as “the exercise of arrogance of power”, saying that the Legislature had lost their way by not allowing the people of Florida the opportunity to vote on the oil drilling ban.
See Full Text of Governor Charlie Crist’s Remarks Below:
Good afternoon. To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. I am significantly disappointed for the people. I really am. I can’t believe that this Legislature has shirked its duty so badly. They had an opportunity to put a referendum before the people, to allow the people the right to vote on this important issue, and they wouldn’t even trust them.
In the House, they didn’t even trust their own members. They wouldn’t even let them speak. They limited their speech. Even among their colleagues. How arrogant can a Legislature be?
You know, when President Truman was president, he called the Congress the do-nothing Congress. Well, today, I call this the do-nothing Legislature. And I’m going to give them hell for it. I can’t believe that they would have that much of a lack of respect for the people of Florida that they wouldn’t even give them the chance to vote on an issue that is impacting Florida as much as this one is.
It is embarrassing to watch. I feel for the people. I’m sorry for their inability to take this issue by themselves and have a chance to make a difference for the future of our state. To have the Legislature disrespect them so much and to have them thumb their noses at the people in this way is absolutely astonishing.
It is clearly the exercise of arrogance of power. They’ve lost their way, and that’s a shame.
And they did it on Senate Bill 6 too. Remember, they wouldn’t take any amendments on Senate Bill 6. They limited debate on this issue that would have simply gone to the people, that would have given them the right to vote.
I can’t understand it. I can’t describe that kind of illogical behavior. It is not appropriate. It’s not fair. It’s not right for the people. It is astonishing to me. And both parties are guilty. Both the House and the Senate. Even after the House decided that they were going to sine die, after taking limited debate, the Senate could have made a….
