Attorney General Crist speaks out on issues
Published - August, 2, 2006 Crist speaks out on issues Michael Stewart @PensacolaNewsJournal.com Most call him Mr. Crist, but he prefers "Charlie." Some call him "Chain-Gang Charlie." He's Charlie Crist, Florida attorney general and Republican front-runner for governor. During a Tuesday meeting with the Pensacola News Journal editorial board, the 50-year-old shared his views on education, crime and skyrocketing homeowners insurance premiums. Youthful and tanned with a shock of gray hair, Crist is a self-described "compassionate conservative" who earned his "Chain-Gang Charlie" moniker by successfully lobbying to revive the use of chain gangs of prisoners as highway workers. As a state senator, he sponsored another bill requiring violent prisoners to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. Now, he's sponsoring a bill to require judges to send convicted felons who have been released from prison and violate their probation back to prison. Violations can range from committing a new crime to failing to meet with a probation officer at an appointed time. Prompting his bill were high-profile cases, such as the kidnapping and murder charges against convicted sex offender John Evander Couey in the death of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford in 2005. Cooey had been allowed to stay free despite probation violations. Pointing to the state's $74 billion budget, Crist isn't buying the argument that there isn't enough money to house more inmates, build more roads and fund education. "There are enormous resources available as long as you spend them wisely," he said. A recent poll shows Crist leading Republican challenger Tom Gallagher by 23 percentage points less than four weeks from the Sept. 5 primary election. Crist, who is single, has taken hits, though. He has been criticized for refusing, as attorney general, to intervene in the highly publicized Terri Schiavo right-to-die case. "I just felt issues of that nature ought to be left to God and family," Crist said. In a recent interview with a radio talk-show host, Crist said he had not decided whether Florida should allow gays to adopt children, the St. Petersburg Times reported. But on Tuesday, Crist said: "I'm opposed to it. It's against the law in Florida." He said it was not something he had thought about at the time the radio host asked the question. He also said he defines marriage as a union between a man and woman but has no problem with civil unions between gays. One of the defining issues for Crist and other gubernatorial hopefuls is the insurance premium crisis in Florida. Crist said options to address the problem include lowering the $5.2 billion threshold to access Florida's catastrophic funds available to insurers; collaborating with other states for a national catastrophic fund; and passing state legislation requiring insurance companies who sell auto insurance in Florida to offer homeowners insurance as well. "There are companies that will write property coverage in 49 other states and sort of red-line out Florida, and yet they will sell auto insurance here and benefit from it immensely," Crist said. Crist's remarks on other issues: ? The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test: "I also very strongly supported our governor in having accountability. If you don't test, you can't know and take accurate measure of where you need to put your resources." ? Jobs: "I believe education is the key. Students should get a good technical education in our public school system before they leave high school so if they don't attend college, they will have an opportunity to make a good wage. More manufacturing in this state would not be a bad thing." ? Offshore drilling: "I'm opposed to it." ? The use of toll roads to address transportation needs: "I'm not saying toll roads are the be-all, end-all, but at least it provides (driving) options to our citizens." http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/NEWS01/608020351